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Emily Hanna

Professor Granillo

ENG101

7 February 2020

America Is the Freest Country In the World. Why Not Take Advantage?

There is such a thing as “too much freedom” but to this day, American citizen’s freedom

is shrinking by the minute. America is probably the freest out of all countries and we still have

limitations that should not be limitations. In today’s society, there are citizens who are very open

about their sexuality. There are also people who are conservative and like to stick with the

“normal”. It all depends on your individual self. There is a slow growth of acceptance in

America, but not as much to allow American’s to say that they are proud of their country. There

is a struggle that comes with opening up to the public, but gay marriage is not something to be

ashamed of. Gay marriage has allowed these people to show their true colors and be who they

want to be. Having that said, there are still the majority of Americans that feel the need to judge

homosexuals in public. There are plenty of artists that sing for gay pride and make them feel

comfortable in public. Artists like Diana Ross and Troye Sivan, want to express their love for

these people in their music. With so much fame, they are able to change so many people’s lives

just by singing in front of a camera. Being a young adult and a part of the LGBTQ community is

hard to tell anyone nowadays. With the help of these songs and the slowly accepting American

citizens, it enables homosexuals to be who they want to be, without having to care about who is

judging making them feel proud of their evolved country.

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The songs mentioned in “the minority” are songs about same-sex love. We hear “Bloom”

by Troye Sivan, who is a gay man himself and he just recently came out to the public. His song

is super important because a lot of homosexuals can relate to him. He has hidden in his shell for

too long, but something told him to be himself. His lyrics say, “you should know I, I bloom for

you…” Troye did not want to deal with the judgments around him, but he bloomed for the sake

of his fans. His followers, who are just like him and he thinks he can make a big impact,

especially in today’s society. This song creates a better image of patriotism because the more that

people are open about who they love, then that is when American’s can start feeling more

comfortable with that idea, making everyone proud of their country. Troye Sivan repeats the

saying, “Just for you” his followers. The members of the gay community. He sang this song and

came out just for them. With the power that he has, he is the first man in this society to come out

to the public and that brings more people who are like him to feel as comfortable as he is singing

about pride. He brings a whole new aspect of what love truly is. We have the freedom to love

who we want and no one is stopping anyone.

This playlist that I have made truly speaks to me. I am a conservative person when it

comes to love, but I am not a person to judge anyone walking on the streets. I have picked these

songs because these are the songs that I randomly sing when I am alone. I never realized what

these songs truly meant until I started writing this essay. I took a step back and understood that

these songs that Troye Sivan, and Diana Ross sings catch anyone’s eyes no matter if you are

apart of the gay community or not, and that is something so powerful about these songs. I found

a new idea of same-sex love, and it makes me proud of how far our country has become. We

support each other even with our differences. I would have to say that, “I’m Coming Out” by
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Diana Ross is my favorite in this playlist because it is a song you can blast on a Saturday night

out with your friends. Now I know how the gay community feels in this society. We need so

many artists to sing about gay pride just for the message to get through our heads that everyone

is the same. It is not something to be ashamed of as a conservative person. It is something to

learn off of. People who are just like me will say it is disturbing, but they aren’t affecting any of

us in any way. That will take time for conservative people to get used to. The gay community

should acknowledge that change isn’t something that will come easy and conservative should

acknowledge that we are all one and we are patriots. I will listen to these songs and listen to the

songs as a person who is a part of the minorities. It is like someone finally gets me and

understands the struggles I go through. I am one person that can make a difference in our society

and I am one of the eighty-seven percent (Drake) that knows someone a part of the LGBTQ

community. I love them for who they are before they came out to me and after they came out to

me. If America is the best country then we show that to everyone who is not living in America

and almost brag that we are all one.

As an American citizen, we use these songs that are in this playlist to find a new idea of

patriotism. Not only do these songs unveil the truth about America, but they also signify what

America is all about and that is being free. Writer Hanif Abdurraqib states, “It is even to push

toward redefining ‘country,’ until it becomes a place where there is both pride AND safety”

which means that America is not a safe place until everyone is proud of their country. American

citizens can say that they are a patriot when they start to show their love for one another. Songs

like Bob Marley, “One Love” is a very great example. His intro saying “Let’s get together and

feel alright” doesn’t just talk to the community who are homosexual, but is also talking to
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individuals saying that we have to be unity for America to feel like a safer place. There are so

many riots and fights in America because we don’t love each individual person. That is why

artists want everyone to get a new idea of what it is to be a patriot. I believe that there are so

many citizens that are stuck in one world and have this fixed mindset of not wanting anything to

change. There has to be a way that these people can compromise for one another for America to

be safe and have so much pride. The number of LGBTQ can agree that their society is starting to

be more accepting and that is how to grow patriotism.

There is a lot of social slurs still going around, but the majority can say that this decade

has been a lot more accepting than the last decade. There is a better social acceptance that makes

the LBGTQ community know more people who aren’t associated with them. Lots of well-known

figures have helped them grow to who they are. That is where these artists come in. The songs

help express the artist's sexuality which they sing for the people who fall in the same category.

The argument is not about these artists, but how these artists help boost the LGBTQ

community’s confidence in a society that is not too accepting. There is a new light under the

tunnel that shows the new America. The American’s who are more loving of one another and

who are accepting of one another’s love for another. That is what patriotism looks like.
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Work Cited

Drake, Bruce. How LGBT adults see society and how the public sees them. 2013.