Before there was Fletcher, before there were The Aces, before there was Kehlani, before there was Dove Cameron or Hayley Kiyoko or Phoebe Bridgers or L Devine or Rina Sawayama, it was 1993 and there was Melissa Etheridge.
At the Triangle Ball, an LGBTQ+ celebration of former U.S. president Bill Clinton’s inauguration, Etheridge announced, “I’m very proud to have been a lesbian all my life.”
Later that year, her fourth album, Yes I Am, would be released, catapulting her to further national and international notoriety. Her career has spanned decades and won her two GRAMMY awards. In the early days, she played at bars and clubs in Los Angeles, where she said in an interview with Today, “I was supported by the women’s community around Los Angeles and Pasadena and Long Beach.”
Today, the 1990s seem both lightyears away and just a blink back in time. It’s a strange, joyful realization during a time of reminiscence like Pride Month to remember the way things once were, and the way they are now. In the same Today interview, Etheridge was quoted as saying:
“I love the way this younger generation has relaxed. For us, it was that you were supposed to be straight. Then, it was either you were straight or you were gay. Now, there’s this beautiful spectrum of people who don’t have to make up their minds. They can be, like, whatever they want.”
And that’s the key: relaxed. In 2022, we still have improvements to make. However, with the prevalence of artists like Fletcher, who simply uses the term “queer” rather than zeroing in on a laser-focused label, or Hayley Kiyoko, who is openly dubbed “Lesbian Jesus” and whose iconic, generation-defining “Girls Like Girls” music video has amassed over 145 million views, the only way we can continue to move is forward. This generation’s attitude toward identity is one that is distinctly go-with-the-flow, and that is not without the foundations that artists like Etheridge laid in the 90s.
As a mentor, Etheridge has dedicated her career to helping and guiding younger artists, especially LGBTQ-identifying artists. Now, as Gritty In Pink’s new strategic advisor, she’s taking a new step in her activism. Gritty In Pink, led by the dazzling rock’n’roll force Shira Yevin, is an organization dedicated to highlighting and uplifting women and non-binary people working in the music industry. Through their monthly GRL (Gritty Rocks Live) fundraisers showcasing rising artists, to their new INPINK marketplace platform that works to connect women in the music industry with industry professionals, Gritty In Pink effects tangible change in the music industry. On their site, they specifically call out the issues women face in the industry, with numbers like 21.6% of artists being women.
Now, with Etheridge as the strategic advisor, this fierce advocacy is reaching new heights. Etheridge has long been an advocate for women in music and for the LGBTQ+ community. Of INPINK, she said in Guitar Girl Magazine, “I believe the INPINK marketplace is going to change the landscape for hiring diverse women in music, making it more accessible, and I fully support what they are building. The future of music is female!”
In the ultimate combination of these two incredible forces in the music industry, Gritty In Pink hosted a special live stream on Instagram in partnership with Melissa Etheridge’s Etheridge Foundation for opioid research on June 7, 2022. The stream featured performances including Maya Karli, Sterling Victorian, and VK Lynne, as well as chats with Mikalah Gordon, Play Out Apparel, and more. Plus, a representative from the Etheridge Foundation came on to discuss their efforts in the medical world, including their funding for research and advocacy for the use of medical marijuana. They also promoted a giveaway run by the Etheridge Foundation.
The stream was a celebration of Pride, a fundraiser, and served as a pre-show for Gritty’s All GRL Jam Concert at The Echo in Los Angeles on June 9. The concert is a new partnership with Live Nation and features a lineup of 60+ women and non-binary musicians who will be covering queer artists and queer anthems. And not only that, it will be a kick-off to a Gritty In Pink residency at the venue.
When the next generation rolls around in a few years and adds to the list of queer women in music blazing new trails after Halsey and Miley and Hayley and Fletcher, we’ll recall this era, when things weren’t as good as they will become. When we’ll say, “There’s more to be done, but we’ll keep moving forward.” When there are new mentors and new trailblazers and new celebrations. And when that day comes, the work done by organizations like Gritty In Pink and artists like Melissa Etheridge will be pillars of that foundation, forever lifting up the future for all women and non-binary people in music. You don’t wanna miss it.
