Well queeros, I owe you a ramble on Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band. Off we go.

I didn’t know anything about Pansy Division until I did my pre-film research. Maybe that makes me a bad queer, since they were an integral part of the 90’s Queercore scene… and I didn’t even know what Queercore was until it was mentioned in the movie. Pansy Division, and other cultural activists of the time, expanded the queer scene beyond the synth-bumping, glitter-shimmering gay club environment and made a space for queers in rock. Until we have a steady flow of out queer artists on major labels, there is room to grow - but Pansy Division planted the seed. (Or if I am oblivious to a pre-Queercore movement, Pansy was potent fertilizer in this analogy.)

It honestly is inspiring to see the waves of change that can be created through the simple, yet brave, efforts of self-expression. Jon Ginoli, guitarist/vocalist, started the band in 1991 to “deal with [his] alienation” within the gay community and to forge something positive out of his negative experiences. Quickly joined by bassist/vocalist Chris Freeman (the band has cycled through many lead guitarists and drummers over the past ten years), Jon didn’t have a political agenda or any gritty chip on his shoulder. Instead the band played music for the sake of the music. And let me tell you, the music is pure punk fun! With songs like “My Hippie Dude,” and “He Whipped My Ass In Tennis (Then I Fucked His Ass In Bed),” Pansy brought a new humorous flavor to punk rock. Some songs put a fantastic queer twist on well-known cultural references, like “Bill & Ted’s Homosexual Adventure,” “James Bondage,” and “Smells Like Queer Spirit.” Their out-and-proud attitudes were embraced with pumping fists and they quickly established a following beyond their homebase of San Francisco.

In 1994, Green Day, in the height of their Dookie success, invited Pansy Division on their summer tour. Instead of singing about sucking dick in front of a gay or allied audience, they were performing for those punk rock kids I used to know in high school (and maybe you, too?). They received mixed reviews, as expected, and of course there was the occasional obnoxious douche screaming “Faggot” at the stage. But ever so admirably, Pansy just shouted back, “Damn right we are!” (or something to that extent). They made no apologies, and their brash and beautiful queerness couldn’t be ignored. In the film, the band members recall getting letters from closeted kids scattered across the US. The music was an escape for these kids, even if they had to hide the albums from their parents. Pansy Division became a support system for other queers that felt alienated in their own lives. That, to me, is huge.

It’s no new news that the queer community does not yet have a thriving place in mainstream music. Artists like Hercules And Love Affair (right), Fagget Fairys and Des Ark are bumping in the indie circuit, but there isn’t much of a queer representation in the mainstream aside from The Indigo Girls and Michael Stipe (of REM). And their homosexuality only represents a fraction of the queer community. Like Pansy Division, we have to make ourselves heard… we have to put the queery goodness out into the world so that starved fans can cling to it for salvation. And this can be true for any form of artistic expression or frenzy of pop culture. The more queer we give to the world, the bigger it will grow. The message I took from this film is to BE PROUD OF YR QUEER SELF! You never know who you (yes you) can inspire. Just try it.

This also is a great time to mention thinkBOOM, the other Queero Activity Of The Day. thinkBOOM was overflowing with inspiration and self expression. The group is comprised of mainly queerfolk, but not entirely, and it was really refreshing to encourage such an honest and open artistic connection with other queers/allies. It’s something I don’t get to do that often - and now I really think it’s something I can’t live without. It’s tough to have the gumption to share your work, especially when you’re queer living in a partially anti-queer world. But by keeping our work in the closet, we are not fulfilling our duties as queers. So get to it! And if you need a place to share your work, contact us (us = Be Yr Own Queero) and I’m sure we can work something out…