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Dannii Minogue doesn't think of herself as a gay icon.
The 51-year-old pop star has developed a big following among the gay community during her career, but Dannii doesn't see herself as a gay icon.
She told the BBC: “I've heard Cher say ‘you don't wake up thinking you're a gay icon.' You don't think about yourself like that.”
Dannii launched her debut album in the early 1990s, and she admits that the social landscape was very different at the time.
She explained: “It was drilled into [artists] by record companies and management that you can't be gay, that will ruin your career.”
Dannii has been amazed by the support she's received from the gay community over the years.
Asked when she first noticed that she had a lot of gay fans, Dannii replied: “It's when people come up and start recounting stories. ‘I met my partner when your song was playing in the club' or ‘this album was the soundtrack to me getting through difficult times.' It's also spending time over the years being involved with people in the community and charities and stuff. You start to feel accepted by the community, which feels amazing.”
Dannii's career reached a crossroads in the mid-1990s, and she admits that posing for Playboy magazine changed her life.
The pop star stands by her decision to pose for the magazine, calling it a “complete feminist move”.
Danni – who has Ethan, 12, with model Kris Smith – told the Guardian newspaper: “It was personally empowering to me.
“I still stand by those photos. I still think it's awesome. My son's 12, he and his friends are all on their phones, they'll be Googling, pictures will come up – but I still absolutely 100 percent stand by that as a complete feminist move.
“Anyone can look at those pictures and you can say whatever you want about them. My body, my choice, my space. I controlled everything about the photos, the shoot, everything. And it just made me feel powerful.”
