ANNOUNCEMENT: In an effort to build a space for queer people like myself, every Sunday I’ll be posting interviews, opinion pieces, listicles, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx community since I am Latinx.) Welcome to Queerly Not Straight! Enjoy and leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for what I should cover next.
Ricky Martin has been a part of my life for a really long time. Hell, he’s been a part of my mother’s life who listened to him when he was in the boyband Menudo. The point being, I’ve followed his career for a while. I’ve seen his highs and lows, his music, and the way he’s toed the line between singing in English and in Spanish while killing both.
But even at a young age, I knew there was something different about Ricky. It’s not like I knew him personally. But as a queer person who wasn’t out yet, I felt a kinship with him. Now, I didn’t tell anyone that I thought Martin was part of the LGBTQ+ community. That’s Martin’s business and no one else. But I felt it when it came to him.
And I wasn’t the only one. The older I got the more I realized that I wasn’t the only one who thought this. And when the adults in my life, who had machismo pouring out of their veins (men and women), heard rumors about Martin being queer, they dismissed it with cruel comments that made it seem like the worst thing he could ever be.
Coming from the same kind of communities (we’re both Puerto Ricans) I can understand why Martin kept quiet. I would’ve too. And it must’ve taken him so much courage and strength to come out as gay when he did. Because times have changed the way that gay men are perceived in the Latinx community. But machismo and homophobia linger.
That’s why the latest Tweet that Ricky Martin has put out has been so intriguing. Linked below is a teaser for his upcoming music. Looking stylish AF he returns home and joins someone we only see a shadow of. The surprise, and the point of this Queerly Not Straight post, is that it was the shadow of a man.
If Martin has decided that the love interest in his latest music video is a man…it will break the internet. He is easily one of the most recognizable Latinx singers out there in Spanish and English. Doing this would mean representation for all those who have never seen themselves in music videos where love and all its facets are explored.
Including a male love interest is also important for Martin himself as well. He is a family man now with children of his own. And even though they probably won’t be watching his videos anytime soon, it matters that Martin starts his own journey of creating content where men like his children’s fathers are seen as normal in all forms of media.
That’s why that shadow in the Ricky Martin music video tease is so important and why we can’t wait to see what’s in store for this artist. So tune in and check back on his Twitter on the 27th of January. There’s something brewing and we can’t wait.
Queerly Not Straight posts every Sunday with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx community since I am Latinx.)