Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival 2008

In the early 1990s, Pansy Division founder and front man Jon Ginoli and bassist Chris Freeman took up their instruments as a battle cry against the dance music that dominated the gay scene. The moment for a queer punk band couldn’t have been more timely; San Francisco was just waking from the previous decade’s losses, and the in-your-face direct actions by ACT UP and Queer Nation shared punk music’s DIY ethos.

Director Michael Carmona chronicles the band’s role as a pioneer in the queercore movement, from humble gigs in gay dive bars to singing their homo-anthems to thousands of screaming teens on a national tour with Green Day. Along the way the band attempts to find a permanent drummer and struggles to gain exposure without watering down their message.

The film also plays like a time capsule of another era, so put on your Doc Martens and your cut-off jeans, slap some DayGlo stickers on your nipples, and rock out with Pansy Division!

- Dennis Conroy, Frameline32 (edited)

Pansy Division in attendance!

Sponsored by Austin Community College