Born Kathleen Josey in Dallas, Texas, Cotton sang with Dallas area bands before moving to Los Angeles, California. Although the The Go-Go's played "Johnny Are You Queer" in their live shows before they signed with I.R.S., it was Cotton who recorded the song for Bomp Records in 1981. The song was originally decried as "offensive" and "homophobic" by many critics and listeners - which may have helped its popularity. Cotton has always maintained she is a staunch supporter of gay rights and frequently turns up at Gay Pride events.