Outpunk enjoys the distinction of being the first record label entirely devoted to

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

punk bands. The label was run out of San Francisco and began as an extension of Matt Wobensmith's

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

, ''Outpunk''. ''Outpunk'' ran for seven issues, from 1992 till 1997, with contributions from queer punks such as Anonymous Boy, interviews with queercore bands and a split issue with Gary Fembot. He released two records in

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, the 7" single compilations ''There's A Faggot In The Pit'' and ''There's A Dyke In The Pit''. At this time there were few actual queercore bands in existence, so some of the artists that appeared were politically motivated punk bands that supported the queercore movement. ''There's A Dyke In The Pit'' features Bikini Kill, Lucy Stoners, 7 Year Bitch and the first song released by Tribe 8, stalwarts of the queercore scene. Outpunk's next compilation was the ''Outpunk Dance Party'' compilation LP/CD, which introduced many new queer bands to the public. Among them was Randy 'Biscuit' Turner of Big Boys new band Swine King, Pansy Division, Sister George,

Sta-Prest Sta-Prest (a stylized rendering of "stay pressed") is a brand of wrinkle-resistant trousers produced by Levi Strauss & Co., beginning in 1964. Sta-Prest jeans are marketed as being wearable straight out of the dryer, with no need for ironing. ...

and Mukilteo Fairies. After this, Outpunk began to release many singles and LPs by queercore artists from the US, Canada and UK. Wobensmith was also writing a column for '' Maximum RocknRoll'' zine, which extended the range of people being introduced to queer punk music while addressing issues such as

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

in the punk community. In ''DIY: The Rise Of Lo-Fi Culture'', Amy Spencer writes, "Matt Wobensmith...feels that a person's self-identification as gay shouldn't form the basis of their whole personality. 'Gay people often sacrifice the cultures they come from just to belong to something.' This sacrifice of a radical culture, whether as an artist, punk or anarchist, is what the queercore movement has always battled against." Wobensmith ended the label in the late 90s, and began a new label called Queercorps, which was short-lived. He spoke about the reasons behind this in an interview included in the book ''We Owe You Nothing: Punk Planet, The Collected Interviews'', edited by Daniel Sinker, originally appearing in

Punk Planet ''Punk Planet'' was a 16,000 print run punk zine, based in Chicago, Illinois, that focused most of its energy on looking at punk subculture rather than punk as simply another genre of music to which teenagers listen. In addition to covering music ...

zine. Subsequently he ran the label A.C.R.O.N.Y.M., which specialized in gay hip hop music acts. Outpunk records and CDs are much sought after by collectors, since most were produced in limited runs and are rare and hard to find. As of 2009, he runs the vintage zine store Goteblüd in San Francisco.

Artists

* 7 Year Bitch * Behead the Prophet, No Lord Shall Live * Bikini Kill * CWA * Cypher in the Snow *

Fifth Column A fifth column is any group of people who undermine a larger group or nation from within, usually in favor of an enemy group or another nation. According to Harris Mylonas and Scott Radnitz, "fifth columns" are “domestic actors who work to un ...

* God Is My Co-Pilot * Lucy Stoners * Mukilteo Fairies * The Need * Pansy Division * Sister George *

* Swine King * Team Dresch * Tribe 8

References

External links

Interview with Matt Wobensmith

''Ashcan Magazine''s spotlight on Goteblud & Matt Wobensmith

{{Authority control Record labels established in 1992 Record labels disestablished in 1997 American independent record labels LGBT-related record labels Fanzines Zines Queercore record labels Punk record labels Riot grrrl

Artists

See also

References

External links