Blog - Page 2 of 10 - IN THE KEY OF Q

The Mythology of Passing: Why Perfect Performance Never Protects

The Impossible Bargain Vincent di Geronimo tried everything to disappear into acceptability in small-town Connecticut. He shut down his theatrical nature, suppressed his natural expressions, attempted to become invisible. The result? “There was not a day that went by that I was not called fairy queen faggot.” The violence found him anyway – slammed into…
Queer Time: Navigating Aging and Youth Anxiety

“I don’t like getting old,” Erik Lenfair confesses during his interview, “but I cry every birthday I have ever since I was like 16 years old, thinking I’m too old now.” This startling admission—a teenager convinced they’re “too old”—offers a poignant window into how Queerness can complicate our relationship with time, aging, and lifecycles. Across…
Roderick Woodruff: The Future of Queer Black Pop

“I’ve always wanted to be the Black Elton John,” Roderick says with palpable enthusiasm. “I wanted to be this huge pop star. I wanted the campy outfits. I wanted to be the one sitting down at the piano sometimes, the one prancing around the stage at other times.” What makes Elton John such a compelling…
Finding Connection: The Shift from Apps to In-Person Dating

I’ve been thinking about Mickey Taylor’s observation that he hadn’t approached someone in person to ask for their number in sixteen years. Sixteen years. That’s an entire generation of queer people who learned to flirt through screens rather than eye contact, who developed their romantic literacy through swipes rather than conversations, who came of age…
Unlocking Identity: The Clark Kent to Superman Journey

“I felt like Clark Kent and now I’m Superman because I was able to come out to my parents.” – Fan of Not From Concentrate’s song “Clark Kent” This striking image of Clark Kent transforming into Superman as a metaphor for coming out or transitioning offers a rich framework for understanding how we conceptualise personal…
The Impact of Forced Migration on LGBTQ+ Lives

The Forced Exodus Around Christmas time we often think of family (biological and logical) and those who are far and impossible to access. When Rita de Los Angeles fell in love with a German woman in a Cologne gay bar twenty-three years ago, she couldn’t have predicted the forced migration that would follow. After maintaining…
Mel Lennon and the Politics of Music Genres

In his conversation on my podcast, Mel Lennon speaks candidly about the limiting narratives imposed on Black artists: “We don’t need to be a violent group of people that they make us out to be, or dumb group of people that they make us out to be, or low brow type of people that they…
Claiming Worth: Queer Resistance Through Music

Claiming What Feels Impossible “Worthy. What a thing to claim.” Eric Terino quotes these lyrics from queer artist Mary Gauthier during his chat with In the Key of Q, letting the words hang in the air with all their complicated weight. It’s a seemingly simple statement—I am worthy—but for many LGBTQ+ people, particularly those navigating…
Voices in the AIDS Crisis

Sex, Music and Politics in the AIDS Crisis When Jon Ginoli formed Pansy Division in the early 90s, he wasn’t just starting a band – he was making a political statement in the midst of a crisis. “It was the time of HIV and AIDS,” Jon explained during our chat. “People were dying every day,…
The Comfort in Melancholy: Minute Taker’s Musical Journey

In his episode of ‘In the Key of Q’, when Ben McGarvey (Minute Taker) articulates depression as “just a complete hopelessness… even the things that would normally bring you joy just kind of feel like they have no purpose anymore,” there’s a stark honesty that resonates beyond mere words. This intimate description doesn’t merely communicate…