The LGBTQ Presence in the Disc Jockey Profession
Dis Jockeys (DJs) have become high profile individuals in today's celebrity, communications, and entertainment scenes. On radio, they present and judge relevant music for public consumption, while in public they are called on to provide musical entertainment at parties ranging from private to mass public gatherings. It is common for them to attach the title 'DJ' to their names to denote their profession.
Radio personalities are the most common form of DJ in history. The invention and subsequent popularity of radio created the opening for presenting and ranking of popular music. For example, DJ Alan Freeman of Great Britain is famous for having presented the weekly 'Top of the Pops' ranking of the singles charts on BBC1 for many decades.
The popularity and celebrity culture of DJing on radio led to the creation of a cadre of electronic artist professionals who utilize multiple turntables and electronics to combine and interpret unique variations of recorded album music. There are several techniques used, such as phrasing and beat matching, and an individual DJ often distinguishes themselves from others through the popularity of their unique mixing style.
The Disc Jockey profession is popular in LGBTQ culture, particularly through its participation in global mass dance events. We have identified the following LGBTQ individuals who are prominent in this profession:
