De/constructing DIY identities in a trans music scene

Abstract

The emergence of trans as a social and political movement and identity has created the conditions for the creation of a new music scene organized around the gender ed identities of those involved rather than musical genre This paper examines the parallels between the attitude taken towards gender ed identity LGBT Pride programs These events tended to draw small but enthusiastic crowds of underground music fans with typical audiences ranging between and people They drew heavily upon a do it yourself D)Y ethos most typically associated with underground scenes based around the genres of indie punk or folk however the musical forms present at any given trans music event typically drew upon a far wider pool of genres Efforts were often made by promoters with mixed success to ensure diversity in terms of age class dis ability and race Rather than being defined wholly by musical style or participants cultural backgrounds therefore this scene coalesced largely through the notable presence of trans people as promoters performers and audience membersThe starting point for the research project that forms the basis of this article was a process of critical reflection upon the authors own involvement as performers and event promoters within a loose network of trans oriented events The scene we discovered through this network worked actively to not define itself and was populated by individuals whose own identities were similarly complex Our findings describe a scene in which flexible trans approaches to gender are reflected in the spaces that participants created in order to share and Ruth s trans identity has informed a long running involvement with trans activism and associated cultural events The authors play together in a band Not Right which was part of the trans music scene at the time the research took place and have performed at a number of the events discussed in this article This provided the inspiration for the research offered access to the scene and provided a starting point for identifying the events that inform this paper Our entry to the field was through Wotever Rock a gig hosted by Bar Wotever at London s Royal Vauxhall Tavern in MayAt this event we recognized for the first time thatwe were interacting with a wider community of trans artists activists and promoters The invitation to play at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern came after a member of the Bar Wotever team attended a fundraiser at the band s hometown of Leamington Spa for Godiva Young GaysLesbians GYGL a Midlands LGBTQ youth group this was another event which on reflection was organized by a trans promoter and featured a substantial number of trans performers from a range of artistic and demographic backgrounds )n the months that followed we found ourselves increasingly invited to play at similar events across the UK where a high proportion of performers organizers and attendees were trans The questions we began to ask ourselves provided the original basis for this research project )s there a trans music scene )f so how might it be characterized ...

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