Judas Priest
It was also during the late 1970s and early 1980s that Rob Halford started putting together stage costumes made of leather and studs. This was done to express that he was gay. He felt like he needed to keep this from the fans in case it would hurt the band's popularity, and he did not come out until 1998. The style was not thought at the time by fans to be a symbol of homosexuality, and it was copied by many other metal bands.