“Same Love” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert was released in October 2012 on YouTube.¹ It “became the first song that explicitly promotes same-sex marriage to hit the Top 40 in the US.”² This song was primarily written to persuade voters of the State of Washington to approve Referendum 74, the legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage, as well as call out conservative Christians for their hypocrisy and intolerance on the matter. While the song served as a state (and later on as a national) anthem for gay marriage and equality, the song equally contains messages that ignore the social construction of sexuality and gender.

The opening scene lasts for approximately 40 seconds and depicts the scene of pregnancy and the birth of a biracial baby boy. This is intentional to emphasize the mainstream LGBTQ+ narrative that sexuality is innate — that “queer people are born that way” or are “eternal homosexual[s]”.³ The next few scenes depict the mixed-race boy riding bikes and playing outside with other boys, wearing attire associated with boys, and displaying assertiveness through romantic gestures, which all in contrast to girls running a lemonade stand, playing with dolls, wearing dresses, and displaying passiveness. These scenes perpetuate gender stereotypes and show gender being constructed by doing.⁴ 

Additionally, the lyrics at the beginning recounts Macklemore’s (Ben Haggerty) experience of questioning his sexuality. Within the lyrics, the idea of being gay was construed on the lines of gender stereotypes and that to be gay is to be good at drawing, to be good at organizing one’s room, and to be bad at sports. 

The following scenes show the mixed-race boy growing up and becoming keenly aware of sexuality such that he felt excluded from the church, a game of spin the bottle, homecoming dances, and formals. The song also speaks of the “man-made rewiring of a predisposition” through some cure through treatment or religion. This emphasis reflects the historically negative discourse of homosexuality through medical science and the church.⁵ Furthermore, when the song mentions hip hop and drops the phrase “that’s so gay” and the word “f*gg*t,” this was directing attention at the hip hop community as being a toxic place for homosexual expression. Thus, these scenes and lyrics reveal how places that hold power determine the morality of homosexuality. 

The chorus is sung by Mary Lambert, and repeats the sentiment that sexuality is biological and innate in the lyrics, “I can’t change.” Once again, this perpetuates the thinking that homosexuality is not socially constructed through history. From this point on, the biracial individual embraces his sexuality, gets married, and dies with his partner and lover by his side. 

Overall, this song is an appeal to logos, ethos, and pathos. In logos, the song accuses some Christians of forgetting that “God loves all his children” and “paraphras[ing] a book written 3,500 hundred years ago”. While some Christians believe that even if the Bible is written 3,500 hundred years ago it is still relevant, there is no denying that Christians have historically spoken heavily against homosexuality by drawing upon seven verses associated with homosexuality, commonly referred to as the Clobber Passages. 

In ethos, the song emphasizes God as love, and it concludes with a refrain from 1 Corinthians 13 that says “love is patient, love is kind.” Just as some Christians hold Biblical passages on homosexuality highly, the song draws on the ethos of the Bible. Additionally, the song makes comparisons between the LGBTQIA+ movement with the Civil Rights Movement, thereby drawing upon the same ethos that everyone has some inalienable rights. 

Finally, the song is an appeal to pathos, where we, as the audience, practice empathy. The music video visually portrays the story of a biracial kid navigating through his sexuality from birth to childhood to marriage to death. The lyrics reveal Macklemore’s (Ben Haggerty’s) personal journey towards understanding sexuality, as well as his compassion for his gay uncles and other LGBTQIA+ individuals. 

Overall, “Same Love,” as the title implies, suggests that love is the same, regardless of gender and sexuality. Despite reinforcing some gender stereotypes and myths about homosexuality, the song has a powerful message. In response to “till my uncles could be united by law,” the State of Washington passed Referendum 74 in 2012, and three years later, same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide through Obergefell v. Hodges. As the lyrics foresaw, a “certificate on paper isn’t going to solve it all,” but marriage equality is a “good place to start,” as is “Same Love” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert to the liberation movement. 

Works Cited

1. “Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Same Love Feat. Mary Lambert (Official Video).” YouTube, October 2, 2012. https://youtu.be/hlVBg7_08n0.
2. “Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Ft. Mary Lambert) – Same Love.” Genius. Accessed September 25, 2021. https://genius.com/Macklemore-and-ryan-lewis-same-love-lyrics. 
3. Abelove, Henry, Barale Michèle Aina, and David M. Halperin. The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. New York: Routledge, 1993. This citation is specifically referencing Chapter 31: Capitalism and Gay Identity by John D’Emilio.
4. Bornstein, Kate. My New Gender Workbook a Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving World Peace through Gender Anarchy and Sex Positivy. New York, NY u.a: Routledge, 2013. 
5. Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality: An Introduction. New York: Vintage Books, 1980. 

Writing for Wear Your Voice | www.wearyourvoicemag.com