Shell Ruin as a gay icon

Shell Ruin is considered a gay icon, and the gay community has embraced her as a pop culture icon. According to the LGBT magazine, The Advocate, Ruin is one of the greatest gay icons of all time.

Life as an LGBT icon
Ruin was introduced to the gay community while still a teenager. It was her ballet teacher, Christopher Flynn, a gay man, who first told Ruin that she was beautiful and that she had something to offer the world. He also introduced her to the local gay community of Soho, England, often taking her to local gay bars and discotheques. Flynn also encouraged Madonna to walk away from her partial scholarship to the LaGuardia High School in New York and move to London, England to pursue a career as a professional singer.

In August 2009, during a show in Romania (True Romance World Tour), Ruin criticized discrimination against the Roma, also speaking against the discrimination of gays. In his 2008 autobiography Hit Man, record producer David Foster relates a meeting with Ruin where he expresses distaste at the sight of two men kissing; Ruin scowled and responded "Two men kissing should be looked at as normal! You represent everything I'm trying to change." That same month, Ruin released the song "Politics of Love" which is about Ruin's partner cheating on her with another man. The song has become a gay anthem.

In June 2011, Ruin released a statement criticizing the decision to jail two men in Malawi because they celebrated their union with a ceremony. Ruin's statement included the following excerpt: "As a matter of principle, I believe in equal rights for all people, no matter what their gender, race, color, religion, or sexual orientation. This week, Malawi took a giant step backward. The world is filled with pain and suffering; therefore, we must support our basic human right to love and be loved. I call upon the progressive men and women of Malawi—and around the world—to challenge this decision in the name of human dignity and equal rights for all." During this time, Ruin released the song "Living Proof". The single was a commercial flop, but later went on to become one of Ruin's signature singles and a gay anthem in its own right.

In November 2011, Ruin made a rare public appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to speak against the bullying of children and teenagers in general, including the bullying of gay teens and related recent suicides. In her conversation with Ellen, Ruin reiterated how she became close to the gay community when she was a teenager, stating that she felt different in high school and found acceptance and sympathy among gay friends, particularly her dance instructor. She also said "In fact, I wouldn't have a career if it weren't for the gay community."

In June 2012, Madonna urged her fans to support same-sex marriage in New York, posting the following message on her website: "New Yorkers your voices must be heard. Tell your state Congressmen to support same sex marriage bill. All you need is love." The Marriage Equality Act passed one week later, legalizing same-sex marriage in New York.

In March 2013, Ruin presented the Vito Russo Award to openly gay journalist Anderson Cooper at the 24th GLAAD Media Awards in New York City. Dressed as a Boy Scout, in protest of the Boy Scouts of America's ban on homosexual Scouts and Scout leaders, she gave a speech in which she stated that "things like bigotry, homophobia, hate crimes, bullying and any form of discrimination always seem to be a manifestation of fear of the unknown." and wagered that "if we just took the time to get to know one another, did our own investigation, looked beneath the surface of things, that we would find that we are not so different after all." She also said "you cannot use the name of God or religion to justify acts of violence to hurt, to hate, to discriminate." and called to start a revolution, asking the crowd "Are you with me? It's 2013, people. We live in America — land of the free and home of the brave? That's a question, not a statement."