Homosexual, bisexual and transsexuality in metal

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Mina Caputo , here in 2014 with Life of Agony, is one of the best-known transgender actors in the metal scene.

The homosexual , bisexual and transsexuality in metal forms a separate object of investigation in anthropological and sociological considerations of the metal scene . The examination of the demarcated scene offers insights into youth culture and the stereotypes associated with it , as well as the relationship between the metal scene and the LGBT community.

The metal scene is generally regarded as a masculine social fabric. The scene is often said to be transphobic , homophobic as well as generally chauvinistic and heteronormative values. Studies on the relationship of the metal scene to LGBT actors and fans contradict this thesis. Beyond some ideologically shaped fringes of metal, especially in radical sub-areas of white and black metal , which react with aggressive rejection, the majority of the metal scene is rather tolerant to disinterested in relation to its LGBT actors and towards a queer lifestyle. On the other hand, some actors in metal attracted attention through homophobic statements and actions, which in turn were often criticized by fans and other actors in the scene. On the other hand, the stereotypical images of men and the latent heteronormativity in metal, with which there is discrimination in language, both in everyday use and in song lyrics, are rated as more striking and sustainably problematic.

Relationship of the scenes to one another

Studies on the relationship between the metal scene and LGBT actors and fans point to the overlap between the two sociocultural milieus. The anthropologist Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone also pointed out a well-networked queer fan base in the metal scene.

In addition to cultural and particularly fashionable aspects that flowed into the metal scene from parts of the LGBT culture, the metal scene is primarily apathetic and accepting of the queer lifestyle of fans and actors in its scene. The psychologist Michael Friedman speculates that this relationship is based on the self-image as an outsider . Clifford-Napoleone, on the other hand, points to a latent homophobia in the scene, which, in their opinion, is typical for male-dominated youth culture groups. Furthermore, Clifford-Napoleone attributes stereotypical prejudices towards each other to both milieus, which coincide with those of society as a whole and would mostly dissolve in conscious contact with one another. On the other hand, the metal scene offers its queer youthful followers a space to develop in order to experience and live out their own gender identity beyond heteronormative ideas.

Mutual socio-cultural benefit

Breaking up stereotypical role models

Dee Snider , shown here in 2007 with Twisted Sister, has appeared in androgynous stage outfits since the 1980s.

Clifford-Napoleone describes the metal scene, emphasizing its communal places such as festivals , concerts and discos , as an open, heterotopic and “transitory space” in which it is possible to break up stereotypical role models. The visual and intertextual play with androgyny , expectations, shock effects and identities is a component of metal culture and thus offers queer people, especially young people, opportunities for development that do not seem to be given to them elsewhere. According to Jakob Ehmke, "[a] ndrogynous productions in metal [...] can be an important factor [...], especially in the gender development of male adolescents". In this way, metal bands and fans can critically question and occasionally even solve stereotyped role models by consciously dealing with stereotyped role models. The playful staging offers "starting points for critically questioning and breaking up these roles." Androgynous self-presentations by alternative metal groups such as Marilyn Manson , Rammstein or Dir En Gray as well as glam metal bands such as Steel Panther or Twisted Sister offer the opportunity to to play subversively with marginalized and hegemonic ideas of masculinity . For the 1998 released album Mechanical Animals , Marilyn Manson conceived the androgynous intersex character Alpha , which is played by Brian Hugh Warner , the band's lead singer. The figure appears in the music videos for the album and is an essential part of the album concept. In particular, this game of androgyny has a long tradition in metal, which found expression in the cross-dressing of various musicians. The best known metal groups besides Marilyn Manson who used cross-dressing include Twisted Sister, Tool , Malice Mizer and Moi dix Mois . According to Clifford-Napoleone, this aspect of the metal scene offers queer fans in particular a place of refuge with little conflict, in which the development and expression of one's own sexual orientation and gender identity can detach itself from social expectations. The metal scene offers this retreat, in which playing with identity, in the form of masks, costumes, disguises and fantasy figures, is one of the elementary components of the scene, even for heterosexual actors and fans. In this context is also often carried out Fanmode robes , long hair, leather jackets, jeans and band t-shirts, which are often available only in large sizes, part of a not primarily sexually coded fashion and is sometimes worn by fans jedwedem sex. The scene fashion here offers the possibility of dissolving the gender identity within the framework of the heterotopic and transitory space of the scene. The sociologist Rosemary Lucy Hill points out that as a fan there are no differences between gender, gender identity or sexual orientation. The musicologist Florian Heesch and the social scientist Scott Niall also point to an aspect of ironic self-staging between androgyny and hyper-masculinity that has yet to be explored.

LGBT influence on the metal scene

Rob Halford , here with Judas Priest in 1984, shaped metal fashion in the 1980s.

Rob Halford transferred the fashionable influences of the leather scene to the metal scene. Although leather clothing was previously considered a fashionable aspect of metal culture, Halford's appearance in tight black leather, some of which was studded with rivets, changed the scene's appearance. Halford assured that the clothing was inspired by the leather scene, but that he did not belong to it. Clifford-Napoleone sees the stereotypically masculine self-portrayal in heavy metal in the form of “muscular men dressed in leather” in the direct tradition of the homosexual fetish scene and calls the fact that in the scene itself the homoerotic note of this image is heterosexually reinterpreted as amusing.

The metal scene from the perspective of LGBT culture

Metal has a stereotype of being “violent, homophobic and fundamentally masculine”. The sociologist and musicologist Susanne Sackl-Sharif names similar clichés that are socially attached to metal. Metal would be considered male and misogynistic. Clifford-Napoleone and Sackl-Sharif describe these stereotypes as socially shaped myths that are connected with further prejudices against the metal scene. Sackl-Sharif points out that these clichés are occasionally adopted by fans without reflection.

Accordingly, there are hardly any differences between the prejudices of the LGBT and society as a whole towards the metal scene. In order to examine this myth from the perspective of LGBT culture, Clifford-Napoleone designed a survey of queer metal fans. As a result, hardly any attacks could be found. Most of the abuses reported were identified as few unwanted physical advances during concert events. A bisexual woman was raped. Other stereotypes in the scene are sexism and racism . Greg Puciato, singer of The Dillinger Escape Plan , assigns the latent and openly discriminatory attitudes and expressions of the metal scene to the socio-cultural context associated with the American scene. Metal, like hip-hop and country , is particularly popular with the precariat . In his opinion, the lack of education and the low chance of coming into contact with other cultures, which is often associated with this social class, justify an increased intolerance, especially against the background of the country's Christian policy. Fans and performers who do not perceive the breaks in the hyper-stylized hegemonic notions of masculinity in the metal scene and accept the stereotypes as role models are thus declared to be problematic. Among the queer American metal fans, this type of metal fan is often referred to as macho man . On the other hand, Clifford-Napoleone describes the image of the uneducated, drunk, undisciplined metal fan from the working class as a widespread and flawed stereotype towards the metal scene, which is also borne by the LGBT culture, but cannot be generalized.

Gay actors in the metal scene reverse the stereotypes of the scene and describe metal as particularly homoerotic and gay music. Hanson Jobb, singer of Pink Stëël, named "the beauty, the leather and the phallic worship of a Fender Stratocaster " as indicative of the homoerotic note of the metal. Torche singer Steve Brooks also called metal “the gayest music there is. [...] types, the dress in leather and studs which are in the mosh pit fight together, sweat together, the hair grow really long or makeup wearing, [it was] all very gay. "(Steve Brooks 2009 quoted by Clifford-Napoleone )

The two subgenres most popular with queer metal fans are black and death metal . There are no differences in innate gender, gender or sexual orientation, nor do age, origin or place of residence influence this preference. Nevertheless, the queer followers of these styles identify the style they prefer as the most homophobic, biophobic and transphobic style in metal. According to Clifford-Napoleone, this classification and preference are mutually dependent. As an essential incentive to prefer a style that the recipients think they have rejected, she mentions the urge to extremes that is common in Metal. Another explanatory model relies on the status of the outsider and the self-perception associated with self-identification as an outsider among outsiders as being particularly individual .

Homo-, bi- and transphobia in metal

Some actors in the metal scene appeared with chauvinistic, especially homophobic statements and actions since the late 1980s, but many fans and actors from the scene criticized such behavior. In some of the acts rated as homophobic, the temporarily and regionally bound, socially determined attitude towards homosexual, bisexual and transgender people is reflected, which has become increasingly liberalized in Western nations over the years.

On the other hand, regardless of time and space, a stereotypical image of men and a radically heteronormative worldview is propagated in some of the popular sub-genres of metal, from which many everyday discriminations arise. Parts of the scene occasionally act in a discriminatory and chauvinistic manner, particularly in the cultivated language between song lyrics and everyday language.

Heteronormative content

The true metal band Manowar (here singer Eric Adams performing in Paris) is named as an example of stereotypically staged masculinity.

In parts of Metal, musicians stage themselves in a patriarchal and thus heteronormative matrix that mostly generates their stereotypes from masculine films and stories. In particular, adventure stories , modern heroic epics , horror films and fantasy stories often shape the lyrical content or are at least taken up through intertextual references in the sub-genres Viking , Black, Death, Power and True Metal . The stereotype of the muscular, lonely and warlike hero is often staged in these subgenres. In particular, the film Conan the Barbarian and the Lord of the Rings saga are said to have had a lasting influence on the image of men in the scene. Imke von Helden calls this hyper masculine staging of male role models, which can be found in many texts as well as in various album designs, a “recourse to the premodern as a simpler, clearer world that stands in contrast to today's [...] world.” Der According to social scientist Marion Gerards, “criteria of hegemonic masculinity are staged in music, in the lyrics and in performance - not least because femininity and marginalized and subordinate forms of masculinity are discriminated against.” As an example of such a hyper masculine staging in metal The band Manowar is often used, whose stage and album designs are mostly shaped by images of warlike masculinity and whose lyrics, in addition to sexist content, are shaped by a strong sense of togetherness and the abstract-archaic values ​​of fame , honor and pride . Here a male union solidarity against a "hard outside world" is conjured up.

Gerards admits that this pattern cannot be taken as a general statement about the music or the associated scene and that this pattern is broken especially in other varieties of metal. Rather, the consumption of music is a “consciously provocative rebellion of adolescents and young adults against the norms and values ​​of the parents 'generation.” In this rebellion, the exaggeration, ironization and staging of stereotypical gender roles in contrast to the parents' generation play an important role. When dealing with the metal scene, according to Gerards, it is primarily important to “familiarize oneself with the music and the concepts of masculinity (and femininity) it transports and to reflect on them critically.” Sociologist Deena Weinstein differentiates between different productions of Masculinity. She describes the staged masculinity of Thrash , Death and Black Metal as exclusively masculine, and places it in contrast to the romantic masculinity of Gothic Metal and the broken and vulnerable masculinity of Nu Metal .

Discriminatory language

In American and German youth language , the terms gay ( English homosexual ), fag or fagot (English fagot ) and gay are used with negative connotations , without wanting to express any direct homophobia. According to the psychologist Ulrich Biechele, adolescents use the expression gay to denote “not specifically their sexual orientation, […] but something bad in general.” However, such statements, which are not primarily intended to be homophobic, generate an image in which “being gay is something inferior that you better hide if you don't want to have any problems. "

The Slayer guitarist Kerry King is his discriminatory action usage in the criticism.

Such negative connotations of the terms gay , gay or fag have been repeatedly documented in the metal scene. Among other things, the Cynic musicians reported that in their early years and years before their outing, as opening act for the death metal group Cannibal Corpse, they were given such defamatory chants by the audience, supposedly because the music and stage presence did not seem aggressive enough to them. There are also remarks of this kind from Slayer guitarist Kerry King about drummer Adrian Erlandsson from At the Gates and Cradle of Filth , as well as Joe Nunez, the former drummer of the groove and nu-metal band Soulfly , and Robb Flynn , the singer the band Machine Head . These statements related solely to the musical performance of the musicians, which King wanted to declare as weak , soft or reluctant to him. King is meanwhile referred to by the majority of queer metal fans as one of the most homophobic people in metal. He is said to have made repeated derogatory statements and actions that are seen as an expression of a homophobic attitude that goes beyond discriminatory language use. However, the veracity of these anecdotes about King is unclear. Sometimes these stories are considered big city legends. Other metal musicians such as guitarist Zakk Wylde or Deafheaven guitarist Kerry McCoy are also known for using the terms fagot or gay as general devaluations. According to the New Musical Express , this discriminatory language is used in internet forums and in the comment functions of online magazines in the metal scene. Actors and fans would excuse their defamatory use of language as decontextualized and not see it as an expression of inherent homophobia, without taking into account the possible perception of queer people. According to Clifford-Napoleone, such a usage exists in the scene and can also be found in their networks. Other followers of the scene, however, would criticize, criticize and confront such uses of the term.

The grindcore group Anal Cunt made use of this discriminatory language in their texts. Various song titles of the group described almost any circumstances, people and groups as gay or fagot . The band released the titles Tim is gay , The Internet is gay , Technology is gay , You're gay , Recycling is gay , All our Fans are gay , Anyone who likes The Dillinger Escape Plan is a Fagot and The Word 'Homophobic 'is gay . The French Topographie Magazine described this permanent provocative use of defamatory language, which was ironic in the t-shirts with the inscription I am gay and song titles like If you don't like Village People , You're fucking gay in the t-shirts worn by the singer Seth Putnam to appearances Highlights experienced as a de facto emptying of the defamatory content, at least in the context of the band.

Statements and actions considered homophobic

In addition to individual figures and deeds, there are homophobic currents in the arch-conservative to right - wing extremist styles of metal, especially in parts of the NSBM as well as in parts of white metal. Both areas of metal are largely isolated with their attitude in the metal scene. While creationists and other devout Christians justify a heteronormative worldview against a religious background and declare any deviation as a sin , the supporters of National Socialism describe deviations as damage to the national body and deprivation of procreative power. In right-wing extremist youth scenes, deviations from a heteronormative image are rejected, especially with regard to men, since here "exclusive comradeship" from "solidarity and friendship" is in the foreground through the "providing and displaying evidence of manliness" and thus social-emotional closeness is rated as a weakness . The cultivated image of masculinity, consisting of defensiveness, comradeship and fertility, ties in with “masculinity clichés and counteracts […] insecurities of male identity (formation).” Thus, homosexuals and transsexuals belong to the typical enemy images of right-wing extremist song texts, as their sexuality opposes the masculinity cliché. Both world views are proclaimed in parts of metal by associated musicians, but they are not a general part of the metal scene. Homophobia, as well as other ideologically justified discrimination against third parties of these groups, are identified less with the music than with the associated ideological superstructure. Even in these sub-areas, some musicians are criticized for making homophobic statements.

The 1980s

By the end of the 1980s, some musicians were already making themselves known through deliberately homophobic statements. Sebastian Bach , lead singer of the glam metal band Skid Row , performed in a t-shirt that read AIDS Kills Fags Dead . Axl Rose of Guns n 'Roses said in an interview that he prefers by Los Angeles would go to gay men to abuse out of his car. In addition, the band released the song One in a Million on their EP G N 'R Lies in 1988 , because of the racist and homophobically interpretable text, the band came under fire and was invited to a benefit gala of the organization Gay Men's Health Crisis . The singer and lyricist of the piece Rose felt misunderstood, but made no apology, but justified his song and his homophobic utterances with subjective experiences and as a description of the situation. When asked about a possible homophobia on his part, in the interview with the term anti-gay , Rose replied that he saw himself as pro-heterosexual . Rose could not counter the charge of chauvinistic and heteronormative ideology. Criticism of One in a Million was picked up on later releases by the band . Among other things, Rose's social origin, as in the discriminatory use of language by other metal musicians, was used to explain his attitude. Regardless of the intention and attitude of the lyricist, the song was later recorded by the right-wing extremist musicians Ian Stuart Donaldson and Steve "Stigger" Calladine for the album Patriotic Ballads . In this interpretation, the song got rid of a possible sociocultural and subjective context and was offered as an expression of a right-wing extremist ideology.

The 1990s

On August 21, 1992, Bård "Faust" G. Eithun , drummer for the band Emperor , murdered a drunken, homosexual man who spoke to him on the way out of a pub. There are different statements about Eithun's motifs. Kjetil Manheim, the former drummer of the black metal band Mayhem , stated that Eithun believed himself under attack and that his act was an act of defense. Eithun himself, who did not comment on his motives in the first few years after the crime, later stated that he “never had [...] homophobic views”. In 1997 Jon Nödtveidt , singer and guitarist of the black metal band Dissection , participated in the murder of a 37-year-old homosexual Algerian. The band stated that the man was killed out of anger for molesting the perpetrators. No further statements were made by Nödtveidt. In 2013, the homosexual singer Gaahl relativized the acts that had taken place in the black metal scene as not being homophobic. In his opinion, it was a minor aspect of the acts that the victims were homosexuals. To Eithun he also stated that he was on friendly terms with him. In contrast, Varg Vikernes tried, among other things, to justify his murder of Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth in an alleged homosexuality of the killed musician. It is assumed that with this statement Vikernes was only looking for a way to discredit Euronymous, an actual homosexuality of the victim is considered unlikely. With his attempt to discredit the founder of the Mayhem group postmortem by means of a possible deviation from a heteronormative sexuality, Vikernes positioned himself homophobic, in particular by legitimizing the murder.

One of the best-known releases with homophobic content is the song Zero Tolerance by the extreme metal band Impaled Nazarene from the album Nihil from 2000. The band described themselves after they were attacked for the song as apolitical and the lyrics of the provocative attitude of the Band owed. The song was written as an "absolutely dark and tasteless fun song".

The 2000s

The racist and homophobic black and death metal compilation Smashing Rainbows: Rock Against Homosexuality was released in 2008 by the right-wing extremist label Fetch the Rope Records. After Clifford-Napoleone, the CD is largely unknown in the metal scene and only publicized in right-wing extremist circles. Nevertheless, the release is considered one of the three most homophobic events that took place in the context of the metal scene among queer metal fans.

The 2010s

The guitarist Mike Reynolds had to leave the band For Today in 2013 after various tweets to introduce same-sex marriage in the United States . Reynolds later admitted using an inappropriate tone of voice, but continued to insist that homosexuality was a sin that had to be overcome. Dave Mustaine from Megadeth justified his position against the introduction of same-sex marriage with his Christian faith as well. He later stated that as a married straight man, he had no interest in gay affairs.

The sludge band Lord Mantis was criticized as transphobic for the cover of the 2014 album Death Mask . The singer Charlie Fell responsible for the artwork contradicted the allegation and described the person depicted as a reflection of himself. According to him, the male and female gender characteristics symbolize a complete human being with both sides of his personality. The depicted scars and wounds are self-reported by Fell.

The Shining singer Niklas Kvarforth was accused of homophobic abuse of the audience after a scandal appearance in Idaho in May 2017 . Kvarforth, who describes himself as a devil worshiper , described his behavior as an attack against "the black metal people who are not among the forces" he worshiped. He has "always referred to them as 'homosexual black metal mongoloids'". His intention would be to confront what he sees as heteronormative and homophobic part of the audience. According to his convictions, however, homosexuality is to be welcomed.

Counter-movements to homophobia

LGBT advocate

Greg Puciato from The Dillinger Escape Plan often positions himself against homophobia and for equal rights for queer people.

Greg Puciato and Henry Rollins are among the most active heterosexual advocates of equality for queer lifestyles within the metal scene . Puciato, singer of the mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, repeatedly opposed homophobic statements by other musicians and fans and, like Rollins, advocated legal equality and social acceptance of queer people in interviews and statements. Rollins, singer of the alternative metal band Rollins Band , took up the topic in his stand-up program.

Many metal musicians spoke out in debates about the recognition of same-sex partnerships in the United States ; in addition to the depicted opponents from the mostly Christian camp, most metal groups supported the decision of the Supreme Court to declare the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional . Musicians from The Dillinger Escape Plan, Rage Against the Machine , Pearl Jam , Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tool commented on the decision as an important step in social development.

Other musicians such as Slash , Gene Simmons , Dave Navarro and Scott Ian previously took part in the NOH8 campaign , which, in addition to a statement against discrimination, spoke out for the recognition of same-sex partnerships. Black and extreme metal musicians also specifically spoke out against homophobia. Neil "N. Imperial "Jameson of Twilight and War called" ignorance, racism, homophobia and religious intolerance "as an expression of a growing" decadence and [...] degeneration "of Western society.

Intertextual references

In addition to other musicians who worked for an open society, some metal performers addressed homoeroticism and homophobia in song lyrics. Rammstein's Man against Man from 2005 was designed by the group as a confrontation with homophobia. According to Christian Diemer, this idea works, especially due to the fact that Rammstein designed the music video for the piece in a hyper-masculine manner and thus combine homophobia and homoeroticism from a heteronormative point of view.

Marilyn Manson as the androgynous intersex figure Omega, conceived for the album Mechanical Animals.

Further critical debates in songs and music videos, which take up the topics of homophobia and transphobia, but also homoeroticism, can be found at Protest the Hero , Living Color , Marilyn Manson, Faith No More and Kreator , among others . Protest the Hero wrote a song called Tilting Against Windmills that was supposed to target the homophobia of religious fundamentalists. In 1992, Faith No More presented Be Aggressive, a song about oral sex between men. The singer Mike Patton stated about the song he sang that he would be willing to sing on any subject as long as he finds it interesting, regardless of possible transfers to himself. A year later, Living Color brought out a song called Bi , with which, according to singer Vernon Reid, they proclaimed bisexuality as a natural state of human sexuality. The music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers song Warped from 1995 is counted by The Advocate magazine as one of the videos that gave homosexual, bisexual and transsexuality a wider perception and acceptance. In addition to the aesthetic homoeroticism of the imagery, the video shows an intense kiss from Anthony Kiedis and Dave Navarro . The German thrash metal group Kreator took an explicit stand against homophobia with the song Side by Side from the 2017 album Gods of Violence . The songwriter Mille Petrozza said that the group's fans welcomed the topic and the statement. Only a few criticisms were made of the positioning.

History of the coming-outs in the metal scene

The first homosexual and transsexual metal musicians expressed themselves about their sexual identity in the course of the 1990s. The coming-out of musicians and scene designers was welcomed in the scene mostly by reporting and many supporters, but in some cases it led to hostility and even death threats.

As a turning point in the history of the metal scene, which is the name given to the discourse on the ideas of gender, Heesch and Niall two coming-outs. The one from the singer Rob Halford in 1998 and the one from the singer of the black metal band Gorgoroth Gaahl in 2008. Both musicians were already popular as actors in metal before they came out and were synonymous with the male-dominated spectrum of metal.

In certain sub-areas of metal, especially in alternative metal , the relationship towards queer scene actors has since changed to a largely accepting matter of course. On the other hand, given the size of the metal scene, only a relatively small proportion of the actors openly live a queer lifestyle. In assessing this fact, actors in the scene point out that artists, managers and record labels fear a drop in sales as a result of a coming out.

The sociologist Keith Kahn-Harris supplements this assessment by pointing out subjective differences. Coming out is unproblematic for some actors in the scene, but for many followers of the scene and some actors it is a burden associated with repression.

The 1990s

Roddy Bottum , here in 2005 with Faith No More , came out in 1993.

Keyboardist Roddy Bottum is generally considered to be the first popular metal musician to publicly speak out about his homosexuality. Bottum came out in a newspaper interview in January 1993. The band co-founder Billy Gould of Faith No More expressed his disappointment that he got the information from a newspaper and not personally despite a long friendship. Years later, Bottum reported on the particular popularity of homosexual fans, who saw themselves confirmed by Bottum's coming-out. In contrast, one of the group's managers tried to prevent Bottum from coming out, suggesting that an outing could lead to commercial losses. In retrospect, however, no deteriorated sales can be observed. In November of the same year Marcie Free, born Mark Free and best known as the singer of the glam metal band King Kobra , came out as a transsexual woman. Free later reported that she suffered from repression in the music business as a result of her outing and that she was denied commercial contracts in particular. On the other hand, Free made a connection to her fans via the Internet, which she largely supported.

The best-known coming out of the 1990s is that of the metal singer Rob Halford, who came out in 1998 during a live conversation with the music broadcaster MTV .

“I think that most people know that I've been a gay man all of my life, and it's only been in recent times it's an issue that I feel comfortable to address… something that I feel has a moment, and this is the moment to discuss it. "

“I think most people know that I've been a gay man all my life. It's something I've only recently been able to address with serenity ... something that takes a certain time to talk about - and that point has now come. "

- Rob Halford : in an interview with MTV on April 2, 1998
Deborah Anne Dyer aka Skin by Skunk Anansie described herself as a bisexual black amazon right from the start of her career .

Halford, then the former singer of the band Judas Priest and an active member of the industrial rock influenced group 2wo , later reported on mostly indifferent to positive reactions from the fans. Halford stated that fans don't care about that side of his personality and that they "just want to hear him sing the songs and see [Judas] Priest." Halford's outing is emphasized in the discourse about homosexuality in metal, so he is "[for] many [...] partly responsible for the fact that the heavy metal scene is more tolerant of homosexuality." In the time between Bottums and Halford's outings, only a few came out queer people in the metal scene. Among the better-known part of the beginning of her career openly bisexual singer Deborah Anne "Skin" Dyer in the metal scene-received crossover group Skunk Anansie , and bassist Doug Pinnick of King's X . Unlike Halford and Skin, who call themselves a “black, bald, bisexual Amazon”, Pinnick reported various hostilities, especially from Christian organizations and fans. Among other things, the Christian sales organization Diamante Music Group announced its collaboration with King's X, citing Pinnick's decision to “renounce an abstinent lifestyle”. Other musicians such as Brian Cook, the bassist of the mathcore band Botch , which was slowly gaining popularity in the 1990s, and the post-metal band Russian Circles , which had been active since the mid-2000s , were, like Skin, openly homosexual from the start of his career without any particularities media attention. In contrast, the homosexual and bisexual musicians' collective Rockbitch staged their own sexuality as part of their live performance from 1995 onwards and was defined in reception by the music press via the sexuality lived out on stage.

The 2000s

To the outing of the singer Gaahl , here with God Seed , some followers reacted with aggressive hostility towards his then partner.

Despite Halford's outing, the ratio of outings in the metal scene lagged behind the statistics on the demographic frequency of homosexuality of "3–4% self-identified homo- and bisexual men and women" in Western Europe and North America. In classic heavy metal and extreme metal in particular , only a few public outings were known. In the 2000s, along with other performers from the broad spectrum of alternative metal, musicians of extreme metal came out for the first time.

In 2003 the glam metal band Pink Stëël released their debut album and aligned the lyrics to homosexual experiences from the beginning of their career. Musicians like the sludge singer Steve Brooks from Torche , the alternative metal musician Jennifer Arroyo from Kittie and the nu-metal singer Otep Shamaya from Otep , who were open about their homosexuality from the beginning of their careers, became as well as the band Pink Stëël hardly discussed in the media anymore. Shamaya reported a great popularity of queer fans and no repression within the metal scene. Shamaya suspected, however, that homosexual men would have a more difficult position on the scene.

The outing of the former singer of the black metal band Gorgoroth , Gaahl, received special media attention . In November 2008, he came out publicly in an interview with Rock Hard magazine . As a result, he was voted Homosexual Person of the Year at the Bergen Gay Galla in January 2010 . There are various statements about alleged attacks against Gaahl and his partner at the time, which Gaahl himself denied to the effect that no one personally attacked or insulted him because of his sexuality. After his outing, Gaahl's former partner received death threats and was massively harassed over the phone. Various editors of the metal press reacted to the events and criticized the behavior of these fans. Musicians from the extreme metal scene also criticized the reactions of such fans. Alan A. Nemtheanga from Primordial expressed himself as "very confused about the reactions to [Gaahl's] outing" and located a large part of the criticism in the "Eastern European region". Also in 2008, Marissa Martinez (formerly Dan Martinez) of the death metal and grindcore band Cretin came out as a transsexual woman in an interview with Decibel magazine . Unlike Gaahl, Martinez's outing is associated with only positive reactions. Martinez himself reported a high level of acceptance of her music in the queer community of her adopted home San Francisco and the associated appearances of the band in transgender clubs. According to her, the hostility from the metal scene feared by Martinez did not materialize.

The 2010s

On July 15, 2011, Mina Caputo (formerly Keith Caputo), the singer of the alternative metal band Life of Agony , came out as transgender with no clear gender identity. Caputo, who sees herself neither as a man nor as a woman, later criticized the reporting in which information about alleged gender reassignment operations was disseminated. Caputo also reported split reactions. She received both hostility and encouragement from the metal scene. In addition to the attacks by some people from the group's predominantly masculine supporters, she received a lot of encouragement for her move.

The musicians of the technical death metal band Cynic Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert came out in an interview with the LA Times in May 2014 . The move was welcomed by large parts of the metal scene. A homophobic Facebook comment published shortly afterwards by a well-known guitar maker was linked to the outing of the Cynic musicians and was sharply criticized by the metal scene, including members of the Scar Symmetry and Periphery groups .

In October 2018, Melissa Moore, guitarist for the American black metal band Absu , came out as a transsexual under the name Vis Crom . She combined her outing with a call to “all true heavy metal brothers and sisters ” to vote against the “republican scum” in the subsequent midterm elections in 2018 . The government under President Donald Trump had previously announced plans that in the determination and definition of the gender identity of a person alone sex should be relevant at birth. She called these plans a "literal inquisition against trans people". In another statement, she said about her outing that she had lost her band because of it and that her band members had to experience transphobia after her outing. The separation of the band was caused solely by their outing.

See also

literature

  • Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone: Queerness in Heavy Metal Music . In: Routledge Studies in Popular Music . No. 5 . Routledge, 2015, ISBN 978-0-415-72831-7 .
  • Christian Diemer: (In) authentic staging of homophilia and homophobia in the music video “Man against Man” by Rammstein . In: Dietrich Helms, Thomas Phelps (Hrsg.): Ware staging. Performance, Marketing, and Authenticity in Popular Music . Transcript, ISBN 978-3-8376-2298-0 , pp. 187-210 .
  • Jakob Ehmke: Heavy Metal as a musical environment for young people . In: Florian Heesch, Anna-Katharina Höpflinger (Hrsg.): Methods of Heavy Metal Research: Interdisciplinary Approaches . Waxmann, 2014, ISBN 978-3-8309-3064-8 , pp. 85-100 .
  • Marion Gerards: I'm a man - staging of masculinity in popular music from a socio-educational perspective . In: Caroline Spelsberg (ed.): Insights and prospects: An interdisciplinary prelude . LIT Verlag, Münster, ISBN 978-3-643-12141-7 , pp. 53-70 .
  • Florian Heesch, Scott Niall (Eds.): Heavy Metal, Gender and Sexuality . Interdisciplinary Approaches. Routledge, New York 2016, ISBN 978-1-4724-2479-2 .
  • Imke von Helden: Wikinger sucht Walküre: To portray the Viking Age in heavy metal . In: Elisabeth Cheauré, Sylvia Paletschek, Nina Reusch (eds.): Gender and history in popular media . transcript, Bielefeld 2013, ISBN 978-3-8376-2373-4 , p. 299-308 .
  • Susanne Sackl-Sharif: Gender - Metal - Video clips . Budrich UniPress, Opladen 2015, ISBN 978-3-86388-702-5 .

Individual evidence

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  2. ↑ Florian Heesch, Scott Niall (Ed.): Heavy Metal, Gender and Sexuality . Interdisciplinary Approaches. Routledge, New York 2016, ISBN 978-1-4724-2479-2 .
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  10. ^ Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone: Queerness in Heavy Metal Music . In: Routledge Studies in Popular Music . No. 5 . Routledge, 2015, ISBN 978-0-415-72831-7 , pp. 3 .
  11. ↑ Susanne Sackl-Sharif: Gender - Metal - Video clips . Budrich UniPress, Opladen 2015, ISBN 978-3-86388-702-5 , p. 121 .
  12. ^ Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone: Queerness in Heavy Metal Music . In: Routledge Studies in Popular Music . No. 5 . Routledge, 2015, ISBN 978-0-415-72831-7 , pp. 53 .
  13. ↑ Susanne Sackl-Sharif: Gender - Metal - Video clips . Budrich UniPress, Opladen 2015, ISBN 978-3-86388-702-5 , p. 132 ff .
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This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on June 24, 2016 .