Before Melissa Etheridge, before Ellen, before Rosie, there was k.d. lang. The Canadian singer-songwriter with one of the most moving voices on the planet kicked open the closet door in 1992 when she appeared on the cover of The Advocate.

“I am very proud to be part of the evolution of the integration of gays in society. It is certainly something I didn’t do alone but I am proud to be a part of it,” she told Gay Calgary Magazine in 2008. “This woman in Toronto, Debbie Pearson, came up with the term ‘dykon’ which I think is hilarious. If I helped people have a more open, healthy relationship with their parents or friends, or more importantly themselves that makes me really happy. Anything I can do to help people feel more comfortable and confidant in who they are, that is great.”

Her coming out kicked off a lot of media exposure in the early ‘90s, including the now iconic Vanity Fair cover featuring lang in a barbershop chair receiving a straight-razor shave from Cindy Crawford. The shot, by photographer Herb Ritts, as well as a rumored fling with Madonna, helped turn lang into a household name and launch her album Ingénue’s commercial success.

Check out some of our favorite ‘dykonic’ k.d. lang performances, AFTER THE JUMP …

Lang’s first introduction to international audiences came courtesy her performance at the 1988 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies in Calgary. Heavily influenced by country singers, especially Patsy Cline, lang grew up in Alberta and said she knew from a very early age that she was gay. ‘I never even gave it a second thought,” she told The Daily Mail in 2008. “I wasn’t scared to act on it. I just did it and I didn’t feel like I was the only person in the world who felt that way.”

Her most well-known track, “Constant Craving,” peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart and earned lang a Grammy Award in 1993.

She’s also well-known for her androgynous style. She described her experience in an interview with The Guardian in 2008: “I like going through the world kind of ambiguous … Being androgynous changes the sexual playing field too, because a lot of gay guys flirt with me, a lot of straight women flirt with me.” She played up her femininity in her campy video for “Miss Chatelaine,” above.

Lang leapt at the chance to record “Sing It Loud,” written by Joe Pisapia, who co-produced her album of the same name. “For me to sing that would be such an anthem for people who feel slightly left of center,” she told the Huffington Post in 2011. “You know, I kind of represent a different section of humanity, and I just thought it was a good song to support that.”

You may have caught k.d. lang’s gorgeous rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. While her ability to belt a beautiful ballad hasn’t changed, she has seen a change for the LGBT community. “I think the gay community has grown up and evolved,” she said to Curve Magazine. “I think society is more open about sexual orientation in general.”

What are your favorite k.d. lang performances?

The change.org petition asking The Learning Channel to cancel 19 Kids and Counting over the Duggars’ “LGBT fear mongering” that caught fire on the internet earlier this week also managed to catch the attention of right-wing Christian activists who are concerned with (but don’t actually understand) first amendment protections. 

American Family Association, Alliance Defending Freedom, and other anti-LGBT organizations and websites helped spearhead a #DefendtheDuggars tweetfest today. But like NOM’s Twitter warning last month that marriage equality would lead to people marrying themselves, the campaign quickly started backfiring in spectacular fashion.

Liberal haters are trying to hijack the #DefendtheDuggars hashtag with their obscenities on Twitter. Take back #DefendtheDuggars! Go post!

— LifeSiteNews.com (@LifeSite) November 21, 2014

Here are just a few highlights of what’s rolling in over on Twitter:

#DefendtheDuggars because we all know God’s just not up to the job, We need a hashtag’s help with this one.

— Professor ZeitGeist™ (@Prof_Zeitgeist) November 22, 2014

#DefendTheDuggars right to try to finally learn half names of all the children they spend no individual time with! pic.twitter.com/yJpttozHG2

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) November 22, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars because Josh Duggar’s boss keynoted the 2001 convention of a white supremacists group. pic.twitter.com/L8Oupv9lIx

— JoeMyGod (@JoeMyGod) November 22, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars because we’re sick of Christians being persecuted & having their basic human rights put up to a vote. #OhWaitThatsTheGays

— John M. Becker (@freedom2marry) November 22, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars because there should be a family on TV worse than the Kardashians.

— Emerson Collins (@ActuallyEmerson) November 21, 2014

No need to #DefendTheDuggars when nobody’s trying to take away their kids or tell them one parent doesn’t legally “count.”

— Jayelle (@GreenEyedLilo) November 21, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars because statistically at least four of their sons will be gay, those boys should be allowed to get married too.

— I.G. Frederick (@eroticawriter) November 22, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars because gay people who work at #TLC should be forced to pay bigots to lie about them publicly.

— Hamybear (@hamybear) November 22, 2014

Christians wrote the book on boycotting TV shows. When the tables are turned they scream “tyranny!” #DefendtheDuggars pic.twitter.com/DPYo3loMbk

— Scott Wooledge (@Clarknt67) November 22, 2014

My favorite #DefendtheDuggars supporter of the evening. This conversation turned into pure gold. #UniteBlue pic.twitter.com/gYtnAMEw7g

— Tim Peacock (@timsimms) November 22, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars because my same-sex marriage threatens the sanctity of their marriage and stuff! pic.twitter.com/xACf228lqe

— Kevin (@jerseygringo) November 22, 2014

I can’t #DefendtheDuggars when they flaunt their sexuality—keep private life private! #LGBT t.co/qkfMTy8yKS) pic.twitter.com/7JTY61EhWi

— Scott Wooledge (@Clarknt67) November 22, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars because they need protection from the fundamentalist LGBTQIAs pic.twitter.com/P53kjQb3rk

— u=v(l)eslie (@LeslieWheat) November 22, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars cause pic.twitter.com/8lTs7vgkOj

— maggie priceless (@MaggiePriceless) November 22, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars …. pic.twitter.com/nibxVf0vlM

— Amelie Belcher (@AmelieBelcher) November 21, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars because Michelle’s uterus is a clown car.

— Scott Rose (@ScottEqualityRo) November 22, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars right to believe Moses wrote the Constitution.

— Rodney (@rodneygallen) November 22, 2014

#DefendtheDuggars A Handy Guide pic.twitter.com/QfJJ6TYsp8

— GolemOnTheShelf (@DanielBen_Del) November 22, 2014

Why should I #DefendtheDuggars? Haven’t they already bred an army? Can’t they defend themselves? #Noh8

— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) November 21, 2014

What’s your #DefendtheDuggars response?