The Third Sex was an American

queercore Queercore (or homocore) is a cultural/social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of the punk subculture and a music genre that comes from punk rock. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specifical ...

band formed in 1993, in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. The band featured Trish Walsh on guitar and vocals, Peyton Marshall on bass and vocals and, initially, a series of drummers. Although primarily a two-piece band, they helped propagate the queercore movement across the country. A part of the

Riot Grrrl Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. Riot grrrl is a subcultur ...

scene, The Third Sex were significant in feminism's third wave and both influenced, and were influenced by, DIY culture. Third Sex lyrics were often political and featured songs of heartbreak and hidden relationships. Playing with bands like

Bikini Kill Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band pioneered the ...

and

Bratmobile Bratmobile was an American punk band from Olympia, Washington, active from 1991 to 2003, and known for being one of the first-generation "riot grrrl" bands. The band was influenced by several eclectic musical styles, including elements of pop, ...

, The Third Sex travelled across the country, performing in hundreds of local venues and building a large grassroots following. The band's first, eponymous 7-inch was released in 1995 on the

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally known ...

label, followed by their debut album ''Card Carryin'' on

Donna Dresch Donna Dresch is an American punk rock musician, perhaps best known as founder, guitarist and bass guitarist of Team Dresch. Dresch has been actively involved in the queercore scene since the 1980s, as the creator of the fanzine ''Chainsaw'' an ...

Chainsaw Records Chainsaw Records is an independent record label run by Donna Dresch that is devoted to Queercore bands. The label is in Portland, Oregon. History ''Chainsaw'' began life as a zine published by Donna Dresch in the late 1980s. Musicians and write ...

in 1996. This record represented several years of live performance and songwriting. In the wake of these releases, Third Sex started headlining their own shows, including performing many benefits for gay and lesbian youth clubs. Sharylyn Menard joined on drums for the 1998 EP, "No Heart", for

Kaia Wilson Kaia Lynn Wilson (born 1974) is an American musician from Portland, Oregon, best known as a founding member of both Team Dresch, a revered 1990s queercore punk band, and The Butchies, a pop-rock spin-off from her solo work. In addition to sing ...

Mr. Lady Records Mr. Lady Records (or Mr. Lady Records and Video) was a San Francisco-based lesbian- feminist independent record label and video art distributor. (Press release of a 2001 art show at the Weisman Art Museum) Artists on the label included Le Tigre ...

, followed by second and final album ''Back To Go'' on Chainsaw records, which has been compared to

Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member J ...

. In 2010, The Third Sex reunited to play a benefit concert for Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls. This was the first time Walsh and Marshall had played together since 2000. They were joined by Joell LeBlanc, on drums.

Discography

*"Third Sex" (KRS, 1995) – 3-track 7" *''Card Carryin (Chainsaw, 1996) – LP/CD *''No Heart'' (Mr Lady, 1998) – 5-track 7" EP *''Back To Go'' (Chainsaw, 1999) – LP, CD

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Third Sex, The Musical groups from Portland, Oregon Riot grrrl bands Queercore groups Punk rock groups from Oregon Musical groups established in 1993 1993 establishments in Oregon