Queercore

Queercore is a subculture that is both rooted in the culture of gay and punk scenes, while at the same time rejecting many of their mainstream values. It was created by individuals who identified with both of these scenes but didn't fit in with the traditional values of them. This intersection of two identities gave birth to the movement. Queercore was a safe haven for young gay people who might have faced discrimination on account of their unique identities.

The 1970's was a time full of disco, which symbolized the liberation of many in the LGBT community. But after this in the 1980's there was a conservative and heteronormative pushback against LGBT individuals. Of course, there were certain people in punk that were fighting to change this hegemony.

• Austin, Texas was a very big scene for punk music and included bands who had queer members
• The Dicks & The Big Boys were bands based in Austin that had openly out gay members
• Saturday Night at the Bookstore by The Dicks specifically addresses having anonymous gay sex
• Many other bands at the time had gay members, however they were in the closet at the time
• Punk bands with closeted members included The Germs (based in LA) and Husker Dü (based in the Midwest)

While all of this Queer representation in Punk was not specifically happening in Toronto, where Queercore would later officially arise, it was happening across the US, and laying the foundation for youth across the country to join and for different Queercore hubs to take root.

Before the music of Queercore arose, there was the literature. This movement was born from the trading of zines and poetry. And the zine that started it all was J.D's.

"You were supposed to look a certain way, you were supposed to behave a certain way. Anything outside those very narrow parameters was scoffed, your politics were scoffed at. And the fact that you were really poor didn’t help either." -G.B Jones

The year was 1985 and a young G.B Jones and Bruce LaBruce crossed paths in Toronto. Both were young gay artists, Jones was a musician, artist and filmmaker and LaBruce was just a filmmaker. They had both attempted to join Toronto's gay scene at the time, but were disillusioned by what they perceived as the "snobbish" attitude of mainstream gay culture at the time. They also were against the predominantly straight makeup of the Toronto punk scene at the time, and found that they were not very welcome there either. The discrimination they were receiving on both sides of their identity prompted them to create a new scene, when were they could find acceptance. Out of this Queercore (originally named Homocore) was born and the zine J.D's was created.

The zine itself had a reach far greater than just inside of Toronto. Zines at the time were traded at concerts, sold at bookshops or shipped through the mail. They were distributed across Canada and the United States. And through that young queer kids could discover what was happening in Toronto and see a place where their culture was thriving. Or so they thought. In reality, both creators of J.D.'s have admitted to fabricating much of the content in their publications.

The scene at the time in Toronto was actually very small when it started, at most it was just a handful of creators outside of G.B Jones and Bruce LabBruce. But through the embellished content in their widely distributed zines, they made people outside of Toronto believe that Queercore was thriving, attracting young queer people from Canada and the US. And so Queercore became a self-fulling prophecy; as more people came to Toronto in search of the Queercore that was promised in J.D's, the more the scene came to actual fruition. Once these young people came, they created queer art, music and literature adding to the previously "non-existent" scene.

J.D's ran for eight issues from 1985 to 1991. The zine had many themes that later resonated true for the Queercore movement it gave birth to. J.D's and the people who were making zines at the time didn't take themselves too seriously. They didn't expect others to take them seriously either. The zines at the time had a theme of reckless abandon because they weren't concerned with being taken seriously. They also featured very explicit content, including nudity and gay slurs. These are all elements that were later present in Queercore music. There were camps elements as well, but there was some seriousness when it came to politics.

The Queercore scene grew out of a generation that bristled against what it saw as the bourgeois trappings of a mainstream gay lifestyle and the macho, hetero hardcore scene that punk -- a movement founded by women, people of color, and gays -- had become- G.B Jones

Queercore started in the 1980s, primarily because of the rejection they faced from two subcultures. At the time, punk was a space filled with macho, straight men, and many punks that fit outside this narrative were often harassed at shows. Punk was not a safe space for those who didn't fit the macho man mold. In mainstream gay culture, people also had to also fit inside a certain narrative, and often looked down on those who didn't fit in. Considering that the 80s was also the height of the AIDs crisis and the conservatism stemming from Reagan's presidency, the LGBT community faced a lot of pushback from the general public. Young queer punk artists at the time faced discrimination from the general public as well ass from the gay subculture. So they started their own subculture, but there was still a lot of discrimination. Many Queercore artists mention there being protestors outside their shows and being discriminated against for their fashion choices.

Interestingly enough, Queercore and Riot Grrl share one of the same ideologies: reclaiming the punk space and moving away from the extremely male dominated atmosphere. Because of this musicians from both subcultures often performed and toured together, and the bands had a symbiotic relationship. However, the creators of Queercore are adamant that the subcultures stay separate because the LGBT element is unique to Queercore and an important distinction from the primarily cisgender makeup of Riot Grrl.

Queercore from its formation was inherently political, fighting against "traditional" values in punk and sexuality. They are anti-establishment and firmly against the law and law enforcement. One of the main political ideologies of Queercore was anarchism, and this shared interest is how many of the influential figures in Queercore got involved. Queercore artists participated in riots and protest at the time, and many lived in poverty. They shunned commercialism. capitalism and chose to be on the fringe.

Formed in the early 1980's, Fifth Column is an all female band featuring G.B Jones, who would later be the creator of J.D's. Based in Toronto, it was very influential in the initial creation of Queercore. They occasionally released their music through record labels, like K Records. Often, they ended up releasing their own music, with videos directed by fellow Queercore artists Bruce LaBruce.

When performing live they often included films played overtop of the band and a 'go-go' boy dancing, which added more of a frivolous element to their shows. They also included guest musicians who played several different instruments like the saxophone, trumpet, flute, or violin. The band's last recording was released in 2002, with them reuniting again briefly for a concert in 2013.

Pansy Division was formed in 1991 in San Fransico.They toured a lot throughout California and eventually throughout the Uniter States and released several studio albums, mainly through independent record labels. They are arguably the most commercially successful band of the Queercore movement, having the chance gain more nationwide attention through touring with well known punk bands.

Most of their songs address their sexual identity in a humorous and "in your face" way. They formed as a pushback against mainly mainstream gay culture at the time, and the idea that gay men had to like "pop divas and show tunes." They embody many of the Camp elements that Queercore was founded upon, through their over the top lyrics and stylistic choices. They are still together today, and currently signed to Alternative Tentacles.

Formed in San Fransisco in 1991, they consisted of all lesbian members. They toured throughout the United States as well, although they weren't as commercially successful as Pansy Division. They also played at several notable music festivals, including South by Southwest.

Members would often perform live shows shirtless. They also spoke out against what they felt was the trans-exclusionary discrimination they saw, and received pushback because of it. However, the band stated that they never had the intention of going mainstream and only made music because they viewed it as art. The band officially went their separate ways in 2005.

Queercore groups encompass many genres. While the movement was originally envisioned as an offshoot of punk, it developed to become more inclusive. Today it includes a diverse array of musical genres, such as indie rock, electro punk and power pop. The main trait of Queercore music is that it has lyrics that address sexual or gender identity, often times in humorous ways. However, there are bands that chose to forgo a lighthearted tone and take a more serious approach to Queercore music. There are some examples of the diversity in Queercore sound.

The music is defined largely by its extra-music qualities such as its politics, thematics and queer narratives rather than by musical qualities- "Playing it Queer: Popular Music, Identity and Queer World-making"

It mainly started as an underground scene, but as it gained traction more historical venues can be found.

While Queercore has died down from its heyday in the 80s (due to the rise of the internet) it still exists in many different forms.

• From Toronto, Canada
• Described as gay church folk music
• Incorporates Go Go Dancers in their performances, much like Fifth Element
• Also includes a choir and sting section in performances

• From Toronto, Canada
• Punk-House genre, offers a more electronic direction for Queercore
• Incorporates very frivolous lyrics
• Theatrical live performances

There are many Queercore still performing and touring. Notably Pansy Division is still active, having last released an album in 2016. There are also still many music festivals that showcase Queercore bands, like the yearly Vazaleen party in Toronto. While the scene has developed past its original zine roots, there are still many people invested in this scene.

Queercore has been providing a safe space for young gay punks ever since the 80s. In a time where discrimination and prejudice against the LGBT community was rampant, Queercore allowed for young gay people to feel accepted outside the mainstream gay traits they thought they had to embody. At the time, the idea of intersectionality had yet to emerge but Queercore was exactly that. It was two identities creating a unique level of discrimination of queer punks, who found themselves rejected from both punk and gay subculture. Intersectionality now is a widely accepted idea but Queercore was exploring the concept before it was even defined. Today, it continues to be a way for Queer artists to express themselves outside the widespread hegemony of mainstream culture.

Rathe, Adam. "Queer to the Core." Out Magazine, 12 April, 2012,  https://www.out.com/entertainment/music/2012/04/12/history-queer-core-gay-punk-GB-JONES 

Krishtalka, Shalom. “Art Essay: We are Queercore.” DailyXtra, 3 Jan 2007, https://www.dailyxtra.com/art-essay-we-are-queercore-39260 

Torres, Eric. “Queering the Pitch: On J.D’s and the roots of Queercore.” Pitchfork, 28 Jan 2015, https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/650-queering-the-pitch-on-jds-and-the-roots-of-queercore/ 

Nault, Curran. Queercore: Queer Punk Media Subculture. Routledge, 2018.  https://books.google.com/books?id=IxIwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT72&lpg=PT72&dq=queer+songs+by+the+dicks&source=bl&ots=HQAyQxpITb&sig=ACfU3U0t_HzsT-9SruET7JgP-5IOEur4xg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizpMeogZvmAhUCSq0KHcqqAj8Q6AEwEHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=queer%20songs%20by%20the%20dicks&f=false 

P, Paul. “Tom Girls.”Canadianart, 19 Jun 2015,  https://canadianart.ca/essays/tom-girls/ 

Yony Leser, director. Queercore: How To Punk A Revolution. Performance by G.B Jones and Bruce LaBruce, Altered Innocence, 2017.

Taylor, Jodie. Playing it Queer: Popular Music, Identity and Queer World-making. Peter Lang, 2012. https://books.google.com/booksid=Jakq1gbKSFAC&pg=PA127&lpg=PA127&dq=sound+ofqueercore+musically&source=bl&ots=1J0QYuXvym&sig=ACfU3U3AWl7gnFTdD1FrN4BxFHIL9pzSew&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqj96N9rrmAhUHHM0KHQuyA5wQ6AEwAnoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=sound%20of%20queercore%20musically&f=false