How drag queens inspired Diana Ross's gay anthem 'I'm Coming Out'

Diana Ross's hit song "I'm Coming Out" has been a staple at gay bars, Pride parades, and drag shows since it first came out. And now, it's confirmed that the song itself was actually inspired by those very same drag queens.

Nile Rodgers, a music legend known for the band Chic and his songwriting with bassist Bernard Edwards, was speaking at Carolyn Dailey's The Creative Entrepreneur book launch when he revealed the origin story to one of the greatest gay anthems of all time, per Page Six.

Rodgers explained that Ross was the "first big star" he had ever worked with as a songwriter, and so he and Edwards sat down with Ross and interviewed her for two days to find out all about her life.

"We said, 'This album is going to be all about you,' and she said, 'Wow, no one has ever written about me before,'" he said.

Then, one night while at a gay bar, Rodgers found himself in a room full of Diana Ross drag queens, and inspiration for a song struck.

"I go to the bathroom, and on both sides of me – seven to ten deep on either side – are all Diana Rosses," he explained.

"I get overly excited…I call my partner, and tell him to write this down: 'I'm coming out,'" Rodgers continued, saying he told Edwards, "I am in a bathroom filled with Diana Rosses. This is amazing! Just think about it!"

Rodgers then told Ross the song would be "giving a love letter back to your audience – there is a significant part of your audience that is gonna relate to this, and this is going to be like James Brown saying, "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud,' and it all turned out great."

"I'm Coming Out" was released by Ross in 1980 and went to number five on the Billboard chart. Now, 45 years later, it's still regularly played at gay clubs and events.