This article was published on June 28th, 2021

George Michael is a talented singer who inspired a new generation of gays and brought forward HIV awareness and fundraising initiatives. George was one of the most influential gay icons in recent history, selling millions of records across his career. George’s debut solo album Faith has been ranked as one of the best albums ever by Rolling Stone magazine. George is also known for his hit singles such as I Want Your Sex (1987), Faith (1988), Father Figure (1988), and One More Try (1989).

Throughout his life, he did many things to support the advancement of our community and fight the stigmatization of HIV and the gay community.

In 1998, after he was outed and burst onto the music scene with his song outside, he satirized his arrest and sent a statement of being a proud gay man and crushed any thought of being pushed back into the closet.

In the same year, he hosted Staying Alive, produced by MTV, to use his privilege as a celebrity to fight the oppression faced by those living with HIV and spread awareness about the virus to which he lost his first love. He continually promoted the support of HIV causes using his celebrity presence to raise awareness for a cause that is dear to everyone in the LGBTQ+ community.

His activism to promote HIV awareness has touched many lives and raised a lot of money. He took center stage for Sir Elton John’s AIDS awareness foundation. He sang his legendary Don’t let the sun go down on me at the London Royal opera house, stating he “really wanted to honor the inspiring efforts” of the foundation.

In 2005 he criticized the media’s clean representation of gay men. In an interview with The Guardian, he responded to his public outing and how the media misrepresents queer sexuality. He said, “gay people in the media are doing what makes straight people comfortable, and automatically my response to that is to say I’m a dirty filthy f**ker, and if you can’t deal with it, you can’t deal with it.”

A year later, he confirmed the need for an activity born out of necessity for our community to avoid being hurt – cruising. He was arrested at London’s most well-known cruising spot, Hampstead Heath for partaking in cruising. He has never been apologetic about his sexuality or life. In a tweet from 2011, he paraphrased his song I want your sex by saying, “gay sex is natural, gay sex is good! Not everybody does it, but haha!”.

George Michael has demonstrated his unapologetic and unwavering supports for causes that continue to affect our community. His activism includes HIV/AIDS awareness, acceptance, stigmatization, and false representation in the media.

He has been vocal about gay marriage in the USA and stated, “it’s way overdue.” The day after gay marriage was made legal in California, he hosted the 25 live tour at the San Diego sports arena.

George Michael has been an LGBT icon in the music industry for over 30 years.  He was a man who could be both playful and serious despite what he faced from the media or public opinion. He has shown that we can love anyone, a message that we all strive for people to understand. 

In recognition of his life and avid support for the rights of our community’s people, there will be a national tour called The Life And Music of George Michael in 2022. You can expect to hear many of his hit singles and come to understand why he is a gay icon that we all love and support.

“This show is going to honor George Michael’s career and be a celebration for his fans,” says producer Ralph Schmidtke. “Over the years, George’s popularity has continued to grow and The Life and Music of George Michael will give fans a glimpse of his life and hear all the songs they have come to love.”

The Life and Music of George Michael captures the performance and sound of one of the biggest international stars of our time. The show will have fans on their feet dancing and singing along to blockbuster hits including “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,” “Freedom,” “Faith,” “Careless Whisper,” “Father Figure,” and many more.

For more information on The Life And Music of George Michael 2020 national tour, including tour dates and tickets, visit: www.TheLifeandMusicofGM.com.