Sateen demands LGBTQ rights with new EP
We’re all familiar with Instagram’s fav drag duo and iconic power couple Sateen. The incredibly talented musical duo has garnered quite the following online, but with all of that recognition comes a lot of cumbersome BS — especially as two queer women working in music. In light of their brand new EP, “SATEEN,” which we have for you below, Galore asked Miss Queen Sateen and Exquisite what they had to say to the entire shady, misogynistic music industry. Queer artists are sick of fake allies, appropriating queer culture for trendy profit, and all of the disrespect. No editing here, these are Sateen’s words, calling you out, uninterrupted:
“Dear Music Industry,
We call forth all record label executives; all management and publicist firms step forward; all booking agencies and venue promoters show yourselves; all music journalists and media publications come hither. We demand that, once and for all, you listen to our plea! We are two independent, queer women. We are trans and cisgender, respectively. We are drag queens as well as serious performance artists. We represent a new breed of creatives that do not play by the rules, which have been unfairly imposed upon our bodies for far too long. We are here to tell you that the time has come to dismantle this system, once and for all. You have been unwitting messengers, dictating patriarchal oppression upon a huge population of gender non-conforming, alternate sexuality expressionists. Our voices will no longer be silenced!
To better explain ourselves, we give you these six songs – the “SATEEN” EP!!! While it is a modest offering, it contains with it a radical message. A message of hope, love, freedom and DISCO! We will no longer apologize for being who we are. With this EP, we demand that you accept these facts: we are FEMME, we are GAY, and we are LOUD! To anybody that is ready to hear our message, all we ask is that you free your mind and let go of your preconceptions. We want you to hear the music and dance, even if you are the only one dancing! Do not be afraid to be glamorous! Do not let them shame you for being fabulous! Be free at last!
And to the supposed allies, we see you and you cannot hide for much longer. Your silence makes you complicit. Even worse, when you do speak up it is often too late. You pity us when we are victims, you eulogize us when we are dead, but you never praise and respect us while we are alive and flourishing. We demand that visible action be taken to protect and support our trans and queer youth! We demand equal access to the infrastructure that your cis-ciety has built and tailored to exclude queers and gender non-conformers! For far too long, you have treated women as only sexual objects. For far too long, you have only allowed a watered-down version of gayness into your homes and hearts. Accept radical queers as the cultural forebearers that we are! Accept women for the brilliant, multifaceted beings that we are! Accept us in all of our messy, beautiful, imperfect glory!
Heed these words now, for soon it will be much too late…
Xx Miss Queen Sateen and Exquisite”
Support queer artists and buy the “SATEEN” EP on iTunes or Apple Music.
EP cover art by Oscar Ouk.
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Photos by Anthony Urrea.
