Gloria Gaynor has been revealed as a Republican donor and LGBTQ+ people are furious: ‘F**k her’
Gloria Gaynor at the “Voices of a Lifetime” event held at the Hard Rock Hotel New York on January 29, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Adela Loconte/Variety via Getty Images)
Gloria Gaynor at the "Voices of a Lifetime" event held at the Hard Rock Hotel New York on January 29, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Adela Loconte/Variety via Getty Images)
It might take all our strength not to fall apart, but it would appear that (former) queer icon Gloria Gaynor has donated thousands of dollars to Republican lawmakers over the last few years.
The news comes as a result of an examination into the donations made by the “I Will Survive” singer.
Gaynor was recently announced by President Donald Trump as one the 2025 Kennedy Center Honourees. Joining her are the musician George Strait, the band KISS (Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, Ace Frehley), actor Michael Crawford, and Hollywood icon and Trump supporter, Sylvester Stallone.
They will be the first batch of honourees since Trump took over the cultural institution in February.
Gloria Gaynor, who celebrated being honoured on her Instagram stories, has been urged to reject the award by fans. The View‘s Ana Navarro was among them. She wrote on Instagram, “the woman is a goddess and deserves all the flowers that come her way. But I wish she wouldn’t accept an award from the hands of a man who has attacked the rights and history of women, people of color and LGBTQ.”
Navarro added, “The gay community in particular, helped turn her signature song into an anthem. Trump is a stain on the prestige and significance of the KCH. Don’t do it, Gloria!”
But Gaynor, who in 2017, during Trump’s first term in office, defined herself as “not a political person,” appears to have donated to the Republican Party quite considerably over the last few years.
As per public records at the Federal Election Commission, first reported by Meidas Touch, Gaynor first donated $235 to support Ben Carson in 2016. He ran to be the Republican candidate in the 2016 Presidential election, later becoming the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Trump. Gaynor made all her donations under her birth name, Gloria Fowles.
Then in 2023, Gaynor began donating to WinRed, a Republican fundraising platform that distributes donations to various campaigns. She also donated specifically to anti-LGBTQ+ Republican politicians such as Mike Johnson and Josh Hawley.
Meidas Touch has calculated that Gaynor has donated as much as £22,000 to Republican lawmakers. This includes $2160.57 to Mike Johnson and $356.15 to Kevin McCarthy. Other Republicans include Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Nikki Haley, as per Meidas Touch.
After the news was revealed, members of the LGBTQ+ community flocked to social media to share their anger and disappointment about the donations.
One person wrote: “So lemme get this straight, so the gays were booking Gloria Gaynor for years, in return that bitch used the money that she made to donate to the Republican party. F**K HER.”
Another said: “Gloria Gaynor was a gay icon in the 70s and 80s. She has turned her back on the very people who made her career explode and supported her for years. I hope they turn their backs on her.”
A third added: “Learned today: Gloria Gaynor has given LOTS of money to the ultra right wing. Stop playing that fcking song in gay spaces!”
None of the available records show Gaynor has donated to Trump’s campaigns personally. Whether that’s an indication of whether she supports him or not, we can’t say. But the donations to other Republicans and MAGA-supporters indicates the singer’s political leanings.
At first we were afraid, Now, we’re petrified. Gaynor wasn’t someone we ever thought we’d be saying “Go on, go, walk out the door / Turn around now / You’re not welcome anymore.”
PinkNews has contacted representatives for Gloria Gaynor for comment.
