From Canadian crooner KD Lang, to the original ambisexual androgynous alien, David Bowie, who “fell to Earth and put on a frock”, The Greatest Gender Benders of Music is a ten-part series produced and presented by Radio Nova’s ‘out and proud’ presenter, Clint Drieberg. He examines the music of great ‘gender benders’ and the positive effect on culture they have had especially within the LGBTQI+ community.
Freddie Mercury was a British singer-songwriter, and front man of the band ‘Queen’. He captivated audiences with his larger-than-life vocal range and flamboyant stage presence before his tragic death from AIDS related illness in 1991.
While Mercury’s sexuality wasn’t publicly acknowledged until after his death, his music and showmanship have come to symbolize celebration and acceptance of queer identities. He broke the rules, took the rigid concepts of gender and not only bent them, but transcended them.