Chappell Roan and Queer Representation

Chappell Roan has quickly risen to fame in the past two years as an international pop superstar. She is perhaps best known for being an openly lesbian artist who centers relationships with women in her songs, creating a welcoming space for queer women with her music. However, she has also been a divisive figure, with accusations of being a performative activist that panders to the LGBTQIA+ community. Much of this conversation has arisen from social media sites such as TikTok and X. So, are these criticisms against her valid, or simply bad-faith discourse? And how much has social media played a role in her perception?

Let us take a look at some other notable lesbian singers who came out publicly and how they were received. One example is Janis Ian, who used her 1992 album Breaking Silence as a platform to speak openly about her sexuality for the first time. The following year, she spoke about the reaction to her coming out in an interview for glbtq.com. She expressed that it was mostly positive, with news outlets like CNN and Entertainment News taking an interest in her story. She also made an appearance on The Tonight Show where she felt that the producers were “quite open to whatever [she] I wanted to do” and did not pressure her to speak about the topic. Ian hoped that her openness would serve as a beacon of hope for queer teens struggling with their mental health. 

Another example is Lesley Gore, known for songs like “You Don’t Own Me” and “It’s My Party”, who came out publicly over a decade later in 2005 during an episode of the PBS docuseries In the Life, which focused on LGBTQIA+ issues. She spoke to AfterEllen, a popular lesbian magazine, about her experiences coming out and being a gay artist. She said that she experienced homophobia mostly from the music industry, which had “always been a man’s world.” However, she was more warmly received by others, not feeling the need to hide herself. Through hosting In the Life, she aimed to create visibility for young people in small Midwestern towns.

How does this compare to Chappell Roan’s perception? She first started gaining significant recognition last year with the release of her single “Good Luck, Babe!” It tells the story of a woman deep in denial of being a lesbian and leading an unfulfilling life pursuing men. This led fans to also discover her 2023 debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Since then, she has become a cultural juggernaut, appearing on The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, and even as a clue on Celebrity Jeopardy! It’s safe to say that she has gained a devoted fanbase. Some have expressed that she has given them the confidence to be open about their own identities.

One writer for Huffpost talked about how Chappell Roan’s music helped her to come out as bisexual after keeping it a secret for almost 20 years: “Her unapologetic embrace of her queerness” and “powerful sapphic anthems… gave me a flicker of hope”. Her music helped her to come to terms with her childhood crush on a female friend. Many other queer women have expressed online that her music, especially songs like “Good Luck, Babe!” have helped them put their own feelings into words.

However, no celebrity can exist without criticism. Some have argued that Chappell Roan is a performative activist, only claiming to fight for the LGBTQIA+ community when it benefits her. This was intensified when she posted a series of TikToks in September of last year refusing to endorse any presidential candidate, criticizing both the Democratic and Republican parties. Then again last month, she was under scrutiny for speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast about feeling pressure to be knowledgeable about political topics. In a political climate where there is uncertainty around LGBTQIA+ rights, it’s a fair criticism. As someone who has positioned herself as a queer activist, Chappell Roan should be politically informed and up to date with the latest issues. But what’s unfair is demanding that she shares the details of all of her political beliefs online, assuming that she is not doing any work to support the queer community in her personal life.

Some of her actions have shown the opposite, like supporting local drag communities by having small performers at her shows during her Midwest Princess Tour. Criticizing both political parties is also not an endorsement of Donald Trump; it is understandable to believe she should have taken a harder political stance, but her videos were really trying to get at the fact that the Democratic party should also be scrutinized for its policies on LGBTQIA+ rights. While some conversations online have been centered on good-faith critiques, others have been filled with attacks against her, even claiming that she is lying about being a lesbian to capitalize off of it. One article points out that “there is a strange sense of ownership that has taken over this conversation” that “feels gendered… leaving aside the politics, and the relatively new expectation that musicians endorse presidential candidates, this is an odd way to frame being a fan, as if consuming someone’s art is comparable to being a shareholder in a company”.

Compared to the public perception of other famous lesbian singers, it seems that Chappell Roan has not been received kindly, despite LGBTQIA+ acceptance increasing in recent years. The major difference here is social media. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which did not exist less than 20 years ago, have allowed people to voice their opinions constantly without having to be platformed by a large news outlet or talk show. Vitriol against queer celebrities has always existed, and people like Janis Ian and Lesley Gore probably had their share of haters, but there is no way to know for sure without people sharing their opinions online. In the 1990s and 2000s, chat forums existed, but not nearly to the same extent as they do now. Celebrities of the past have the benefit of being looked back on fondly by new generations who did not experience the height of their fame in real time, so it can be easy to forget that they were no less flawed than the celebrities of today. Maybe Chappell Roan is not significantly more controversial or performative than her predecessors, but simply a product of her time. Having genuine criticisms of her and holding her accountable is not a bad thing, but she deserves some grace as well.