By the late '60s and early '70s, trans women like Jayne County and drag troupes featuring all kinds of gender-benders in New York were pioneering the glam-punk, look, sound, and attitude. They went on to influence pop cultural staples like Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Patti Smith, and Blondie. On the West Coast, bands with out and proud queer members like the Screamers were influencing artists who would go on to start classic punk groups like the Dead Kennedys. By the '80s, rock magazines run by men served the American public a white, straight narrative of the scene.

In the mid-1980s, artists like G.B. Jones and Bruce LaBruce got fed up and sparked a new movement called Homocore, later changed to Queercore for inclusivity. For further information on the queer and Black roots of punk rock, check out Parallel Lines by Kembrew McLeod, "7 Guitarists That Prove Black Women Were Pioneers In Music History" by Fabi Reyna, and the 2017 documentary QUEERCORE: How To Punk A Revolution.

Dave Roberts