Pride in the 1990s

The 1990s saw an explosion of interest and awareness around queer people and issues. Visibility was the watchword: Ellen DeGeneres became the highest-profile celebrity to "come out" publicly. HIV/AIDS finally had a name, and the queer community found a renewed sense of purpose as increasing awareness led to new opportunities for legal and social recognition. Queer artists and allies also became more prominent in the decade's music: From the campy synthpop of Erasure to the genre-blurring songwriting of Melissa Etheridge and k.d. lang, alternative music increasingly catered to so-called alternative lifestyles.