200 Years of LGBTQIA+ History

From Shadows to Pride — UK & Global Timeline

Source Record

A history of lesbian pop singers

Why this source is used

GRAMMY.com timeline including Chavela Vargas and her lesbian visibility in music history.

Start with the answer

Start with the answer How did queer music, performance and cinema shape visibility? They made queer and gender-diverse lives audible and visible through art, stage presence, film, letters and cultural memory. Read the topic guide Queer Music, Performance and Cinema Icons Queer artists and performers shaped public culture through music, film, nightlife and memoir, often while navigating censorship, hostility or enforced silence.

Source Status

Publisher
The Recording Academy / GRAMMY.com
Type
secondary
Reliability
medium
Cited by
3 pages

Source Links

Open original source https://www.grammy.com/news/lesbian-pop-singers-timeline-songs-chappell-roan-dusty-springfield/ Accessed 4 June 2026 Open archived copy https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://www.grammy.com/news/lesbian-pop-singers-timeline-songs-chappell-roan-dusty-springfield/

Used by Topics

Queer Music, Performance and Cinema Icons

Used by Questions

How did queer music, performance and cinema shape visibility?

Used by Timeline Events

1991 CulturalPeople

Chavela Vargas — Comeback of Latin America's Greatest Ranchera Singer

Chavela Vargas, the legendary Costa Rican-Mexican ranchera singer, staged a dramatic comeback after years of alcoholism and obscurity. Born in Costa Rica in 1919, Vargas moved to Mexico at 17 and became one of the country's most beloved singers, famous for performing in trousers, smoking cigars, carrying a pistol, and singing love songs to women in a genre dominated by men. She had a close relationship with Frida Kahlo and was a fixture of Mexico City's artistic circles. Vargas did not publicly confirm her lesbianism until 2000, at age 81, telling an interviewer she was 'proud to be a lesbian.' Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar championed her comeback, featuring her music in several films.