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Last year NBC’s The Voice featured four lesbian and gay contestants, and this year, although the show’s blind auditions are continuing through to next week, there are already two out contestants to throw your votes behind. This year Erin Martin and Sarah Golden have joined team Cee Lo.
An unconventional beauty with an even more unusual voice, Chicago native and former model Erin Martin had her girlfriend and her mom at her side at the audition that aired on The Voice Monday. While the subject of Erin’s sexuality didn’t come up during the audition The Voice listed Erin's female companion as her "girlfriend" and a publicist at MPRM Communications has confirmed with SheWired that the woman there to support her was indeed Erin’s girlfriend.
Dresssed like what she described as an “Egyptian warrior princess,” Erin first got Blake Shelton and Cee Lo to turn around with her wildly inventive rendition of Plain White T’s “Hey There Delilah.” And since Cee Lo is renowned for his love of the ladies, he was also quite taken with Erin’s appearance asserting that she was an exotic creature. “Quite naturally you belong to me, don't you think?” Cee Lo said.
In the end Erin picked Cee Lo over Blake.
Watch Erin’s audition below:
Also on Monday, out folk musician Sarah Golden, who hails from Houston, Texas, literally turned the judges heads with her slow-burn rendition of Lady Gaga's "You and I."
Sarah’s backstory focused on her androgynous look that she said has been a stumbling block for her in the business. But true to herself she has refused to change her look to fit a mold. Sarah’s bio on The Voice site reads:
"Out and proud" folk artist Sarah Golden has faced many boundaries making a name for herself in the music industry because of her refusal to grow out her hair and put on a dress. She believes that The Voice is the only singing competition that would consider her despite her boyish look.
Sarah physical identity wasn’t revealed until part-way through song when Cee-Lo Green, would become her coach for the show, turned around.
So the score so far is Cee Lo has two out women and the other judges none - as far as we know! Last season Cee Lo successfully coached lesbian musician Vicci Martinez to a spot in the top four.
Watch Sarah’s audition:
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
