Queer Core: Behind the Music is an educational concert series that highlights Queer stories through art. Hosted by QueenEarth, this traveling open mic features her coming out stories and invites community members to share their own.

Since 2012, Queercore has been a catalyst for community conversations about identity and inclusion. With discussion and Q&A, students will be given tools to imagine their path beyond college. They will leave this event with answers about how to navigate the world as creative leaders for themselves with a roadmap for equity to influence tomorrow. #imagineifyoumadeyourownway

Interested in hosting Queer Core at your school? E-mail Queenearth@queenearth.com

High school and college students, faculty and staff, have enjoyed Queer Core. Inquire about the format that would best fit your audience. We open our event to storytelling, visual, and performing arts. Check out photos from our past events! 

Queer Core can be curated to the needs of your unique community

• Community Open Mic - Members of the community, especially students, are encouraged to share in the performance space. Queer Core has been a catalyst for community conversations about identity and inclusion, evolving as a space for monthly cultural conversations, programming, and assemblies. #artseducation
• School Residencies and Ongoing Dialogue – Long term conversations around diversity and inclusion towards curating community arts programming on a reoccuring basis, 6 week minimum.
• Professional Development -  With storytelling, qualitative analysis, interpersonal and small group dialogue, individuals engage in writing and reflection to gather stories about their experiences with race and historical systems of oppression for optimal deployment of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) best practices.
  We train community leaders to build a cultural snapshot and move towards anti-racism and inclusion with models and blueprints for creating desired outcomes. Clients will emerge having investigated themselves and their industry and learning their network for changemaking in the larger community.

A community event, through performance art, creative expression, and storytelling, Queer Core seeks to give a voice and visibility to artists of the often underrepresented Queer community.  This show is also meant to encourage  community members to “come out” and share stories, triumphs, and to celebrate the parts of ourselves that make us unique. For some that “different” part is our sexuality. For others, it may be their skin color, religion, accent, etc. Aren’t we all, always, Coming Out?

============================

What does the name mean?

Originally, for my labeling, “Queercore” was a music reference.  “As a musical genre, it may be distinguished by lyrics exploring themes of prejudice and dealing with issues such as sexual identity,[2] gender identity and the rights of the individual” (wikipedia).

What is Queer? Queer, from Merriam Webster . . .

• worthless, counterfeit
• questionable, suspicious
• differing in some odd way from what is usual or normal
• often disparaging : homosexual (2) sometimes offensive : gay 4b
• not quite well

Queer is an also an “umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary” (wikipedia). I found several definitions for core.

• a central and often foundational part usually distinct from the enveloping part by a difference in nature
• an arrangement of a course of studies that combines under basic topics material from subjects conventionally separated and aims to provide a common background for all students
• the inmost or most intimate part

Queer Core is a vehicle for Queer/ SGL/ LGBTQIA+ communities and allies to come together and share their common experiences of human development and personal evolution.

Who has seen Queer Core? Check out the full list, since 2012, here. Queer Core+ Performance List | QueenEarth

Where will it go next?
E-mail QueenEarth@queenearth.com for bookings and more info.