Dis and Gay Culture the 1970s

Contents:

• THE 50 BT GAY SONGS TO CELEBRATE PRI ALL YEAR LONG
• QUEER LIBERATN THROUGH MICHOW WOMEN ROCKED THE STAT QUO WH FOLK BALLADS THE 1970SSAM MCDOUGAL·FOLLOW7 M READ·DEC 20, 2018--LISTENSHARETHE FIGHT FOR EQUALY AND LIBERATN FOR THOSE WHOSE ARE MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ+ MUNY BEGAN LONG BEFORE MA NATNAL HEADL. HOWEVER, THE ADVENT OF THE STONEWALL RTS 1969 LEAD TO A VISIBLE NATNAL MOVEMENT, ONE THAT LATER BEME KNOWN AS “GAY LIBERATN”. FOLK MIC WAS A POWERFUL TOOL FOR SOCIAL CHANGE THE 60S AND 70S, AND THIS IS NO EXCEPTN FOR CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. IN THIS ARENA, WOMEN TOOK CHARGE AND EXPRSED THEIR ANGER, SORROW AND FEAR THROUGH MIC. THEIR URAGE SHARG THEIR ART PROMOTED SOLIDARY AND SPIRED THOSE WHO LISTENED TO FIGHT FOR CHANGE THE SYSTEM, AND TO PROMOTE LOVE.THE LGBTQ+ MUNY NSISTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR AND QUEER INTIFIED FOLKS, AS WELL AS OTHER MARGALIZED SEXUAL AND GENR INTI. IN THIS ARTICLE, I WILL BE G THE WORD “QUEER” AS A GENERAL SCRIPTOR FOR MEMBERS OF THIS MUNY. DES OF LAWS TARGETG MEMBERS OF THIS MUNY MA NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO BE THEIR TE SELV WHOUT FACG DISCRIMATN AT WORK OR SCHOOL, THE THREAT OF STUTNALIZATN, OR VLENCE, IF NOT ALL AT ONCE. THE EARLY QUEER LIBERATNISTS WERE LLED THE HOMOPHIL AND PROMOTED THE IA THAT QUEER FOLKS WERE NOT SICK AND WERE ONLY DIFFERENT OM STRAIGHT PEOPLE WHO THEY LOVED. THEY WERE WELL-DRSED AND POLE, AND SOUGHT BASIC ACCEPTANCE OM THE ERNMENT AND MEDIL FIELD. THE HOMOPHILE MOVEMENT TRANSNED TO A MORE RADIL MOVEMENT AFTER THE STONEWALL RT OF 1969 MA HEADL AND SPIRED NEW ACTN. THE PROGRSIVE ATTU OF THE ERA GAVE RISE TO A NEW GENERATN OF ACTIVISTS, CLUDG A STRG OF QUEER FEMALE FOLK WRERS.ONE SUCH SGER WAS MALE DAVIS. MALE DAVIS WAS A LBIAN ACTIVIST OM NIAGARA FALLS, WHO NOT ONLY WROTE FOLK MIC ABOUT THE STGGLE OF QUEER DIVIDUALS BUT WAS ACTIVELY VOLVED SEVERAL QUEER LIBERATN ANIZATNS, GAVE A SPEECH AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATNAL CONVENTN ON GAY RIGHTS THE SUMMER OF 1972, AND TGHT THE FIRST URSE ON QUEER STUDI THE UNED STAT. SHE RERD THE SONG “STONEWALL NATN” 1973, RPONSE TO THE RT AND HER TRATN WH THE NTUED PERSECUTN OF QUEER BODI. INSPIRED BY A TRIP TO ALBANY SUPPORT OF GAY RIGHTS, THE HIGH OF THE EXPERIENCE BLED TO HER PASSNATE LIVERY OF THIS LANDMARK WORK. A VERSE THE SONG SAYS, “I DON’T WANT TO SEE MY SISTERS/ HAVG TO GIVE ’NO MORE/ THEIR LOVG LLED A S, NO MORE/ NO MORE- NO MORE,”. SHE NTUED TO CREATE MIC THROUGHOUT HER LIFE, AND 1983, SHE RERD A QUEER FEMIST FOLK ALBUM TLED, “DGHTER OF ALL WOMEN,” (DGHTER). IT ADDRS STGGL OF QUEER RELATNSHIPS, ADDICTN, AND OPPRSN, BUT ALSO NVEYS DAVIS’S EP PASSN FOR THE WOMEN SHE LOVED.“THE STONEWALL NATN IS GONNA BE EE”- MALE DAVIS, “STONEWALL NATN”FELDMAN’S ALBUM, CLOSET SALE, VIA JEWISH WOMEN’S ARCHIVEMAXE FELDMAN ALSO WROTE FOLK MIC ABOUT THE STGGL OF QUEER WOMEN THE 1970S. S/HE WROTE THE FIRST “OUT” LBIAN SONG 1969. TLED “ANGRY ATTHIS,” ILLTRATED THE ANGER THAT QUEER WOMEN FEEL WHEN THEY ARE STEREOTYPED AND SHUNNED BY SOCIETY TO THE DARK RNERS OF EXISTENCE. S/HE NOT THAT GAY MAL WERE MORE RECEPTIVE TO HER MIC DUE TO TENSN BETWEEN GAY WOMEN AND THE PETIVE NATURE OF BEG A WOMAN GENERAL DUE TO THE PATRIARCHY; THE POSN OF WOMEN AS FERR SOCIETY AFFECTED QUEER WOMEN AS WELL AS THEIR STRAIGHT PEERS. THE STGGLE OF WOMEN THIS GENRE WAS MORE THAN JT A STGGLE TO GA REGNN; THEY STGGLED TO SELF-INTIFY THIS NEW AREA OF SOCIAL PROGRS. FELDMAN NTUED TO WRE MIC THROUGHOUT HER LIFE; HER INTY WAS NOT LIMED TO JT LBIAN, AS SHE WAS ALSO JEWISH AND SPOKE OUT AGAST ANTI-SEMISM DURG HER REER. LATER HER LIFE, S/HE EXPLORED NEW GENR PRONOUNS AND FELT FORTABLE WH SHE AND HE PRONOUNS.JT AS WOMEN FOUND HARD TO NNECT TO OTHER WOMEN DIENC DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE PATRIARCHY, QUEER WOMEN FOUND DIFFICULT TO CREATE THE MIC THEY WANTED MALE-DOMATED DTRI. AS A RULT OF THIS STGGLE, ARTISTS OF THE 1970S OFTEN HAD TO WALK THEIR OWN PATH TO CREATE THE MIC THE MUNY NEED. CRIS WILLIAMSON WAS AN FLUENTIAL FOLK SGER WHO MA HER MARK ON THE SCENE WH HER OUTWARD SONGS OF WOMEN TO WOMEN LOVE. HER LANDMARK WORK WAS THE 1975 ALBUM THE CHANGER AND THE CHANGED, FEATURG THE SONG “SWEET WOMAN” ABOUT A LBIAN ROMANCE. WILLIAMSON, AWARE OF THE STGGLE THAT QUEER WOMEN FACED THE MALE DOMATED MIC CULTURE, -FOUND HER OWN WOMAN-N RERD LABEL, OLIVIA RERDS 1973; WAS THE FIRST LABEL TO BE ENTIRELY N BY WOMEN. LATER HER REER, SHE PRODUCED ALBUMS WH TRET FURE, WHO WOULD BEE HER PROFSNAL AND ROMANTIC PARTNER FOR OVER 20 YEARS. FOR HER MIC AND ACTIVISM WH THE DTRY, SHE WAS GRANTED THE FIRST ANNUAL MICHAEL CALLEN AWARD AT THE GAY AND LBIAN MIC AWARDS.WILLIAMSON IS CED AS AN FLUENCE THE FEMALE-LEAD PUNK MIC OF TODAY; LEISHA HALLEY OF THE BAND “THE MURMERS,” WAS GIVEN HER MIC AS TEENAGER AND WAS ENURAGED TO MAKE REVOLUTNARY WORK OF HER OWN AS A QUEER WOMAN.CRIS WILLIAMSON PERFORMG 2013 (VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)ASSOCIATED WH CRIS WILLIAMSON AND OLIVIA RERDS, MEG CHRISTIAN IS ANOTHER LSER KNOWN QUEER WOMEN ARTISTS OF THE 1970S; HER SONGS REFLECT ON HER PLACE PATRIARCHAL SYSTEM AS A WOMAN. HER BUT ALBUM, RELEASED ON OLIVIA RERDS, I KNOW YOU KNOW, RELEASED 1974, FEATURED SONGS ABOUT HER G OUT AS A LBIAN DURG THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT; HER FOLLOW-UP RERD, FACE THE MIC, WAS EVEN MORE POLILLY AWARE, AND ADDRSED AN DIENCE OF WOMEN. SHE MET CRIS WILLIAMSON 1972, AND THEY FOUND A MON GROUND THEIR INTI AND ATTUS TOWARDS WOMEN’S MIC, LLABORATG ON SONGS SUCH AS THE BALLAD “JOANNA”. CHRISTIAN WAS MORE POLILLY ACTIVE THAN WILLIAMSON AT THE TIME, AND TOGETHER THEY BEGAN TO EXPLORE THE ROLE OF WOMEN’S MIC RADIL FEMIST PRACTIC AND FLUENCED EACH OTHER’S WORK. CHRISTIAN FELT PRSURED BY HER ROLE AS AN ACTIVIST AND ARTIST TO CREATE A JT WORLD; THIS PRSURE LEAD TO ALHOLISM THROUGHOUT THE LATER PART OF THE 1970S AND TO THE 1980S. SHE BEGAN TO REVER WHEN SHE REALIZED THE SHE WAS NOT ALONE THIS STGGLE, AND OTHER WOMEN HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME TURMOIL THEIR LIFE. CHRISTIAN BELIEV THAT THE PROCS OF CREATG MIC AND REVERG IS SELF A POLIL ACT.“I REALIZED THAT A WHOLE LOT OF WOMEN OUT THERE WERE MAKG A NSC EFFORT TO SPEAK OM THEIR EXPERIENC AS WOMEN THROUGH THEIR MIC,” MEG CHRISTIAN, ON WOMEN’S MIC, TERVIEW WH MARY POLLOCK, 1987THE SUCCS OF SUBSEQUENT QUEER ARTISTS, SUCH AS K.D. LANG AND MELISSA ETHERIDGE, IS DUE PART BEE OF THE NOVATN AND URAGE WOMEN LIKE CRIS WILLIAMSON AND MEG CHRISTIAN’S EARLY FOLK WORK AND OLIVIA RERDS.MIC HAS A WAY OF UNG PEOPLE ACROSS PARTY L, AND THE FACE OF ADVERSY, THE WOMEN TOOK ON THE HETEROSEXUAL, MALE DOMATED MIC DTRY TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENC WH THE WORLD. THE ARE JT A FEW OF THE FLUENTIAL WOMEN WHO CREATED FOLK MIC ABOUT THEIR SEXUALY AND GENR; MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT OF THE HOMOGENIZED MEMORY OF UNTERCULTURE MIC, AND EVEN THE MEMORY OF FEMIST MIC. THE STGGLE OF BEG BOTH A MEMBER OF THE LGBTQ+ MUNY AND BEG A WOMAN LLED FOR NEW ART THAT CHALLENGED THE SOCIAL NORMS. THIS ARTICLE FEATUR JT A FEW OF THE TALENTED WOMEN WHOSE ART PROGRSED THE GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT, AND THEIR ARTISTIC LIV AND ACTIVISM IS NSTANTLY TERTWED.FURTHER LISTENG:OLIVIA RERDS HAS AN ARCHIVE LOTED AT , FEATURG ARTICL ON ARTISTS ON THE LABEL, RERDGS AND IMAGMALE DAVIS’S PLETE ALBUM N BE HEARD AT , ARCHIVED AS PART OF BUFFALO STATE’S ONGOG EFFORT TO PRERVE QUEER HISTORY WTERN NEW YORKWORKS CED
• GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT
• THE GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT
• PANMIC PLAYLIST: TOP 5 UNAPOLOGETILLY GAY TRACKS THAT HONOR THE MEMORY OF STONEWALL RTS

THE 50 BT GAY SONGS TO CELEBRATE PRI ALL YEAR LONG

While the song may not have the fiery energy of other prott songs, the lyrics directly ll out police btaly, homophobic vlence and the sistence that queer people are ls than human. Instead of wrg a song wh thly veiled metaphors about relign, queerre ins Team Drch stead cid to opt for “Hate the Christian Right!, ” a fiery, scream-rock track lettg relig homophob know exactly where they uld stick their prayers. While some classics do appear on our list, others do not – sorry, Gloria Gaynor, Kylie Mogue, RuPl, Brney and Cher, we still adore you — here are 25 sential pri songs om the 1970s to today.

QUEER LIBERATN THROUGH MICHOW WOMEN ROCKED THE STAT QUO WH FOLK BALLADS THE 1970SSAM MCDOUGAL·FOLLOW7 M READ·DEC 20, 2018--LISTENSHARETHE FIGHT FOR EQUALY AND LIBERATN FOR THOSE WHOSE ARE MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ+ MUNY BEGAN LONG BEFORE MA NATNAL HEADL. HOWEVER, THE ADVENT OF THE STONEWALL RTS 1969 LEAD TO A VISIBLE NATNAL MOVEMENT, ONE THAT LATER BEME KNOWN AS “GAY LIBERATN”. FOLK MIC WAS A POWERFUL TOOL FOR SOCIAL CHANGE THE 60S AND 70S, AND THIS IS NO EXCEPTN FOR CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. IN THIS ARENA, WOMEN TOOK CHARGE AND EXPRSED THEIR ANGER, SORROW AND FEAR THROUGH MIC. THEIR URAGE SHARG THEIR ART PROMOTED SOLIDARY AND SPIRED THOSE WHO LISTENED TO FIGHT FOR CHANGE THE SYSTEM, AND TO PROMOTE LOVE.THE LGBTQ+ MUNY NSISTS OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR AND QUEER INTIFIED FOLKS, AS WELL AS OTHER MARGALIZED SEXUAL AND GENR INTI. IN THIS ARTICLE, I WILL BE G THE WORD “QUEER” AS A GENERAL SCRIPTOR FOR MEMBERS OF THIS MUNY. DES OF LAWS TARGETG MEMBERS OF THIS MUNY MA NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO BE THEIR TE SELV WHOUT FACG DISCRIMATN AT WORK OR SCHOOL, THE THREAT OF STUTNALIZATN, OR VLENCE, IF NOT ALL AT ONCE. THE EARLY QUEER LIBERATNISTS WERE LLED THE HOMOPHIL AND PROMOTED THE IA THAT QUEER FOLKS WERE NOT SICK AND WERE ONLY DIFFERENT OM STRAIGHT PEOPLE WHO THEY LOVED. THEY WERE WELL-DRSED AND POLE, AND SOUGHT BASIC ACCEPTANCE OM THE ERNMENT AND MEDIL FIELD. THE HOMOPHILE MOVEMENT TRANSNED TO A MORE RADIL MOVEMENT AFTER THE STONEWALL RT OF 1969 MA HEADL AND SPIRED NEW ACTN. THE PROGRSIVE ATTU OF THE ERA GAVE RISE TO A NEW GENERATN OF ACTIVISTS, CLUDG A STRG OF QUEER FEMALE FOLK WRERS.ONE SUCH SGER WAS MALE DAVIS. MALE DAVIS WAS A LBIAN ACTIVIST OM NIAGARA FALLS, WHO NOT ONLY WROTE FOLK MIC ABOUT THE STGGLE OF QUEER DIVIDUALS BUT WAS ACTIVELY VOLVED SEVERAL QUEER LIBERATN ANIZATNS, GAVE A SPEECH AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATNAL CONVENTN ON GAY RIGHTS THE SUMMER OF 1972, AND TGHT THE FIRST URSE ON QUEER STUDI THE UNED STAT. SHE RERD THE SONG “STONEWALL NATN” 1973, RPONSE TO THE RT AND HER TRATN WH THE NTUED PERSECUTN OF QUEER BODI. INSPIRED BY A TRIP TO ALBANY SUPPORT OF GAY RIGHTS, THE HIGH OF THE EXPERIENCE BLED TO HER PASSNATE LIVERY OF THIS LANDMARK WORK. A VERSE THE SONG SAYS, “I DON’T WANT TO SEE MY SISTERS/ HAVG TO GIVE ’NO MORE/ THEIR LOVG LLED A S, NO MORE/ NO MORE- NO MORE,”. SHE NTUED TO CREATE MIC THROUGHOUT HER LIFE, AND 1983, SHE RERD A QUEER FEMIST FOLK ALBUM TLED, “DGHTER OF ALL WOMEN,” (DGHTER). IT ADDRS STGGL OF QUEER RELATNSHIPS, ADDICTN, AND OPPRSN, BUT ALSO NVEYS DAVIS’S EP PASSN FOR THE WOMEN SHE LOVED.“THE STONEWALL NATN IS GONNA BE EE”- MALE DAVIS, “STONEWALL NATN”FELDMAN’S ALBUM, CLOSET SALE, VIA JEWISH WOMEN’S ARCHIVEMAXE FELDMAN ALSO WROTE FOLK MIC ABOUT THE STGGL OF QUEER WOMEN THE 1970S. S/HE WROTE THE FIRST “OUT” LBIAN SONG 1969. TLED “ANGRY ATTHIS,” ILLTRATED THE ANGER THAT QUEER WOMEN FEEL WHEN THEY ARE STEREOTYPED AND SHUNNED BY SOCIETY TO THE DARK RNERS OF EXISTENCE. S/HE NOT THAT GAY MAL WERE MORE RECEPTIVE TO HER MIC DUE TO TENSN BETWEEN GAY WOMEN AND THE PETIVE NATURE OF BEG A WOMAN GENERAL DUE TO THE PATRIARCHY; THE POSN OF WOMEN AS FERR SOCIETY AFFECTED QUEER WOMEN AS WELL AS THEIR STRAIGHT PEERS. THE STGGLE OF WOMEN THIS GENRE WAS MORE THAN JT A STGGLE TO GA REGNN; THEY STGGLED TO SELF-INTIFY THIS NEW AREA OF SOCIAL PROGRS. FELDMAN NTUED TO WRE MIC THROUGHOUT HER LIFE; HER INTY WAS NOT LIMED TO JT LBIAN, AS SHE WAS ALSO JEWISH AND SPOKE OUT AGAST ANTI-SEMISM DURG HER REER. LATER HER LIFE, S/HE EXPLORED NEW GENR PRONOUNS AND FELT FORTABLE WH SHE AND HE PRONOUNS.JT AS WOMEN FOUND HARD TO NNECT TO OTHER WOMEN DIENC DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE PATRIARCHY, QUEER WOMEN FOUND DIFFICULT TO CREATE THE MIC THEY WANTED MALE-DOMATED DTRI. AS A RULT OF THIS STGGLE, ARTISTS OF THE 1970S OFTEN HAD TO WALK THEIR OWN PATH TO CREATE THE MIC THE MUNY NEED. CRIS WILLIAMSON WAS AN FLUENTIAL FOLK SGER WHO MA HER MARK ON THE SCENE WH HER OUTWARD SONGS OF WOMEN TO WOMEN LOVE. HER LANDMARK WORK WAS THE 1975 ALBUM THE CHANGER AND THE CHANGED, FEATURG THE SONG “SWEET WOMAN” ABOUT A LBIAN ROMANCE. WILLIAMSON, AWARE OF THE STGGLE THAT QUEER WOMEN FACED THE MALE DOMATED MIC CULTURE, -FOUND HER OWN WOMAN-N RERD LABEL, OLIVIA RERDS 1973; WAS THE FIRST LABEL TO BE ENTIRELY N BY WOMEN. LATER HER REER, SHE PRODUCED ALBUMS WH TRET FURE, WHO WOULD BEE HER PROFSNAL AND ROMANTIC PARTNER FOR OVER 20 YEARS. FOR HER MIC AND ACTIVISM WH THE DTRY, SHE WAS GRANTED THE FIRST ANNUAL MICHAEL CALLEN AWARD AT THE GAY AND LBIAN MIC AWARDS.WILLIAMSON IS CED AS AN FLUENCE THE FEMALE-LEAD PUNK MIC OF TODAY; LEISHA HALLEY OF THE BAND “THE MURMERS,” WAS GIVEN HER MIC AS TEENAGER AND WAS ENURAGED TO MAKE REVOLUTNARY WORK OF HER OWN AS A QUEER WOMAN.CRIS WILLIAMSON PERFORMG 2013 (VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)ASSOCIATED WH CRIS WILLIAMSON AND OLIVIA RERDS, MEG CHRISTIAN IS ANOTHER LSER KNOWN QUEER WOMEN ARTISTS OF THE 1970S; HER SONGS REFLECT ON HER PLACE PATRIARCHAL SYSTEM AS A WOMAN. HER BUT ALBUM, RELEASED ON OLIVIA RERDS, I KNOW YOU KNOW, RELEASED 1974, FEATURED SONGS ABOUT HER G OUT AS A LBIAN DURG THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT; HER FOLLOW-UP RERD, FACE THE MIC, WAS EVEN MORE POLILLY AWARE, AND ADDRSED AN DIENCE OF WOMEN. SHE MET CRIS WILLIAMSON 1972, AND THEY FOUND A MON GROUND THEIR INTI AND ATTUS TOWARDS WOMEN’S MIC, LLABORATG ON SONGS SUCH AS THE BALLAD “JOANNA”. CHRISTIAN WAS MORE POLILLY ACTIVE THAN WILLIAMSON AT THE TIME, AND TOGETHER THEY BEGAN TO EXPLORE THE ROLE OF WOMEN’S MIC RADIL FEMIST PRACTIC AND FLUENCED EACH OTHER’S WORK. CHRISTIAN FELT PRSURED BY HER ROLE AS AN ACTIVIST AND ARTIST TO CREATE A JT WORLD; THIS PRSURE LEAD TO ALHOLISM THROUGHOUT THE LATER PART OF THE 1970S AND TO THE 1980S. SHE BEGAN TO REVER WHEN SHE REALIZED THE SHE WAS NOT ALONE THIS STGGLE, AND OTHER WOMEN HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME TURMOIL THEIR LIFE. CHRISTIAN BELIEV THAT THE PROCS OF CREATG MIC AND REVERG IS SELF A POLIL ACT.“I REALIZED THAT A WHOLE LOT OF WOMEN OUT THERE WERE MAKG A NSC EFFORT TO SPEAK OM THEIR EXPERIENC AS WOMEN THROUGH THEIR MIC,” MEG CHRISTIAN, ON WOMEN’S MIC, TERVIEW WH MARY POLLOCK, 1987THE SUCCS OF SUBSEQUENT QUEER ARTISTS, SUCH AS K.D. LANG AND MELISSA ETHERIDGE, IS DUE PART BEE OF THE NOVATN AND URAGE WOMEN LIKE CRIS WILLIAMSON AND MEG CHRISTIAN’S EARLY FOLK WORK AND OLIVIA RERDS.MIC HAS A WAY OF UNG PEOPLE ACROSS PARTY L, AND THE FACE OF ADVERSY, THE WOMEN TOOK ON THE HETEROSEXUAL, MALE DOMATED MIC DTRY TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENC WH THE WORLD. THE ARE JT A FEW OF THE FLUENTIAL WOMEN WHO CREATED FOLK MIC ABOUT THEIR SEXUALY AND GENR; MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT OF THE HOMOGENIZED MEMORY OF UNTERCULTURE MIC, AND EVEN THE MEMORY OF FEMIST MIC. THE STGGLE OF BEG BOTH A MEMBER OF THE LGBTQ+ MUNY AND BEG A WOMAN LLED FOR NEW ART THAT CHALLENGED THE SOCIAL NORMS. THIS ARTICLE FEATUR JT A FEW OF THE TALENTED WOMEN WHOSE ART PROGRSED THE GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT, AND THEIR ARTISTIC LIV AND ACTIVISM IS NSTANTLY TERTWED.FURTHER LISTENG:OLIVIA RERDS HAS AN ARCHIVE LOTED AT , FEATURG ARTICL ON ARTISTS ON THE LABEL, RERDGS AND IMAGMALE DAVIS’S PLETE ALBUM N BE HEARD AT , ARCHIVED AS PART OF BUFFALO STATE’S ONGOG EFFORT TO PRERVE QUEER HISTORY WTERN NEW YORKWORKS CED

Somewhat rctively lled the “Queen of Dis,” the virtuosic, openly gay sger approached genr ( his performative and private liv) as a fluid, non-bary ncept a pre–Judh Butler era. Although seems most of Queen’s fans were cluels as to how openly gay and subversive ontman Freddie Mercury was – spe the unabashed swank of his stage prence – he also never really tried to hi . The lyrics e om the out-and-proud Brish punk rocker Tom Robson, who had a h of his own wh “Glad to be Gay.” The payoff is the tenr moment at the end when Elton sgs, “I would give my life/For a sgle night bi you.” Maybe he sred himself wh how emotnal he uld be – was years before he tried anythg this revealg aga.

Much of Erasure’s disgraphy embodi not precisely celebratory gay pri but gay romantic realy – a ankns about the emotnal, if not overtly sexual, liv of gay men toward the end of the 20th century. The Bay Area gay punk pneers found a ht of mastream fame when they toured wh Green Day on their Dookie n 1994, but was their sexy lyrics and who-giv-a-fuck attu that enared them to a generatn of queer kids – before that term was even fashnable. It’s difficult to pick one song that f them – wh songs like “Dick of Death,” “Groovy Unrwear” or their classic ver of Prce’s “Jack You Off” – but we went wh one that seems to fy the ia of a gay “anthem” no matter how you thk of .

I thk, over time, some of them are ls specifilly gay than they were at first bee seemed like, when we had the chance that was really what we wanted to sg about and that was really unique.” –JP.

GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

As both voutly straight edge and proudly homosexual, their substance-ee stance ma them stand out a time when bars, clubs and other toxitg spac prised the few safe havens for LGBTQ people.

THE GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT

Bono ld them as “the bt pop group the world” that year, and Elton John would llaborate wh the band on their 2006 smash h “I Don’t Feel Like Danc’.” Although only a actn of the band’s succs Europe translated to the Uned Stat, “Take Your Mama” remas a staple gay bars across the untry.

PANMIC PLAYLIST: TOP 5 UNAPOLOGETILLY GAY TRACKS THAT HONOR THE MEMORY OF STONEWALL RTS

The tr would later make headl after the 2014 Grammy Awards, where their landmark performance of the song would soundtrack a mass weddg between 33 gay and straight upl. Seattle’s Michael Hadreas transforms om young man to queer menace the sparklg vio for “Queen.” Sgg “No fay is safe when I sashay,” he slks to a nference room and gyrat his hips for a room full of sus – a sly riposte to the legns of homophob who weaponize their fears agast LGBTQ people, om wh board rooms, Congrs, or out on the streets.

At a thrift store the ‘90s, Ben O’Connor—who -found the Atralian label Chapter Mic wh his boyiend Guy Blackman—sred a 1973 rerd by gay folk sger Michael Cohen lled What Did You Expect? ”) The rult, Strong Love — Songs of Gay Liberatn 1972-81, spans genr and artists makg mic about g out the ‘70s and early ‘80s, “a really hopeful, optimistic era that me to a close as the AIDS crisis began.

Other tobgraphil songs clu Cohen’s tragic “Evil & Lty, ” chroniclg his pe om evangelil ercn toward self-love; Steven Grossman’s “Out, ” an empathetic msage to his homophobic parents; and Conan’s “Tell Ol’ Ana, ” a gentle love song makg actrs Ana Bryant’s media-grabbg hatemongerg look downright absurd the face of Conan’s sweet love. For Blackman—who was trated wh the lack of attentn the pilatn received when dropped as a CD May of 2012 and is re-releasg the project on vyl 2021—Strong Love pays homage to those who ma easier to e out of the closet, who may have been crilly panned their day, but were a cril part of gay liberatn history. Their urage sharg their art promoted solidary and spired those who listened to fight for change the system, and to promote LGBTQ+ muny nsists of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer intified folks, as well as other margalized sexual and genr inti.