Opinion Submission: What Chappell Roan's VMA win means for ...

This summer, I spent three weeks working at a summer camp for LGBTQ+ youth in rural Illinois. Camp Indigo Point was, for lack of other words, heaven for a queer person like me. I was immersed in a queer community unlike anything I had experienced before. I have so many wonderful memories from camp, the soundtrack to each of them was Chappell Roan. 

Throughout those three weeks, the 25-year-old pop star’s music played 24-7. “HOT TO GO!” dance breaks bridged daily activities, “Femininomenon” blasted after the morning bugle, and “Red Wine Supernova” was sung ‘round the campfire. Roan’s music meant more to these kids than just a fun beat to dance to. They saw themselves in Roan because of her Midwestern roots. 

Many campers lived in Missouri and Illinois. Some came from small Midwestern towns where they were the only gay or trans person in their classrooms. Many others faced a barrage of anti-trans legislation and rhetoric from their state government. Roan herself hails from Willard, Mo. Needless to say, my campers understood on a personal level the background of the year’s biggest lesbian popstar. 

At the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Roan received Best New Artist. In a time when queer and trans people’s rights are weaponized as part of a conservative culture war, a proudly queer woman took home one of the night’s biggest awards. Roan’s win confirms a very important fact about queer people: we exist everywhere. Queer folks are not only from liberal families, metropolitan areas, and coastal cities. Queer folks hail from every corner of the globe, including small towns in red states like Missouri.  

When Roan accepted her award, she acknowledged her roots. “For all the queer kids in the Midwest,” she said, “I see you. I understand you because I’m one of you. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t be who you want to be, b****.” 

Roan’s speech brought Midwestern queer kids to the national stage — Midwestern queer kids who don’t have the representation of their coastal and metropolitan counterparts, queer kids whose families don’t always fully understand or accept them, queer kids who brought the fight for their rights in the face of transphobic legislation into their own hands. By emphasizing these kids in her speech, Roan proves that she knows her audience. While she catapults into national fame, she won’t forget the Missouri she grew up in, nor the queer folks who remain in her home state. 

At queer summer camp, my campers were convinced that Chappell Roan secretly ran camp operations. After all, why would a queer summer camp be in the rural Midwest if not for the influence of the Midwestern Princess herself? Based on the impact Roan had on those Midwestern queer kids, maybe my campers had a point: Chappell Roan has the potential to change how Midwestern queer kids envision themselves and their future.