European queer & flinta* music — coming soon
July 2, 2026
Today is the second day after Pride month 2026.
It's also four days after the planned release date of the first iteration of this site.
The reason why I chose that day is because it would have been the 28th of June, which is the 57th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. And I like connecting goals and deadlines to meaningful dates. It pushes me to finish stuff.
Instead, you're reading this. A death in the family, an almost apocalyptic heatwave and some other reasons caused a delay in the development. It's a one-very-busy-person project at this point and I don't want to rush myself into anything. But I want to at least put out something. So how about some background and mission statements?
Combined with some links. Sending people places is pretty much the intention of this site, so why not start now?
As a trans woman with a 25 year active history in mainly metal (and passive in other diy/underground genres), coming to terms with being trans obviously involved music. Against Me!'s Transgender Dysphoria Blues was pivotal at that and it made me realise that maybe there are people with similar experiences walking the same venues, navigating the same online spaces and playing in bands I might just enjoy.
Turned out there were indeed bands.
So. Many. Bands.
And they actually delivered. To the point that I dare say that it is one of the most multifaceted and groundbreaking phenomena in music these days.
It also turned out there was a lot of documented history already, dating back to the early 80ies in Canada and the USA. I started reading books ( 1 | 2 | 3 ) on those movements and by people involved in it, found some documentaries ( 1 | 2 | 3 ) and kept discovering bands ( 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 ), both new and old.
But there was a small issue, most of it was extremely USA and Canada oriented and finding info about how all of this materialised in Europe was largely absent. Sure, we had Genesis P-Orridge in the UK and there were some documented connections to Berlin, but that was about it. There probably will be some zines that gathered that exact information, but I haven't encountered those yet. Finding out more would be a quest in itself.
So, I wanted to go step by step and start blogging about my findings.
For instance, do you know the Netherlands already had a gay punk band called 'Tedje en de Flikkers' (Teddy and the Faggots) from 1977 to 1980 that originated from the gay rights movement in that country? Well, that's the kind of information I wanted to collect, piece together and put out there.
But then I bumped into Clitteband's request to send in bands for a list of Dutch FLINTA* bands they were curating. I messaged them to ask if I could steal their idea and do the same for Belgium. They loved that and gave me their blessing. Almost at the same time, I got contacted by Antwerpian Queer collective 'The Clit Pit' asking me if I knew some queer bands for a show they were organising. I did, but it took some digging. Eventually Weenzin played this gig, opening up for BOI and Pussydestroyers.
There had to be an easier way. I was already somewhat aware of the queer scenes in the UK (0121 Queercore anyone?), Berlin (Female Fronted is Not a Genre festival), The Netherlands (you really have to check out Teardrinker's zine from their Roadburn show!) and some things slowly emerging in Brussels and Ghent (see the links at the bottom of this page), but to an outsider, they seemed to be confined within those nation's and city's borders. The state of the world being what it is, I'm convinced that shining a couple more lights on these scenes and connecting/collecting them will be beneficial to all of us. Both music obsessed 'elders' and young people discovering a world where they can hopefully find their identities reflected in their passions.
Step one will be a list of bands and organisers, both Queer and FLINTA*. It will not follow any strict definition of what is considered 'queercore'. I find the politics of such bands existing more important than purity testing about a definition that only a fraction of them will fit in. Not everybody will like this, but that's too bad.
It will mostly consist of bands, artists and organisers that come from underground, diy and/or countercultural movements within Europe. But pop artists may even fall under these categories. Like I said, no purity testing. If it fits, it fits.
The dream is to expand this project to cover the entire world, but that inflates the scope and I have safety of people in other parts of the world to consider. In Europe, we are in the stage that needs visibility. In other parts of the world, visibility might be lethal, so that is something I really have to consider if there ever comes a point when expansion feels right. So, I will need to be in contact with folks from those parts if I ever were to expand in such a way. This is not because of Eurocentrism, but because of my lack of knowledge of international situations.
Following the previous point: safety. I don't want to put vulnerable bands, venues or organisers in a position that is unsafe for whatever reason. So I will respect all wishes related to visibility.
I will at some point keep a list of shows and festival, and these will include non-European bands that visit these parts. For instance, did you know, The Iron Roses are touring Europe in October? Well, now you do. Worldwide solidarity and support is and will always be a core value.
The history of Queercore in Europe is still something that will be explored, maybe in the form of a blog, zine or a podcast, I don't know yet. Maybe someone else wants to take this up and we can work together.
Right now, it's just me, but I hope to find some partners in crime in the near future, as long as we're on the same page and can help each other in meaningful ways. If you are interested, contact me at info@queercore.eu
At this point, the cost of running this is next to nothing. If this changes I will see how I'll handle this. Friends warned me about how something like this can grow fast, but this will never be about making a profit.
And finally, no support for genocide and no AI art. While most topics fare well with discussion and conversation, there are some ethical lines that will not be crossed.