BY MICHAEL MUSTO | Gay icons seem to be living longer these days—it must be karma—so I’ve culled through the list of them, aged 67 and over, and picked the 10 best of the bunch. These are the ladies that have long given gay men catharsis, escape, and hope with their artistry and fashion. I’ve included their ages as a testament to their stunning longevity. In order, the best ones are:
1-CHER (79) | The one-syllabled diva has proven her mettle over and over again as a multi-talented singer/actor/star with the glamour and chops to make her our queen. She’s always been honest—including telling her evolving feelings about having a trans son, Chaz—and her spouts of political righteousness have been even more riveting than her latest ensemble (or love interest). She’s even got an ice cream brand called Cherlato, complete with pop-up stores! And though she blithely wandered offstage at the Grammys before announcing Record of the Year, she came right back and fulfilled her duties. Brava, diva.
2-BARBRA STREISAND (83) | The voice of a lifetime, combined with classic acting and directing talent–and those nails! Barbra long ago redefined Hollywood’s rules, as well as the guidelines for what a woman is allowed to do in filmmaking. She’s the perennial outsider who ended up achieving it all. And with her impeccably detailed memoir (and the accompanying audio version), Babs cemented her role as one of our premiere icons. If you don’t think strongly about her, sorry, we need to forcibly remove all your gay IDs.
3-DIANA ROSS (82) | A shimmery goddess starting with her 1960s Motown days and advancing through solo superstardom, an acting triumph (her brilliantly wounded Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues), and her continuing relevance as a concert draw, Diana Ross is the gift that never stops giving. The line to kiss her hem is as long as the hem itself—if you judge by the train she sported at the last Met Gala.
4-LIZA MINNELLI (80) | A razzle dazzle superstar, Liza is always “on” and always worth watching, from her early days as “Judy’s promising daughter” to her Cabaret triumph, her Broadway hits, and her recent tell-some documentary and memoir. We have always adored the woman, and she loves the gays back so much that she’s even married them!
5-MADONNA (67) | The youngest of this group, Madonna is the long-running queen of pop who manages to always keep eyes and ears fixed on her every doing. The work she did in incorporating and elevating queers in her artistic universe was groundbreaking and created a diva-fan bond that apparently will never be broken.
6-BETTE MIDLER (80) | One of the great concert attractions, Bette could have you on the floor laughing with her outrageous shtick one minute and then rip your heart out with a power ballad the next. Starting out as the “queen of the steam rooms” (she became noticed as the star attraction at NYC’s Continental Baths in the 1970s), Bette went on to conquer movies and Broadway, all with that mischievous twinkle that gays can’t get enough of. A campy vamp, she has always seemed like one of us.
7-GRACE JONES (77) | A living work of art, Grace is a performance artist extraordinaire who plays with genderand fashion in ways that have long turned mainstream culture on its ear. I give her extra diva points for shameless hauteur—such as publicly declaring that Lady Gaga has no personality and as a result is not worth collaborating with right now, lol!
8-DOLLY PARTON (80) | A lovable caricature of a gal with crazy curves and a mountain of blonde hair, Dolly always seemed like a drag queen in a woman’s body. We love her for her personality, her gift for entertaining and her downright generosity. And she’s not going anywhere. Though she recently took a pause to address health issues, Dolly was alarmed when her own sister advised people to start praying. “Do I look sick to you?” Dolly asked in a video to her fans. “I ain’t done yet!”
9-DAME JULIE ANDREWS (90) | Any gay who hasn’t seen Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music or Victor/Victoria (in which Dame Julie was a woman pretending to be a drag queen) is probably lying. She has always been an extraordinary musical star—brimming with class and the ability to tap into just the kinds of Oscar-winning movies we gays want to see.
10-ANN-MARGRET (84) | With her vavoomy vivacity, Ann-Margret has always seemed like the kind of woman even a gay would be hot for. When you add to that her dramatic chops and vulnerability, she emerges as the kind of multifaceted persona that we both relate to and worship.
Honorable Mentions:
Debbie Harry (80)
Dionne Warwick (85),
Chaka Khan (73)
Joni Mitchell (82)
Gladys Knight (81)
Darlene Love (84)
Gloria Estefan (68),
Patti LaBelle (81)
Linda Ronstadt (79)
Lulu (77)
Marilyn Maye (98)
Nancy Sinatra (85)
Petula Clark (93)
Annie Lennox (71)
Cyndi Lauper (72)
Jane Fonda (88)
Lily Tomlin (86)
MICHAEL MUSTO | Musto is a columnist, pop cultural and political pundit, NYC nightlife chronicler, author, and the go-to gossip responsible for the long-running (1984-2013) Village Voice column, “La Dolce Musto.” His work appears on ChelseaCommunityNews.com, W42ST, and other sites. Follow Musto on Instagram, via @michaelmusto.
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