The way the LGBTQ+ community has been portrayed in popular culture has come a long, long way in recent years. Although there's still a lot of work to be done, so many creative queer folks have been making awesome and inclusive movies, music, TV shows, and more that better represents our lives and our stories, so in honor of Pride Month, we're taking the time to honor 25 of these inspiring people! This is the 2019 #PRIDE25!
Teddy Geiger has been in the spotlight since she was just a teenager, making highly celebrated music and quickly being labeled a teen heartthrob. And while some specifics of all that may have changed, she’s still out here dominating the music industry and winning hearts.
Geiger came out as trans in 2017, in response to a fan on Instagram who asked why she had been looking differently as of late.
“Love it or hate it, this is who I’ve been for a long time,” Geiger said.
And that was that.
Though Geiger took a step back from the spotlight after just two albums, the time away allowed her not only to explore the feelings she needed to work through in order to embrace who she is, but also to spend time nurturing her songwriting career. And now, she’s one of the most in-demand and well-respected songwriters in the business, creating hits for artists such as Shawn Mendes, John Legend, 5SOS, One Direction (RIP), and many others.
“Having a hit is fine, but doing the work is what I want,” she told the New York Times. “I get more excited the day of creation than once it’s big.”
Finally feeling confident enough to express her gender, both to others and herself, has opened the floodgates of possibility for Geiger’s songwriting collaborations — something that is innately such an intimate experience for most musicians.
“Because I’m willing to talk about everything now, people are then more open with me,” she admitted.
The freedom Geiger feels to be and to express herself now is obvious in every moment of her life she shares with her fans, and is set to inspire a whole new generation of people who can see that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself into the person you were meant to be.
Listen to Teddy's latest album LillyAnna below and stream on Spotify!
And check out more of the 2019 #PRIDE25 honorees here!