6 Essential Reads About Queer Music

It’s often said that, throughout history, queer people have been at the forefront of shaping the cultures that often come to be appreciated by the heteronormative mainstream. Indeed, anywhere from the Black queer trailblazers who helped create genres like country and blues music as we know them today, to the disco movement of the 1970s, queer people have always sought out the spaces that will most accept them, long before they are cool. In the case of popular music, the queer influence cannot be understated — while we often think of openly queer pop stars as a phenomenon of the last decade or so, music, and especially pop music, has always been queer. You just have to listen between the lines to hear it.

While there are many other areas of culture that have benefited from queer influence, music is one where there are so many hidden histories just waiting for an eager reader to discover. In that spirit, I’ve assembled this list of essential reads about queer music. Anywhere from the queer forefathers of yore to the more modern likes of Chappell Roan, Orville Peck, or Lil Nas X queering music genres historically seen as heteronormative, there is sure to be an eye-ope...