Gender

[liv]

A friend of mine linked to a blogpost on Trans/queer rock music. Which reminded me, I've been on-and-off making a playlist of songs that question standard gender assumptions, or are about people who do.

So far I have:

The Raincoats: Lola (this was originally by The Kinks but I don't have the original version; I should maybe try and track it down)

Dar Williams: When I was a boy

Steeleye Span: The female drummer

Blur: Girls & Boys

Placebo: I do

Pink Martini: Bitty Boppy Betty

Peggy Seeger: I'm gonna be an engineer

Also a couple of songs that are about gayness, so somewhat relevant to a gender-themed playlist:

Ani DiFranco: Little plastic castle

Bowling for Soup: I'm gay

Electric Six: Gay bar

Katy Perry: I kissed a girl

(I haven't included songs which are about the singer addressing a same-sex beloved, because much as I love those, that would make the playlist a bit too broad, especially when you include cross-gender cover versions of just about every classic love song ever... But it's a bit of a judgement call.)

I'm not completely behind the politics of everything on the list, mind you. This is turning out to be a pretty tough theme for a playlist, so I'm most eager to find new stuff to expand it. Especially songs that are more unambiguously supportive towards trans* and genderqueer people.

Comments

[glinda]

Suggestions if you'd like? (

Born a Girl by the Manic Street Preachers
She's My Man by Scissor Sisters
Your Woman by White Town
Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed (arguably problematic)

Also the video for Jackie Dressed in Cobras by the New Pornographers is about two drag queens having fun, so I always associate that with this topic.

[liv]

Definitely want suggestions, that's why I post here! I really like this selection, thank you, all very much to my taste. I was particularly taken with the Scissor Sisters track.

[scheherezhad]

"Boy" by Darren Hayes touches on gender/sexuality w/r/t expectations of masculinity.

[liv]

Ooh, nice one. Definitely want stuff about masculinity, that really belongs in the list. I hesitated over PotUSA's Poke and destroy, because I think it's a satire of masculinity expectations, only on a literal level it's pretty much just stating said expectations in an exaggerated form.

[atelierlune]

I might add Boy or a Girl by Imperial Drag.

[liv]

Nice suggestion, thanks!

[malnpudl]

"Rufus and Beverly" comes immediately to mind as a trans* song. I first heard it by the Rude Girls in an upbeat 4/4 arrangement, but apparently it was originally in three-quarter time. Hmmm... okay, here's a version on YouTube.

It's humorous, but I take it as gentle and affectionate, especially because I first heard it performed by a feminist folk group. YMMV, and all that.

[liv]

Thanks for that one! I like it right up to the very last line, but I could definitely see it being done in an affectionate way. And it's really cool to have a song that actually discusses the situation of coming out to a lover as trans.

[kiki_eng]

Coyote Grace and Guy Named Joe

[liv]

Ooh, that's really haunting. Amazing song, thanks so much for linking to it.

[ofearthandstars]

Oh, that's amazing...thank you so much for sharing.

[wychwood]

How about "Boys Don't Cry" - I think it's by The Cure, but my version is a Kate York cover that I like a lot - isn't genderqueer but is about gender assumptions?

The Killers have a song called "Somebody Told Me" which references a trans* person in the chorus.

Deeply problematic, but also oddly positive - Aerosmith, "Dude Looks Like A Lady"? I am really never sure how offensive I ought to find it!