When I was in my teens in the late 70's, there were very few legitimate support groups that you could use to help you "come out" or find others who could identify with the feelings you had . There was no internet and it was easy to feel like you were the only gay person on the planet -and what they showed on TV was so damn negative, you didn't want to identify yourself with being "that". One of my greatest comforts came in form of music....and in particular disco. The infectious beat, groove and lyrics became close companions to run to when the world outside made you feel like a freak.
Leading the pack with the disco movement was the one and only Donna Summer. I loved her...as did many in the gay community at the time. Her songs spoke to us as she seemed to take us under her wing. I had all her albums (and still do, pops, scratches, skips and all.) I transformed my bedroom at my family's home into "Wimps' Disco Room" (Wimp being my nickname at the time.) On weekends my sisters and I would dance to the sounds of Donna Summer and other disco faves, on my masking taped dance floor, as disco lights transformed us to a make-believe dance club. That room would have been nothing if it weren't for the music of Donna Summer.
Ms. Summer turned her back on disco and her followers in the early 80's when she proclaimed she was "born again". It would be a few years later when Summer would find the perfect balance between her disco queen persona and her faith.
Sadly, Summer passed away on Thurs. May 17 at the age of 63. She may be gone but her music remains. And the last dance will forever be saved for Donna Summer..the original and only Disco Queen.
DONNA SUMMER -Last Dance (Live)
