PRO-GAY BAND TOPS U.S. CHARTS

The American indie pop band ‘fun.’ has topped the singles charts in the U.S. for the fourth straight week, and the members are using their success to highlight gay and lesbian rights.

The track We Are Young (Feat. Janelle Monáe) ascended to the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 four weeks ago and seems to be stuck there.

With total downloads now exceeding two million, We Are Young has also found a #1 home on the Top Digital Songs chart.

The New York City band, consisting of Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff, have chosen Revel & Riot, an organisation that promotes LGBT rights, awareness and equality through art, design and education resources, as their official charity partner.

A specially designed shirt reading “It’s all fun. and gay ‘til someone loses their rights” is on sale at all their gigs as well as via the band’s official web store. All proceeds from sales of the shirt will benefit Revel & Riot.

Although the trio say that they are straight, they believe that this only adds to the strength of their message.

“Being part of a band of three straight men, we felt there was an inherent power in the fact that we aren’t gay, and yet we still care and we have a voice – there’s a responsibility there,” fun. guitarist Antonoff told Spinner.

“There are moments in history where it’s vital [to have a voice] and anyone that is not standing up for the LGBT community is a huge part of what’s holding them back.”

An outspoken advocate for equal rights and marriage equality, Antonoff recently published the first in a series of blog posts for The Huffington Post’s “Gay Voices,” entitled Straight Allies: The Importance and the Realities.

The band’s hit has also been covered by the TV show Glee, something the band members are ecstatic about.

“Glee is such a progressive show,” lead singer Ruess told Fuse. “It stands for so many things that we stand for.”

Their album Some Nights will be released in South Africa at the end of May.

Watch the video for fun.’s massive hit We Are Young (Feat. Janelle Monáe) below.