We Will Survive: The Ultimate Queer Anthems Playlist

Pride Month feels as revolutionary and important as ever. It is currently happening in the context of an unprecedented wave of anti-trans legislation. The American Civil Liberties Union is currently tracking 491 anti-LGBTQ+ bills, which target trans people or aim to ban or censor drag performances. Many of the bills seek to prevent trans youth from receiving gender-affirming healthcare, block schools from offering trans-inclusive education, and block trans people from using the bathroom they deem most appropriate.

It’s reasonable to feel very sad and scared about this news, but it’s also a powerful reminder of why Pride exists in the first place. We are still fighting: for dignity, bodily autonomy, and the freedom to exist as ourselves in public.

Music has always been part of the constant struggle for liberation; Our canonical gay anthems, with their themes of survival, acceptance, and self-love, have been a significant source of queer joy and connection for decades, and still are today.

As a queer Dominican kid growing up in Queens in the ’90s, some of these songs were lifesavers for me, putting into words what I couldn’t say out loud at the time. They gave me a voice when I felt voiceless, under the glow of a diva and a rumbling beat that drowned out my darkest thoughts. Lip-syncing to Whitney Houston’s “I’m Every Woman,” specifically the high bridge, gives me the same catharsis to this day. After all, “Got it!!”

Below you’ll find a playlist of some of our favorite gay anthems of all time; is a mix of classics and recent bops, all of which will lift you up, brighten your spirits, and help you feel better and more queer. Throw them on for your next news-inducing rage workout, hot-girl ride, or just whenever you need something to jumpstart your day. Being queer is a gift, and as Lady Gaga declares in “Free Woman,” “This is my dance floor that I fought for.”