Same Love

In 2012, infamous musical artist Macklemore came out with a song with Ryan Lewis and Maria Lambert called Same Love.  This song was created during the campaign of Washington Referendum 74, which, upon approval, legalized same-sex marriage in the state of Washington.  This pseudo-anthem for gay and lesbian supporters was written to talk about the issue of gay and lesbian legal rights and to show Macklemore's frustration with hip-hop's negative perception and position on homosexuality.  In the last 5 years, the issue over rights for homosexuals has been at the forefront of society and thus has been a prominent facet of media and culture in America.  The lyrics of Same Love relate to some of the research and findings in Bond's study, "Information-Seeking Practices during the Sexual Development of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals: The Influence and Effects of Coming Out in a Mediated Environment."

In Bond's study, he talks about the different stages during adolescence for homosexuals and their struggles in identity and sexuality formation.  Specifically, LGB adolescents become aware of social norms and decide they have to suppress the beliefs and problems because of the copious amount of negative messages found in the media.  One of the main points Macklemore raps in Same Love is the apparent hatred the genre has for the LGBT community.  In one stanza, Macklemore says,

If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately?
"Man, that's gay" gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we're saying

Bond mentions how the Internet plays a key role during the pre-coming out stage because it is a medium of anonymity that allows adolescents to engage in virtual communities and talk about their own stories.  However, Macklemore is saying how some of theses virtual communities are not a safe space for LGB adolescents as the form their own beliefs about themselves.  "Man, that's gay" really is a phrase that is used too naturally about something that sucks or isn't cool.  It truly has become numb to many people and can have a lasting, negative affect on many individuals.  This lasting effect might include having a strained or less-communicative relationship with their families later in life, as Bard found. 

In the music video, a boy is visually upset and crying behind is bedroom door seemingly because of the internal struggles he is dealing with as an adolescent and trying to deal with his sexuality.  He is shown at party standing by himself with a look of dejection on his face as everyone else (heterosexual couples) at the party is slow dancing.  This makes me think of Bond's study in his research about LGB adolescents and their dealings with loneliness and self-esteem.  It makes me question whether the use of Internet would help in dealing with his loneliness, or if would exacerbate his issues and only make it worse.  Even though Bond may not agree, I would think Macklemore would believe the latter.

Bond, B. J., Hefner, V., & Drogos, K. L. (2009). Information-seeking practices during the sexual development of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals: The influence and effects of coming out in a mediated environment. Sexuality & Culture: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, 13(1), 32-50. doi: 10.1007/s12119-008-9041-y