In this course, we will explore how music correlates with queer experiences and
identities, and vice versa, by interrogating different songs, interviews, blogs, and other forms of
music-related media. We will discuss how queer music plays a role in everyday life and our
deeply personal connections between music and experiences/memories. Queer and trans
representation in a pop culture phenomenon such as music is incredibly important and we will
identify how prominent LGBTQIA+ musicians have impacted broader issues and conversations
surrounding queerness. We will dive deeper into various music scenes and their intersection with LGBTQIA+ identities and experiences. Topics include the fight against homophobia in hip-hop, queer nightlife and club music, and radical queerness in punk/DIY spaces. Students will get the opportunity to discuss their own thoughts on these topics, express what LGBTQIA+ musicians and their music mean to them, and gain perspective by being in conversation with peers. We will discuss our hopes for LGBTQIA+ representation in music and envision what queer joy, authenticity and liberation sound like.
