Is Gigi Perez LGBT? Why Her Lyrics Sparked a Cultural Debate

Is Gigi Perez LGBT? Why Her Lyrics Sparked a Cultural Debate

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Spotify recently, you’ve heard her. That raspy, hauntingly deep voice singing about a girl who looks like Anne Hathaway. It’s "Sailor Song," and it’s basically everywhere. But beyond the catchy melody, there’s a massive surge of people asking one specific question: Is Gigi Perez LGBT?

The short answer? Yes. Honestly, she’s been pretty open about it, but there’s a lot of nuance to how her identity has shaped her meteoric rise.

The Truth About Gigi Perez’s Identity

Gigi Perez is an openly lesbian cisgender woman. She hasn’t just "hinted" at it; she’s flat-out said it in interviews and through her lyrics. She often credits the song "Girls Like Girls" by Hayley Kiyoko as a major turning point in her own journey toward self-acceptance.

She grew up in a Cuban-American household in West Palm Beach, Florida. It wasn’t exactly a "do whatever you want" environment. She spent time at a conservative Christian school called The King’s Academy. If you’ve ever been a queer kid in a religious setting, you know the vibe. It’s that constant, low-level static of feeling like you’re "wrong" just for existing.

Gigi has talked about how she felt a massive disconnect between the religious values she was taught and who she actually was. This tension is the engine behind most of her music. It’s not just about liking girls; it’s about the messy, painful process of unlearning shame.

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Why "Sailor Song" Hit Different

When "Sailor Song" went viral in late 2024 and 2025, it did more than just top charts. It started a fight.

The line that got everyone’s blood boiling?

"I don't believe in God, but I believe that you're my savior."

For some listeners, this was a beautiful expression of sapphic devotion—the idea that a person can provide the peace and "salvation" that organized religion failed to give. For others, specifically in more conservative Christian circles, it was seen as blasphemous. There was even a trend of people trying to "rewrite" the lyrics to make them religious.

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Gigi’s response? Basically, "Keep your hands off my art." She told Billboard that her songwriting isn't a democracy. It’s her story.

Misconceptions and the "Trans" Rumors

Because Gigi has such a unique, rich contralto vocal range, there’s been a weird amount of speculation about her gender. Let’s clear that up: Gigi Perez is not trans.

People on Reddit and TikTok tend to over-analyze everything from her jawline to the pitch of her voice. It’s a bit of a weird cultural reflex where if a woman doesn't sound like a Disney princess, people immediately start theorizing. In reality, she’s just a woman with a deep, incredible voice.

She uses she/her pronouns. She identifies as a woman. The confusion usually stems from people conflating gender expression (how someone looks or sounds) with gender identity (who they are).

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A Timeline of Her Journey

  • 2017: Named Homecoming Queen at her Christian high school.
  • 2020: Suffered the devastating loss of her sister, Celene, which she says "unmoored" her and led her to start posting on TikTok as a way to cope with grief.
  • 2021: Went viral with "Celene" and "Sometimes (Backwood)."
  • 2024: Released "Sailor Song" independently after leaving Interscope Records, officially becoming a queer icon for a new generation.

Why Her Visibility Matters

Gigi isn't just "another singer." She represents a very specific intersection: she’s a Latina woman who grew up in the church and had to navigate religious trauma while embracing her sexuality.

She often writes about queer longing. It’s that specific, achey feeling of wanting someone but also feeling the weight of your upbringing. Songs like "The Man" and "Normalcy" dive into these themes. She doesn't polish the edges. She doesn't make it "radio-friendly" by stripping out the gayness.

Honestly, that’s why her fans are so loyal. They see themselves in the struggle between "the law" (religion) and "the heart" (love).

What’s Next for Gigi?

If you're looking to dive deeper into her world, you should check out her debut album, At The Beach, In Every Life. It’s a heavy listen, but it’s worth it.

Next steps for fans:

  1. Listen to "The Man": It’s an older track that deals with gender expectations within the queer community. It gives a lot of context to her perspective.
  2. Follow her on TikTok: She still posts raw, unpolished demos that often give more insight into her personal life than a polished PR statement ever could.
  3. Respect the boundaries: While she is open about being a lesbian, she keeps her specific dating life relatively private.

She's proven that you don't need a major label to tell a queer story that resonates globally. You just need to be honest.