With Her New Album, Trans Artist Evan Greer Is Queering Punk Music

To Evan Greer, punk music is more about "a spirit of resistance to arbitrary power and authority" than any sort of particular sound. "At its best, punk is a celebratory expression of legitimate anger -- a way to bring people together to collectively resist a system hellbent on keeping us apart."

On her debut album, she/her/they/them, Greer decided to put her experience as a trans woman front and center, starting with the title. "It was a simple way of signaling to other trans, nonbinary, and queer people that this music is for them," Greer tells Out. "Tons of us are making awesome music and art, but there are so few transfeminine artists getting recognition from mainstream music outlets, and it's so important -- especially for young people -- to be able to see artists who share their identities and struggles creating and sharing their work with the world."

Greer composed the songs onshe/her/they/them over the course of a decade while touring, playing shows in basements, gay bars, clubs, cafes, and punk squats. "The album reflects all of those aspects of who I am," Greer explains. "The songs range from lighthearted folk pop tunes about making out with boys at parties, to darker indie rock mood pieces about mental health and insecurity, to utilitarian political anthems about the ways the mainstream gay rights movement has often failed to fight for the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community. At its heart, this album is inspired by our collective struggle to be our true selves in a world that constantly tells us we are not enough."

While some would think the anarchy and emphasis on radical self-expression would make punk sphere more welcoming for trans women, Greer says that the mainstream punk world is a microcosm of the larger patriarchy. "I can't tell you how many shows I used to play where I was not only the only trans person in the room but also the only person who was not a straight cis man."

These days, Greer is more intentional about the spaces she supports and where she shares her music. "There's a thriving alternative music scene that's lifting up so many voices that have been historically silenced. For decades marginalized people, women, queers, and trans folks have been fighting for and carving out our own spaces, shoving our way to the front and grabbing the mic away from the boys club. Rather than asking mainstream music spaces to tolerate and include us, we're creating our own community, and building our own audiences, and the mainstream is slowly catching up and realizing they've been missing out on a ton of awesome music."

Listen to Evan Greer's she/her/they/them below.

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