The gender identification goes hand in hand with the sense of membership to any of the political movements. As such in 70s and 80s post-Cold War and during the rise of avant-garde ideas on lifestyles around the world, what happened in Toronto lead by Bruce LaBruce, G.B. Jones and Genesis P-Orridge, defined an era where homosexuals are not only the new normal but also are not bound to any segment of the society, on the other hand, they are free to be ‘part of the bully’ – at that time the rising members of the punk.
The words of the #homocore or #queercore movement go around the US about the increased exposure and tolerance in Toronto with the hype of the radical men and female homosexuals that are wearing a swastika, skinhead go-go boys or black leather outfits wearing males but at the same time, they are not part of the new liberal-gay movement. This coincides with the time of the HIV pandemic in the west-coast, became an inspiration to music bands and artists later in the 90s and spreads that defining moment to the new generations not only in the US but also on the global level.
Queercore is a sensational acknowledgement of many who went through the times of despair but kept their heads up and fought the fight. Bigger names, more international such as Green Day, Pansy Division or Gossip’s Beth Ditto were featured in the film. I salute them, not only because they have the courage to live who they are, but also their ubiquitous influence and supporting the others to live their true selves and not two or more because of the risk of entanglement.
The one hour twenty-three minutes documentary shows the gentrification of gender recognition by societies, hence recognizing punk as the catalyst in the Homocore or later known as Queercore movement and emphasize the fact that liberation of gender is a liberation of human’s freedom.
Tony Leyser is the producer and director of Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution (2017) and won the Best Documentary Film award in 2017 Rio de Janiero Int’l Film Festival for his film.
*If you want to read more about the #queercore refer to OUT magazine article Queer to the Core.
