Ricky Martin, Adam Lambert, Frank
Ocean, Chely Wright and Jay-Z are among the celebrities on
Billboard's 25 Great Gay Moments In Music list.
According to Billboard, these 25
musical moments have been pivotal in advancing LGBT understanding,
acceptance and rights.
On the brink of releasing his debut
solo album, Channel Orange, R&B artist Frank Ocean
revealed last year that his first love was another man. Ocean's
confession didn't get in the way of Channel Orange racking up
major accolades.
Adam Lambert publicly came out gay on
the cover of Rolling Stone following his 2009 second place
finish on American Idol. His star since has only risen
higher.
Ricky Martin came out gay in his 2010
autobiography Me after ducking rumors about his sexuality for
years. He's since released a new album, starred in a Broadway
musical and is a current judge on the Australian version of The
Voice.
Jay-Z was among the celebrities who
last year voiced support for gay marriage: “What people do in their
own homes is their business and you can choose to love whoever you
love. That's their business. It's no different than discriminating
against blacks. It's discrimination, plain and simple.”
Country music singer Chely Wright came
out gay in her 2010 memoir Like Me. Her coming out experience
was the subject of the award-winning documentary Wish Me Away.
Last year, she married wife Lauren Blitzer, and together they
celebrated the birth of their twin boys on May 18.
(Read
the entire list on Billboard's website.)