IN THE KEY OF Q

Queer Music, Queer Stories, Queer Lives

Dykes on Bikes: The Unyielding Symbol of Pride

Roaring Ahead of the Parade “They usually start every parade with the Dykes on Bikes,” Rita de Los Angeles reminisces in her interview with In the Key of Q. “I think that is so cool. They just would roar in and start Gay Pride LA!” For those who came of queer age in the decades…
Reevaluating Support for Independent Artists

My conversation with Carrington Kelso left me realising I’d been part of a big problem for many years. Albeit accidentally. For years, I’ve congratulated myself on discovering independent queer artists, adding them to my carefully curated playlists, streaming their albums religiously. I thought I was supporting them. I was wrong. The revelation that streaming a…
The Burden of Representation: Insights from Mel Lennon

It can feel a bit crap being the sole representative of your identity in any space. During his interview with In the Key of Q, Mel Lennon touches on this experience with the kind of candour that feels both generous and necessary. “I was a rapper first,” he explains, “so I was always everyone’s ‘Rap…
Understanding Racial Hierarchies in Queer Communities

How Representation Has Changed but Hierarchies Persist in LGBTQ+ Spaces The journey from invisibility to visibility for queer people of colour has never been straightforward. As Australian artist TIN discusses in his ‘In the Key of Q’ interview, this path contains paradoxes that complicate simple narratives of progress. “I could have the most incredible, pristine…
The Politics of Public Affection for LGBTQ+ People

The Simple Act That Isn’t Simple “Even living in New York, I had a hard time accepting that he wanted to hold my hand if we were out in public because there is a fear that someone will say something hurtful… or more so the fear that someone might physically harm you.” During his In…
Reclaiming the Sacred

Introduction Religious language can be both a source of comfort and a weapon. In this episode of In the Key of Q, the artists speak openly about navigating the tension between inherited faith and personal truth. I wanted to sit with the idea that the sacred isn’t something others can give or take away, rather…
Cultural Displacement: Artistic Solitude and Music

“I always felt like I was in the wrong era and in the wrong place and just everything was wrong, but I was just kind of so drawn to this music, and I couldn’t really explain why.” In a passing comment during his ‘In the Key of Q’ interview, Minute Taker’s Ben McGarvey articulates something…
DROP! Summer Special 2 – Faith, Family, Freedom

Introduction Some of the most powerful moments in In the Key of Q come when guests share how early life shaped who they became. In this summer special, I revisit four remastered 2021 episodes with JSky, Ty McKinnie, Blake Mundell (Courier), and Wuhryn Dumas, each reflecting on faith, family, and the tension between them when…
The Grammar of Gesture: When Your Hands Betray You

Learning to Be Still Ty McKinnie’s father had specific rules about masculinity. Chief among them: real men don’t talk with their hands. Every gesture was suspect, every animated movement a potential betrayal of the carefully constructed facade of heterosexual masculinity. “You cannot talk with your hands because you seem effeminate or you seemed unhinged,” Ty…
Navigating Danger: Women in the Music Industry

“It’s dangerous for a while for a girl to be alone in a studio with a guy until you know and trust this person.” Not metaphorically dangerous. Actually dangerous. I’ve been in enough recording studios to know what she means. That moment when you realise the sound engineer’s hand has lingered too long on your…