Pansy Division Infodump

⚠️WARNING⚠️ : Some of the interviews contain homophobic slurs, because as queer musicians, they faced a lot of Homophobia.

In the second Interview clip, Billie Joe Armstrong says that Pansy Division saves lives and he couldn't be more right. Even though a lot of Pansy Division's music was what they called "Queer Covers" of other songs and a lot of other very much joke-y songs, it was still something that did help people. In a post Aids crisis world, it was one of the worst times to be gay in modern America. After plenty of attempts to rid the U.S of gay people (The Lavender Scare, Stonewall, etc.) there wasn't very much gay sex-ed going around. Many of Pansy Divisions songs feature very sexual lyrics, that may make you giggle in how they were written, but they were genuinely informative. Not just in their lyrics, but at their shows and in their merchandising. At one point, they sold collectors cards that came with a condom inside. Which, again, may seem silly, but easy access to contraceptives like that was unheard of (and still is in most places). 

There's a lot more I didn't include here 'lest it gets too long, but Pansy Division has a long and interesting history with their affect on the queer community and I really love them. They're still active today with their latest release being in 2016! A lot of their music has a very pop-punk, if not pop sound, but do not mistake them for pop! There's little more punk or anti-authority than being queer. 

If it's your first time listening to them, I would suggest starting with "Fem in a Black Leather Jacket" or "Blame it on the Bible". They're both great songs and I think they really help you get a feel for the band as a whole.