Queer Country and Sincerity

Chapter 1 explores the centrality of sincerity to queer country music and the problem of sincerity’s ties to essentialism (the notion that aspects of self are inherent). Authenticity is especially important to members of marginalized identity groups, creating a further complication with the postmodern critique of essentialism. This chapter identifies several key moments in queer country history and analyzes them in the context of sincerity: Lavender Country, the first out gay album (which prioritized sharing truthful information about gay life); Canadian star k.d. lang, the first major country musician to seem very queer (and whose sincerity was called into question due to her camp humor); and an early twenty-first-century take on sincerity by transgender Canadian musician Rae Spoon.