She added: "Regardless of what Stephin Merritt may say in an interview, his songs seem to be about loneliness, isolation, and the need to be recognized by another person. . . . I get tons of letters with people saying, 'As a young gay person who is developing an identity in the world, I would go to the Magnetic Fields for words of wisdom.'"

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Additionally, the playful attitude with which Merritt selects vocal performers to interpret his compositions disposes them to be interpreted as . Gonson's vocals on "Acoustic Guitar" render it a self-indulgent lesbian folk manifesto ("Acoustic guitar, you can have your own car / Just bring me back my girl"). Meanwhile, Merritt supplies his own tremulous baritone for "Underwear," an encomium to both the "pretty girls" and the "pretty boys" who don it. And on the Magnetic Fields' most recent album, i (2004), Merritt sings "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend," a song musically and even thematically redolent of New Order's early work.

In 2005 Merritt collaborated on an adaptation of the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen with Chinese opera director Chen-Shi Zheng to be staged at Lincoln Center, and penned original songs inspired by the Lemony Snicket series of children's books. While critical reception of i was perhaps inevitably less overwhelmingly enthusiastic after the triumph of 69 Love Songs, Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields continue to enjoy considerable recognition and success.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons have had tremendous influence on popular music, though some musical genres have been more receptive to a homosexual presence than others.

Although rock music has been closely associated with freedom of expression and rebelliousness, it has not been particularly welcoming to gay and lesbian performers.

Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen was probably bisexual in orientation, though he may well have remained a virgin.

Singer and songwriter Rufus Wainwright, dubbed the "thinking gay man's sex symbol," has built a successful career with witty lyrics and rich melodies.