"I'm Coming Out," released as a single on Diana Ross's 1980 album Diana, is regarded as an anthem for the LGBTQ community. The phrase "coming out" describes a person voluntarily disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity, and so the song has long been interpreted as a celebration of LGBTQ identity. Ross commissioned Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards to create the song and other material for her album.

While working for Ross, Rodgers visited a club in New York City and he saw several drag queens impersonating Ross. He concluded that he and Edwards could reach the LGBTQ community with an anthem that would have the same power as James Brown's "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud." The next day they wrote "I'm Coming Out," and the rest is history.

Sources:

• Billson, Chantelle. "Nile Rodgers Knew 'I'm Coming Out' Was Destined to Be a Gay Anthem." Pink News, 30 March 2024.
• Harvey, Lauren. " 'I'm Coming Out': Diana Ross' Eternal, Uplifting Anthem." uDiscoverMusic, 30 June 2024.

—The GCNA