In the long list of things that the internet didn’t need right now, LGB Alliance has apparently decided it needed to make a sea shanty.
LGB Alliance, a pressure group which has faced heavy criticism for refusing to denounce its neo-Nazi and homophobic supporters, uploaded a “same-sex attraction” positive sea shanty on YouTube.
The organisation jumped on a social media trend made famous by Nathan Evans, a 26-year-old Scot who became TikTok famous for singing sea shanties. Since December, Evans racked up millions of views for his songs, and he’s responsible for what is being called “Sea Shanty TikTok”.
Many people have made their adaptations of his hit TikTok “The Wellerman”. It’s been duetted countless times and been turned into a collaboration with other TikTokers.
@nathanevanss The Wellerman. #seashanty #sea #shanty #viral #singing #acoustic #pirate #new #original #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #singer #scottishsinger #scottish
And now, LGB Alliance has decided to throw its hat into that ring. The group posted their “LGB Sea Shanty” to YouTube on 6 February. The song, which is played with an image of an old-timey sailing boat in the background on the ocean, includes the lyrics: “We all know the way the story goes when girls like girls and boys like boys, too often they will be exposed to jibes and condemnation.
“Lesbians, bis and gays we’re still fighting every day to rid the world of shame around same-sex attraction.
“Our history is rich and proud. Men and women calling out. It’s freedom that they cared about. We stand upon their shoulders.
“Many a battle has been won. Others only just begun, and so we will keep fighting on until the day it’s over.
“For those who are still struggling on, whether they be old or young, we’re on your side and standing strong. A better day is dawning.”
The video was produced by a YouTuber called mrmenno, who describes himself on YouTube as a “songwriter, filmmaker, performer”. His other works include a parody of Little Eva’s 1962 song “Loco-motion” which is critical of the use of puberty blockers for trans children. In another song, mrmenno satirises Sam Smith‘s coming out as non-binary to the Grease song “Sandra Dee”.
Our house is on fire, apparently…
In an hour-long interview with Graham Linehan about the sea shanty, mrmenno said it was “shocking” to him “how quickly they [LGB Alliance] were put down as a hate group”. He explained: “I just thought how is it possible that a bunch of gays, lesbians and bisexuals getting together are denounced as a hate group just because they say we’re same-sex attracted and sexual orientation is very different from gender identity.”
Mrmenno told Linehan that three other people were singing along with him on the sea shanty, but the other individuals didn’t want to be named for fear of getting “hate”. He said: “Even me talking to you now with my face is me taking a risk.
“This is the craziness of it all now. What I want the world to see if that they always lump us together as the LGBTQIA2PNB+-whatever.
“We all represent very different things so the L, the G and the B are all about same-sex attraction, and this is based on us acknowledging the reality of our sex bodies and that we are attracted to the same sex.”
He said the way he sees it, “our house is on fire” because there are people who are attracted to the same-sex being “lumped” under an umbrella with people who “are denying what sex is”.