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Queercore Examples

Decent Essays

Being accepted and loved by a community is a vital part of healthy human experience. Without human interaction, people fall apart mentally and physically over time. The search for those who share the same values can be exhausting when those ideals are regarded as unusual, and people feel forced to bottle up their feelings for the sake of ‘normality’. This concept applies to all people, and is one of the interlocking reasons queercore was founded by lesbians. Forming welcoming communities for not only the founders, but for all those who may feel ostracized is one of the key reasons homocore and queercore began. These bands provide an example that once one finds other queer people, they have the opportunity to gain confidence, make friends, …show more content…

While the band members did search for other queer girls for their own interests, they equally stress the importance of forming a larger community for those who feel outcast. Bleyle says, “This scene is about reaching out to people” (qtd. Ciminelli and Knox 53). Above all, it was about forming a community for everyone, whether they were actively searching for it or unaware of its existence. As an example, Bleyle states, “To kids who see nothing of themselves in the world when they look at magazines or records… We need to build communities where kids can come out…”, and she mentions how queercore can help kids with their sexuality (qtd. in Ciminelli and Knox 53). The youth are important as they are more sensitive and can grow up believing they must closet themselves for the remainder of their lives. But older people, like the band members, may also benefit from these communities. Even with this harmonizing of community, there was focus on the individual. Telling one’s story through music gives one a sense of place and belonging, similar to reggae music. Both homocore and reggae focus on individuality and freedom. Bleyle states she “…tell[s] stories that are true to me…”, and that her sexuality is a part of who she is (qtd. in Ciminelli and Knox 56). This music is relatable, especially to those who are …show more content…

Her description of the rebel girl is positive, and she expresses a desire to connect with her. The very nature of this relationship seems to vary from best friend to girlfriend, especially with ‘in her kiss, I taste the revolution’ and sultry tone when she states she wants to take the rebel girl home, but both relate to the sense of community. This is stressed even further when the singer calls the rebel girl her ‘soul sister’, meaning she found someone like herself and sees her as almost family. The rebel girl conveys a revolution, which many queer people want, to change and break society. The instruments sound like typical punk music with its basic organization and pattern, which relates to how the founders of queercore wanted their own punk music that was not centered on males or straight

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