Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band”–queer rock and roll

“Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band”

Queer Rock and Roll

Amos Lassen

I have long been a fan of Pansy Division. I once had all of their CDs, their singles and their satiric video of “Bob and Ted’s Homosexual Adventure”. All of that is gone with Katrina now…but then I read that Pansy Division made a movie and all of the memories came back. I spent a while looking for a way to get a copy only to learn that it has nor yet been released commercially and was make the gay film festival rounds. That did not stop me however anf I went to the PD website and wrote them a letter—not only for my own selfish desires but also I thought it would be a great way to open this years film festival. Alas, I got no answer but being persistent, I tried again and waited and waited and finally I got a note from band member Jon Ginoli, who actually remembered me and the DVD was on its way. When it arriced last Friday, I cleared my schedule and sat down to watch.

I did not realize how long Pansy Division has been around. The band was founded in 1991 and it is here that the documentary begins. The guys in the band were out of the closet when few others dared to admit to being gay. They began to perform coast to coast with their special brand of queer rock and roll and became an influential act over the last twenty years. In fact, the band was the pioneer group of the phenomenon known as “Queercore” and they continue right up to the present day. What is so amazing is that they did this with no major record label to back them and no airplay on the radio.