Six months after his controversial arrest for ‘lewd conduct’ at a men’s public restroom in Beverly Hills, British pop star George Michael released the song and music video ‘Outside’ which can be seen as an explicit commentary on the controversy. In this article, I read the music video in three ways: 1) as part of the star-text of George Michael, repositioning him as an openly gay megastar; 2) as a British/European critique on American heteronormativity and the criminalization of public sex; and 3) as a marketing tool to sell George Michael and his music on a global level.
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