Pride Month is fully underway. Along with parades, infinite circuit parties, and drink specials, this is the time of year where we see a pronounced focus on the history of the LGBTQ community. The queer experience is a difficult and unique, and its struggles – including violent attacks like the Pulse Nightclub shooting – continue to inspire activist efforts and community building in the most unlikely of places. As you may have seen in an earlier article, there’s a myriad of artists currently representing for the LGBTQ community and reshaping artistic and gender expression in the process.

Music is a medium that transcends religion, politics, and time, and with that in mind we’ve compiled a playlist to get you hype – and conscious of why we celebrate. This is a list of icons, legends in the making, and unexpected allies. The songs range from campy classics, to heady vehicles for social commentary, and straightforward pop bangers. We hope to get you dancing, laughing, and even crying if you’re so inclined. Together, these artists have woven a musical message that queers cannot fight this battle alone – that the fight for dignity and equality is for all of us to wage. And we might as well have a good time while we’re at it.