The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), which took place on Sunday, gave everyone a lot to talk about this week. Judging from reactions on Twitter, I probably am in the majority when I say that I may never be able to clear the images of Miley Cyrus’s performance from my mind.
Between the Miley train wreck, Taylor Swift’s reactions, and the short (but brilliant) NSYNC reunion, it was easy to forget about the rest of the show. But I believe that the most important moment of the night did not come from any of those performers. Instead, it was in the comparatively understated performance of “Same Love” by Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert. While I am not too proud to admit that I sometimes find it hard to resist fun pop anthems like “We Can’t Stop,” there is something special about a song that carries a powerful message about social change. Macklemore has the ability to influence many with his music, and his words about love and acceptance are important beyond the stage at the VMAs. He understands this. In addition to his superstar status, Macklemore serves as a powerful spokesperson for gay rights due to his identity as a straight male. He emphasizes the message that one does not have to identify as LGBT to support equality for all Americans. As he sang on stage this past weekend: “I might not be the same/But that’s not important.”
The performance may seem insignificant to some: it’s just one song at the VMAs. But it represents a broader movement occurring within our generation. The Millennial generation overwhelmingly supports marriage equality. A poll by the Pew Research Center this year found that 70 percent of individuals born in or after 1981 support marriage equality, a 6 percent increase from 2012. In March, I stood with thousands of proponents of marriage equality on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court as the oral arguments for two cases, commonly referred to as Prop 8 and DOMA, were heard. I watched as people young and old, gay and straight united to assert the conviction that everyone should be free to love whom they wish.
The steps our country has taken over the past year have been encouraging. Within the states that recognize same-sex marriage, DOMA will no longer be a barrier to couples seeking the benefits enjoyed by heterosexual couples from the federal government. But the LGBT community still faces a number of roadblocks on the path to achieving equality. LGBT individuals struggle with underemployment and poverty, partly due to the lack of a federal law to prevent discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation. According to a Gallup study, thirty-five percent of the LGBT population report incomes of less than $24,000 per year—24 percent higher than the general population.
Homelessness is another huge issue—up to 40 percent of the homeless are LGBT youth. And young LGBT individuals struggle with school climate. Mental Health America reports that 28 percent of all gay students drop out of school, more than three times the dropout rate of their heterosexual peers. A report from the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network that examined the experiences of LGBT youth in schools found that these individuals frequently heard homophobic remarks, felt unsafe, or experienced harassment or assault. When considering any of these issues, the disparities worsen when looking at people of color within the LGBT community and are often amplified in the South. True equality for all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation, will not be achieved simply through a Supreme Court decision, though that’s important. Instead, it will take a cultural shift, one that seems to be slowly occurring, especially as the younger generation matures to voting age.
Never would I have imagined that I would grow tired of hearing “Same Love” on local radio stations in Tennessee because it is played so frequently. The song is number 7 on iTunes and is recognized as the first Top 40 song that promotes marriage equality. The music video has over 70 million views. So while Miley may be the one everyone is talking about this week, people will quickly forget her antics. What will persist are the social messages that music imparts to us. At least for last night, that message was summed up perfectly by Macklemore: “Gay rights are human rights: there is no separation.”
