QUEER WORD
PUNK

What it means:

These days, punk is commonly known as a loud, aggressive form of rock music - and the rebellious subculture that embraces it. But dig a little deeper, and you'll uncover a rich, messy, and surprisingly queer history that stretches back centuries.

Let's Use It In A Sentence:

While rifling through a dusty box of family photos, Reena let out an exhilarated gasp. There, staring back at them from the faded pages, was their dad - spiky hair, torn clothes, and a menacing snarl - the very picture of teenage punk defiance.

A Little Bit of History:

I love, love, love the weird and wonderful way language evolves. Words, like people, change and shift over time - especially when passed through the filters of culture, class, and…. well, queerness.

For example, a term that once meant ‘merry’ might end up describing someone who is definitely-not-heterosexual.

Which brings us to this week’s word: punk.

You probably know it as the raucous, DIY subculture that exploded in the 1970s with bands like The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and zines with cut out letters that screamed rebellion. But long before the mohawks and safety pins, punk had an entirely different meaning - often queer, often marginalised.

The earliest known use of punk dates back to around 1575, in a folk ballad called Simon the Old Kinge:

In this context, puncke refers to a sex worker - specifically a woman. This meaning carries over to the early 1600s when William Shakespeare uses it in Measure for Measure. The character Lucio muses: ‘She may be a puncke,’ in reference to a woman he believes is of questionable status.

But by the late 17th century, the meaning of punk had shifted. It was now used to describe young men kept by older men for sexual purposes—a term not unlike today's much friendlier ‘sugar baby.’ It soon morphed further, coming to refer to all sorts of so-called undesirables: cowards, petty criminals, and inexperienced youths.

The word also found a home in U.S. prison slang, where it took on a darker, queer-coded meaning: a man coerced into sexual acts by others. While clearly rooted in violence and exploitation, it speaks to the way punk has often been used to label those who exist on the fringes of power and control.

The first time the word was used in reference to punk music was in 1971, when rock critic Dave Marsh used it to describe a band. But it wasn't until the mid-to-late 1970s that the term exploded into mainstream culture, thanks to pioneering bands, rebellious fashion, and a little fanzine simply titled Punk.

Punk’s Queer Legacy

What makes the word punk so fascinating is how it has always belonged to outsiders. From sex workers to queer youth, to angry, alienated teens strumming three chords on guitars in their bedrooms - it has been a word for those who don’t fit the mould.

The punk movement gave voice to people who were tired of conformity, tired of being ignored, and tired of not seeing themselves reflected in the culture around them. And that includes queer folks, who carved out space in punk scenes to scream, dance, and exist unapologetically.

So perhaps the old adage is true:

Punk’s not dead.

It’s just growing louder, queerer, and more defiant.