Heavy Metal, and Being Queer

Not sure it fits that much together. Lots of musical styles are about brotherhood and bringing people together but they also discriminate a lot.
That's the experience I've got in my life anyway... didn't get much support from the other goths and metal-heads in my area for being LGBT. Much rejection, actually, from goths and metal-heads who didn't want associated with LGBT people.

Also, another world that's very close to this one, the body art world!! Being a tattoo artist in a professional studio (and being covered in body art) has had society expect the worst weirdness out of me, so people weren't that surprised when I came out as bisexual and transgender.

...and artistic expression is always nice For me, it helped me "own" my body a bit better by transforming it to my will. Music is always such a release and there's no music like Metal to free me.

 

While metal has always been a genre for outcasts and misfits, I think the acceptingness of metal circles varies with how accepting people in the area are generally. So a metal circle in Massachusetts would be more accepting than a metal circle from the South. It's a pretty tried-and-true fact that just because someone is a misfit in one way doesn't mean they'll be nice to all misfits, so just because metal fans might be outcasts (to an extent) for their music tastes doesn't mean they'll accept all other outcasts with open arms.

Although I have found that, in my own experience, metalheads who are into more obscure, extreme subgenres of metal tend to be more accepting than metalheads who listen to more mainstream metal. Maybe it takes being a misfit in a community of misfits to really learn to accept others.

Not as a queer individual, but definitely as a person.

 

Whilst I personally don't know much about metal music my brother is very into obscure subgenres and he says that there's a fair amount of homophobia in the metal scene, including a comparatively large contingent of the extreme right and Neonazis. From my outsiders perspective it seems largely very macho and heteronormative, what with all the paintings of scantily clad women draped over motorbikes adorning album covers.

I'm a bit more clued-up about goths though, and they always seem very accepting and open. I guess what with all the make-up and androgeny they can't really get at other people for being a bit strange. In fact I feel much more comfortable and at home in the local goth night than I do in the gay club. I've only recently discovered it, the music's much better (goth, punk, post-punk, industrial, synthpop, that kind of thing; last time I was there the DJ played The Damned, PiL, Magazine and The Cramps!!!), and as I am into alternative culture I have more in common with the people there. I also find them to be much more welcoming and friendly than in any other nightclub I've ever been to.

I'd be absolutely terrified of going to a gay club crossdressed but at the goth club I feel totally comfortable. Everybody else there is dressed unusually so, while I probably look a bit odder than most, it's only a difference of degree. It helps that my look is quite gothy anyway, I've always liked the goth look: in fact, maybe I should just accept it and come out as a goth? I don't know why I'm so scared about going to a gay club dressed up, maybe because I would totally stand out and would feel like people would be thinking I was just trying to be attention grabbing.

Anyway, I read this book not long ago, Goth Culture - Gender, Sexuality and Style:
Goth Culture: Gender, Sexuality and Style Dress, Body, Culture: Amazon.co.uk: Dunja Brill: Books

It's a sociological study and discusses mainly Britain and Europe, and states how in goth culture bisexuality is privileged as being the ideal state. However, the author also found that, despite more common same-sex encounters, the majority of relationships were still heterosexual. She also says that people who identify as gay rather than bi can feel marginalised. There's lots more discussion about gender roles and sexualisation of women, it's a really interesting book I found, I'd very much recommend it.

Punk always seems a natural fit for LGBT too, all the philosophy of being yourself, railing against conformity and anger at the world. Punk's been far more inspirational to me that possibly anything else. In the early years there was apparently quite a communal spirit between gays and punks as both groups were marginalised, demonised outsiders. And there is (or was) a large queercore scene.

 

Goth (80s variant) was the only subculture I ever fitted into. And looking back, I can see that one of the reasons was that it was an ideal excuse for blurring gender boundaries clothing-wise.

 

music doesn't define who you are. it has everything to do with what your head fancies..I like rap, soccer n beer, all straight looking but I aint, I mean thats Just another falacy

 

everett and the other sexy gay metalheads and goths posting here:

Hey, well I'm not really into metal or goth at all, but the title was interesting enough to me to click on it, so here I am. While I'm here, I thought I might be helpful and add something useful to the convo....
Vegan Black Metal Chef
I found Vegan Black Metal Chef awhile back on youtube while I was out prowling the interwebs. (I'm not vegan either) I thought maybe you guys might find him interesting, I'm not into metal nor am I vegan..but this guy (as scary as he looks I found out his name is actually Brian lol) he combines black metal and veganism to make a fairly entertaining cooking show on youtube. Some of the stuff looks really good, I'd definitely try it out. He sings black metal the entire time while he uses this knife that looks like he pulled it out of a Mortal Kombat video game to slice onions and stirs up his egg replacer to make a christmas cake in his "sacrificial bowl" with a skullhead mixing wand no less. ha ha GREAT FUN...thought maybe some of you might like to check it out if you've never heard of him before.
PEACE

 

I once was offering some online advice to a closeted guy who was in a metal band. He said he was scared about what his fellow bandmates might think. I told him that was about the least metal thing I'd ever read - not because he was gay, but because he was worried about what others thought. I said "The whole point of metal is attitude - a 'fuck you' towards those who don't get it. Channel that. The only difference between you and the other guys singing about sacrificing to the goat god is that you may want to bend the goat god over the altar when you're done. "

Lex

 

I love metal, and I am queer! It's not about some grandiosity. It's about emotion, and everybody has emotions.

 

Metal has gotten me though some tough times. It is anti-metal to be homophobic as the point of metal is freedom and the honest expression of emotions. To understand metal you have to have gone though shit. And sometimes that means that some metal heads are arseholes, so there will be some homophobia.

 

I listen to metal, but I don't think it has much to do with my orientation. The bands I listen to have definitely helped me vent, and relax, and grow as a person, though. I agree with Owen when he says that different groups of metalheads will vary in their accepting-ness of the queer community.

I'm not out to a ton of the metalheads in my show-going community, but the few who do know are quite supportive. Then on the other hand, there's people like Dave Mustaine who gained some notoriety for being homophobic for making statements against gay marriage over a year ago. He obviously does not represent every metalhead, but again, different people will have different opinions on the matter.

 

I'm a fan of metal, and I'm gay. These are just two completely unrelated traits.

 

I have to agree here. It's all I listen too but it dosen't really come into it much for me.

 

I'd say it depends greatly on factors such as generational, regional, and musical origins, since metal as a whole is so old and diverse, making it impossible to make blanket statements. Reactions seem to range from neutral to negative, in my experience, and if you're a big name like Rob Halford, who has talent and given much to the community, you'll have a loyal following willing to support you, regardless of queer status (and sometimes, because of it!)

What has metal taught me? To stay true to myself, regardless of what others might think, and that there are still niches available for those who might have a "unique" perspective on life, available. Already, I've heard of LGBT in metal who are out and proud, with a few who are suspected, so it's definitely not as unheard of as one might think, at first. For obvious reasons, I've probably run into more queer metalers on EC in my short time here than I have elsewhere, which came as a bit of a surprise, honestly.

Being out as queer is one of the most "metal" things a person can do, in my opinion, regardless of what critics might think. It's always interesting how a lot of revolutionary groups become more conservative and less accepting of deviance over time... that said, it would be awesome if we could have something like Slayer blasting through gay clubs everywhere! The ones who ran away crying would be unsuitable dates, and the ones who stayed would be potential ones. :badgrin:

 

There's a lot of homophobia in the metal community, but we have Gaahl and that's all I've ever needed to win an argument on the subject.

 

Interviewer: what are the primary ideas/ideology that fuel gorgoroth's music?

Gaahl: Satan. *drinks wine*

 

He's a whacky bastard, man.

 

I was watching a stand up comedian called Steve Hughes (he's a metal head) the other day and he addressed this exact topic in his show. I couldn't find the exact clip but if you look at this video on youtube and skip to 03:55 mins in, that's the part. The whole clip is funny but from 03:55 is the relevant part. What he says is true, then very funny.

Steve Hughes Live Stand up - YouTube

 

Thats so funny that you mention Steve Hughes. He's one of my favorite comedians. Here's a clip from a couple of years ago. Same thing

Steve Hughes on Gay Guys and Homophobia - YouTube

I have watched it a few times and I crack up more when the two blonde girls look at each other after he discusses two guys having sex. Its priceless.I actually wondered at one point if Hughes himself was either gay or bisexual. Not that it matters. I got a lot of grief for taking certain classes in high school rather than shop or auto stuff. I kept thinking how much that type of stuff bored me to tears and I would rather hang out with the girls than be with a bunch of guys trying to prove to each other how tough they are


I'm a metal head and bisexual myself. One of my biggest crushes is Orion from Behemoth. That guy is hot

 

You can usually tell I'm a metal head just by looking at me if you base it on how long my hair is