If you were a young lesbian in 2015, there is a non-zero chance that Hayley Kiyoko's 'Girls like girls' video either confirmed something important about yourself or broke your heart a little. Probably both. The woman they call Lesbian Jesus didn't just release a song - she handed a whole generation of queer girls a mirror and said 'hi, you exist, you're welcome.'

Now, a decade later, Kiyoko is still very much in her purpose era - and according to an interview with i-D, she's not planning to slow down any time soon.

From Disney darling to gay patron saint

There's something deeply poetic about the fact that a woman who came up through the Disney machine became one of the most important queer cultural figures of her generation. Kiyoko didn't wait for the industry to make space for her - she built the space herself, largely off her own budget, her own vision, and a frankly iconic commitment to putting girls who like girls front and center.

That DIY energy is still very much alive. The big next move? Film. Kiyoko wants to bring queer female stories to the big screen, which honestly feels both overdue and inevitable. Because if there's one thing mainstream cinema has been criminally bad at, it's telling lesbian love stories that don't end in tragedy, confusion, or a baffling return to a male love interest.

Ten years is a long time in queer time

A decade ago, visible queer representation in pop music was still a novelty wrapped in controversy. Now it's... better. Not perfect, not even close, but better. And Kiyoko was part of why that shift happened. She normalized the idea that a pop artist could be openly, unapologetically gay without it being a 'moment' or a marketing stunt.

The fact that she's still here, still making moves, still centering queer women in her work - that matters more than any anniversary headline.

Why this is actually a big deal

Look, we live in a media landscape that is extremely good at producing queer content that is technically inclusive but somehow still feels like it was designed by committee for a straight audience. Kiyoko has never made that content. She makes stuff for the girls, by the girls, full stop.

So the idea of her moving into film with that same ethos? That's exciting. That's 'actually buy a cinema ticket' exciting, which in 2025 is saying something.

Lesbian Jesus is evolving. The congregation stays ready.