If being gay is a crime, then I’m guilty as sin.
Happy Pride/LGBTQ+ history month to all my LGBTQ+ family! Technically every month is LGBTQ+ and Black history month for me, but I still think it’s important to recognize these observances especially because the fight for equal rights is never finished. This year alone there have been a slew of horrific events affecting the LGBTQ+ community here on the African continent.
Not even 5 days into the new year, Ugandan gay rights activist, Steven Kabuye survived a gruesome assassination attempt and had to flee the country. Ghana’s parliament passed an anti-LGBTQ bill nearly identical to the one Uganda passed last year. And speaking of Uganda, the constitutional court overturned a petition to annul the anti-homosexuality bill in April. And those are just the stories that get reported.
You will never hear the full scope of the countless accounts of abuse and discrimination that LGBTQ+ Africans experience unless you actively go digging for it. I’ve recommended various educational resources in the past, hopefully my SENTI-ENT readers have taken the initiative to enlighten themselves on LGBTQ+issues, particularly on the African continent. Our stories matter just as much as anyone else's. It is unfortunate that in some places we are forced into the shadows by draconian legislation.
To me, Pride is a celebration of the now international fight for LGBTQ+ rights. In some places this historic observance has been watered down to parade floats and drag performances. This is not to say that Pride can’t be about celebrating and letting go of all the oppression we have overcome. All I’m saying is, Pride shouldn’t only be reduced to that. It is also a reminder that we must continue educating ourselves and spreading love and kindness. It is a reminder that we are queer and we aren’t going anywhere. It is a reminder of the heroes who came before and the ones who continue to pave a way for future generations to live free from discrimination.
Every year since 2022, I’ve compiled an annual pride playlist of songs celebrating my identity in all its forms. As an Afro-queer creative, I draw a lot of inspiration from the music I listen to. I think music, like poetry, has the power to heal the masses and it is one of the only languages besides cinema that can transcend cultural differences.
This year’s theme is “Guilty as Sin” which is a direct reference to the opening track of the same name by openly queer country artist, Chris Housman. The track, like many others on the playlist, captures the tension that comes from hiding desire within the context of a same-sex relationship which are often viewed as taboo, inappropriate and even sinful by traditional, religious standards. You don’t have to be from the Bible Belt, USA to understand the feeling. I'm certain so many LGBTQ+ people around the world can relate.
So without further ado, SENTI-ENT presents:
Below are 5 essential tracks to look out for as you listen to the playlist which is available to stream only on Spotify and YouTube Music.
1. "Who We Love" by Sam Smith (featuring Ed Sheeran)
This song is a heartfelt duet standing firm in the message that love is love no matter your gender or sexual orientation. The chorus reminds us that it’s not wrong to want the world for someone. It’s not wrong to be in love with someone who holds you dear. This song is the perfect response to homophobic rhetoric because it de-centers the individual and reverberates the iconic line, “we love who we love”. That’s it. There’s nothing more to add or quarrel about. Love is love.
2. "Don't Believe Them" by Lauren Daigle
I was telling my older sister the other day that even though I no longer believe in God, gospel music will always have a special place in my heart. One of my all-time favorite gospel artists, Lauren Daigle, released an album in 2023 that helped me as I deconstructed my faith. Her song “Don’t Believe Them” is a haunting cry for a stop to the endless arguing and finger-pointing that the ongoing culture wars have brought upon us. She calls out the hypocrisy of the Church and the men who run them. They preach all about the love of God and then display some of the most hateful behavior human kind is capable of.
But this song also speaks to those who have been hurt and betrayed by the system. Daigle asks us, “how you gonna love someone if you can’t forgive them?” I think sometimes it’s easy to get lost in our own perspectives that we end up hurting one another. Then we’ll go around carrying a grudge or holding judgment in our hearts instead of just letting go. You can still be mad at the system, but harboring feelings of resentment towards other people only hurts you and won’t make them say sorry.
3. “Color” by Todrick Hall & Jay Armstrong Johnson
Todrick Hall is one of the first gay black icons who made me feel seen! I am a huge fan of his work and “Color” is but one of the four Todrick Hall tracks on this year’s Pride playlist. The duet, featuring Jay Armstrong Johnson, is a quintessential LGBTQ+ love song. It tackles themes of first love, interracial love and of course same-sex attraction. Get ready to sing along, because this song is so catchy and romantic.
4. “Keeping The Light On” by Joy Oladokun
With all the negative headlines in the news lately, it’s been a rocky year for a lot of people. This song is a breath of fresh air reminding us all to keep the faith and keep pushing on. Oladokun tells us, “Don’t deny that it feels so hard, when the night gets dark, keep keeping the light on”.
5. “Skin and Bones” by Morgan St. Jean
The final track on the playlist made me tear up the first time I listened to it. I first saw it on an Instagram reel of a newlywed gay couple and I knew I had to listen to it again. I love how St. Jean sings the line “call me what you like, I’m just a human”. I think with all these labels and identity markers, people forget that there is a living, breathing, feeling, thinking human underneath it all. We put so much attention on surface level things like skin color or what type of genitalia somebody has…
In the end, we’re all human. We all deserve to be seen and we all deserve to feel loved.
Thank you for reading! Go stream PRIDE 2024: Guilty As Sin on Spotify or YouTube Music (linked below). The 50 track playlist contains a plethora of genres as well as multiplel tracks from talented LGBTQ+ artists. As always for the best experience, I recommend listening to these curated tracks in order but you are more than welcome to just hit shuffle and play. Let me know in the comments which tracks were your favorite and which ones you have heard before.
Still looking for new artists/music? You can also check out my Pride 2023 and Pride 2022 playlists exclusively on Spotify.
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