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With all this talk of same-sex marriage and many singers throwing their support for marriage equality, I wanted to do some research on early support from Latin acts and I'm happy to report that Paulina came in on top, no pun intended.
I was having this conversation with some of my friends and many thought of Gloria Trevi, Thalia and even Monica Naranjo but we were all surprised to see the first bold move to show some type of gay images or icons in her videos was none other than our precious Chica Dorada.
Paulina Rubio: 'Boys Will Be Boys' Video
It was 1996 and gay marriage wasn't even in the talks. There were no gay icons in Latin America; I don't think we even knew what that was, and suddenly Paulina came out with one of the most controversial videos at the time. The shock came more than anything because it was coming from Rubio. People expected that from Gloria Trevi but not from this preppy blond girl who up to that point had always been seen as runner-up to Thalia. Alejandra Guzman was the only one that came close in 1991 with 'Ten Cuidado Con El Corazon.'
Years later, I watch this video and am still amazed to see Paulina as a drag king as we see shots of two men holding hands and kissing under a rainbow flag. The video would only play at night and on cable channels. There was no Internet so imagine the type of clandestine activities gays all over the city had to go through to see and crown their first gay diva.
Before that video, there were only songs like 'El Gran Varon' to represent this community. After Paulina's bold move, Gloria Trevi, Kabah, Ricky Martin, Monica Naranjo, Fey, Belanova and many other have followed suit.
Since then, Paulina has slowly but surely created one of the most stable careers in Latin Pop. She may not be the prettiest or have the greatest voice but boy she does know how to create groovy, fun and catchy tunes.
Now, who do you guys think really deserves the title of Gay Icon, Gloria, Thalia or Paulina?
Source: Terra.com/Carlos Macias