Heralding a legacy that helped open the closet door for openly gay musicians, Pansy Division married melodic and infectious indie rock with a hyper-aware queer identity and sex-positive messaging that attracted both a gay and mainstream audience, including fellow artists such as Willie Nelson, Rob Halford of Judas Priest (who was inspired by the band to come out of the closet) and Green Day who took the band out to support them on their Dookie tour in 1994.
Beginning in 1991, Jon and Chris surveyed the burgeoning rock scene and noticed a dearth of openly queer musicians, so they formed Pansy Division to fill in that void. Thirty years later, their trailblazing has never been more fully realized: the music scene has grown exponentially more accepting of LGBTQ+ artists to the point that it’s almost dizzying. “There is so much of it now that I can’t keep track of it, and that’s a far cry from when we were starting out,” Jon says. “If more people had been out then, especially in rock, we might not have felt the need to start this band in the first place. But there wasn’t, so we did, and being so open, unapologetic, blunt and fun about it means that it still resonates today.”
Pansy Division is Jon Ginoli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Chris Freeman (bass, vocals), Luis Illades (drums) and Joel Reader (guitar, vocals).
TOUR DATES:
April 4 – BIRMINGHAM, AL Saturn (18+)
April 5 – ATLANTA, GA The Earl w/Catfight (21+)
April 6 – NEW ORLEANS, LA Santos Bar w/Dog Park Dissidents (21+)
July 5 – LOS ANGELES, CA The Lodge Room
July 6 – OAKLAND, CA Mosswood Meltdown Festival, hosted by John Waters (2-day festival July 6-7, we play on the 6th). (All ages)
** MORE DATES TO BE ADDED **