Can you work while listening to music? I usually put the music on while working. I'm listening to this now https://open.spotify.com/album/2WuL0LSvZ41xT5p7OOcy4o?si=XnWJxMTPS6m3DwHpHprexA

Do share your work music

Hi all! How's everybody doing tonight?

Let's talk a bit about music & your favorite queer artists. I'm sure your tastes are way more updated than mine. I want to share a story of how validated I felt years ago when I was a teenager when I found one of favorite classical music composers was a homosexual.

It was circa 1993-97, I was schooling in Ipoh at that time and the library had a lot of old books. At that time I just developed an interest in classical music even though I couldn't play any instruments (still don't). I was listening to a lot of baroque music, then classical

, then romantic...at about the same time that I noticed sexual attractions towards women. I recalled looking for psychiatry books in the big library in Ipoh just to read abt homosexuality & lesbianism Sadly no representation at that time

I recalled reading autobiographies of Robert Schumann, and learnt about bipolar disorder, he died in 1856, wrote absolutely beautiful music. Check out

Brahms (who fell in love with Schumann's wife), Mozart (who's a workaholic), Beethoven (who get friendzoned all the time), Schubert (who died too young), Mendelssohn (like he's got something going on w his sister),

until I arrived to Tchaikovsky - the guy who wrote The 1812 Overture (and many beautiful ballet works, think The Swan Lake). When I first read abt him writers sheepishly write abt how he tried to kill himself after getting married to a woman.

I was 16 & still didn't get it, when I read in another book that he was a homosexual & was extremely tortured about having to marry a woman. This was in 1877. I felt affirmed that if I'm a lesbian I'm not a mistake, bc someone who lived 120 years ago felt the same way.

I got into a habit of reading abt historical figures who are rumoured to be queer, bc I find it affirming that this is something that has occurred throughout history, as much as it is maligned by Abrahamic religions & colonization. We are here & we will continue to be here.

Recently I was exploring legendary pianists from the 50s & 60s that I learnt about Sviatoslav Richter, who played among the unsurpassed interpretations of Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor

He too was a homosexual, a fact that he hides from the public. So was the famous conductor Leonard Bernstein. I'm sure it was hard for them to be open about this (they weren't) as the classical music world seems very conservative & traditional. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/17/leonard-bernstein-japanese-love-letters-hashimoto

What I love is, I see queer people everywhere, way back in history until today & we are in every area in life imaginable & that's super affirming. Once upon a time I have to find reasons to justify my existence, but reading abt fellow queers lets me know it's okay being who I am.

Folks you are such lovely people for layan-ing me on a really yawn topic that is classical music bc almost nobody ever layan me on this. Thank you so much

Also do share your affirming music/ artists I'd love to hear your selection!