Let’s look back on the early days of LGBTQ2 rock
[This was my weekly column for GlobalNews.ca. – AC]
Music can be a very powerful thing when it comes to changing the world. Rock has been used to spread political and social messages. It has been used to enlighten, to educate, to motivate, and to protest.
These are the stories of musicians who weren’t afraid of admitting to their sexuality when society wasn’t ready to hear it. Pride Month is the perfect time to recognize the contributions and sacrifices made by various LGBTQ2 musicians during the era when you just didn’t talk about who you loved.
I’ll start by posing this question, although you know the answer, but I’ll ask it anyway. What do the following people have in common? Tchaikovsky, Handel, Schubert, George Gershwin, Beatles manager Brian Epstein, Freddie Mercury, B-52’s singer Fred Schneider, Morrissey, punk legend Bob Mould, and Michael Stipe of R.E.M.?
Here are a few more: Pioneering pre-rock guitarist sister Rosetta Tharp, Janis Joplin, Joan Jett, Mellisa Etheridge, Tegan and Sara, and St. Vincent.
All of the above — and many, many more — identify as gay, non-binary, bisexual, or someone LGBTQ2.
Who was the first rocker to come out of the closet?
