50 Top LGBTQ Anthems: Critic's Picks (Updated 2018)

How does a song become a gay anthem? Like the LGBTQ community, our soundtrack is vast and diverse. There are disco classics featuring our favorite, big-voiced divas. There are the introspective slow jams that mirror our struggles with self-acceptance and social rejection. There are viral sensations that caught our attention, and underground tracks that some of us have yet to discover. While it's impossible to define exactly what makes a song "gay," this list definitely isn’t straight.

To keep this countdown diverse, artists were only allowed one song on this list. Don't forget to follow our playlist on Spotify below. And for more stories about the LGBTQ community and our fiercest allies, follow Billboard Pride on Twitter and Instagram.

Several of Mika’s songs could have made this list (“We Are Golden,” “Lollipop,” or “Last Party,” a song about Freddie Mercury’s infamous party before he died), but “Grace Kelly” is why we fell in love with him in the first place: He’s authentically queer and has no interest in conforming.

Izora Armstead and Martha Wash were introduced to each other singing backup for Sylvester, who gave them their group’s original name: Two Tons o' Fun. While the duo saw a handful of their songs hit the dance chart, “It’s Raining Men” was their only Hot 100 entry (charting at No. 46).

Robyn was inspired to write this earworm by her love for sad, gay disco anthems. Any gay guy who says he hasn’t related to this synthy jam shouldn’t be trusted.

The singer-songwriter revealed she wrote this catchy ode to courage as a love letter to a friend who was struggling to come out as an adult.

Fun fact: Former Republican presidential nominee John McCain listed this chart-topping song (which hit No. 1 in 1977) as his favorite song during the 2008 election cycle.

When you look at her one-two punch of her femme-bashing "Ur So Gay" and her exhibitionist faux-lesbian "I Kissed A Girl," in a post-Gaga era, this song felt more opportunistic than authentic. But Perry has seemingly become more progressive and it would be hard to find a pride parade not playing this booming (pun intended) anthem.

The euphoric gay staple is one of many songs featured in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert -- both the movie and stage adaption.

This song plays during the famous scene in The Birdcage where Gene Hackman dons drag to avoid being noticed by the paparazzi. While the four members of Sister Sledge are actual sisters, the song took on a deeper meaning with the gay community being one big family.

Years after the Off-Broadway production premiered, the show was finally brought to Broadway. Winning the 2014 Tony Award for best revival of a musical, the show featured several actors taking on the titular role over its year-long run, including Neil Patrick Harris, Taye Diggs, Darren Criss and the show’s writer and original lead, John Cameron Mitchell.

The band is one of the pioneers of the feminist riot grrrl movement. The song, featuring lyrics like “rebel girl / you’re the queen of my world,” and “in her kiss I taste a revolution,” has recently seen a resurgence after being featured in both Orange Is The New Black and a viral DIY pro-Hillary Clinton clip.

The drag-centric musical took home six Tonys, including best musical; best score (with music and lyrics by gay icon Cyndi Lauper); and outstanding actor in a musical, for out-and-proud Billy Porter’s comeback performance as Lola, a drag queen.

While there are several underground queer hip-hop artists that deserve recognition (Le1f, Cakes Da Killa, Mykki Blanco, to name a few), Katz and his Paris Is Burning tribute is a standout.

Self-described "rock’s truest fairy," Jobriath was the first openly gay musician to be signed to a major label. For his television debut on The Midnight Special, the glam rocker initially planned to play this S&M-themed jam, but had to switch tunes after a producer objected.

Not only was this disco classic featured heavily in Paris Is Burning, but it made an appearance in the first season of Will & Grace as well. Will (Eric McCormack) is singing the song in the mirror while shaving, to which Grace (Debra Messing) quips, "We're just like fifty men and a mirrored ball away from being a gay disco."

In what appeared to be a response to the British government’s damning Section 28 act (which criminalized the promotion of homosexuality, resulting in the closing of lesbian, gay and bisexual support groups across British schools and colleges), the song questions “What religion or reason could drive a man to forsake his lover?”

While it was widely speculated that this was his version of coming out (“I think it’s time I told you so / there’s something deep inside of me / there’s someone else I’ve got to be”), Michael explained that the song was actually about liberating himself from his former image with the band Wham!. Nearly a decade later, Michael came out publicly.

This disco classic was taken by many as an implicit ode to the gym's reputation as a popular cruising location -- it even comes from an album titled Cruisin''. "Y.M.C.A." hit No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 1979, but has since become a parody of itself. Thankfully, Grindr exists these days.

This battle cry’s message of resilience seems simple on the surface, but it resonates deeply. The band was known for their sociopolitical lyrics, specifically when it came to issues of feminism and LGBT rights.

Dating back to at least World War II -- when homosexual acts were illegal -- the term "friend of Dorothy" was underground slang for a gay man. While investigating homosexuality in Chicago, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service discovered that gay men used this term to refer to themselves. They started a massive witch-hunt for the elusive “Dorothy” in hopes that she would reveal names of gay service members.

Whether it's in a dive bar or in a two-hour car ride like the infamous The L Word scene, nearly every lesbian will participate in a sing-along of this introspective anthem at some point.

This Motown Hot 100 No. 1 hit was appropriated by the gay community as an anthem for friends lost to the AIDS epidemic. As part of a commissioned "public space statement," artist Nayland Blake juxtaposed the title of the song against an image of a bouquet of flowers with their tangled roots showing.

This track garnered three Grammy Award nominations for Lang, including song of the year and record of the year. She walked away with the award for best female pop vocal performance. The song maintained its place in lesbian culture when it was covered on Glee by Naya Rivera, Idina Menzel and Chris Colfer in the episode where Rivera’s character, Santana, came out to her parents.

In 2014, Gaynor caught heat from the gay community when she delayed a gig at The Abbey in West Hollywood. Citing her religious beliefs, she reportedly insisted that managers remove all the go-go dancers from the room. Controversy aside, this song’s staying power is undeniable: RuPaul sent two queens packing on the same episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race for not doing justice to a lip sync of the gay staple.