Disco is often remembered for glitter, mirror balls, and packed dance floors—but it was born in queer, Black, and Latinx underground spaces. In this video, we explore the queer history of disco and how it emerged as a vital form of escape, expression, and resistance during a time of social upheaval and exclusion.

From New York City’s underground dance parties and radical spaces like The Loft to the rise of queer DJs and artists who shaped its sound, disco became a soundtrack for liberation, sexuality, community, and joy.

Subscribe for more queer empowerment and insights from A Jaded Gay.

Listen to the full podcast episode: https://www.ajadedgay.com/19-the-queer-history-of-disco/

Read more on the topic in my blog: https://www.ajadedgay.com/blog/disco-fever-a-celebration-of-queerness-and-cultural-resilience/

Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ajadedgay

Related Episodes:
Listen to Episode 04. Pop Icons and Their Gay Emotional Appeal: https://www.ajadedgay.com/04-pop-icons-and-their-gay-emotional-appeal/

Sources:
Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco: https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Beat-Around-Secret-History-ebook/dp/B00XHMG8JK

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Night-DJ-Saved-Life/dp/0802146104

Arts in America: Here's to Disco, It Never Could Say Goodbye: https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/10/arts/arts-in-america-here-s-to-disco-it-never-could-say-goodbye.html

Why Disco Should Be Taken Seriously: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180403-why-disco-should-be-taken-seriously

Disco and the Queering of the Dancefloor: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09502386.2011.535989

Affect Intensity: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-12071-016

History is Made at Night: http://history-is-made-at-night.blogspot.com/2008/05/in-defence-of-disco-richard-dyer.html

Disco and Gay Culture in the 1970s: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/bc4fa3c026e24ed0bd724fe588bf1aa7

Studio 54 (originally Gallo Opera House): https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/studio-54/

The Discriminating Club: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/11/09/the-discriminating-club/d64c32f0-f107-4da7-ba12-7dfda8aa3b2f/

Disco is Dealt Death Blow by Fans of the Chicago White Sox: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/disco-is-dealt-death-blow-by-fans-of-the-chicago-white-sox

July 12, 1979: 'The Night Disco Died' — Or Didn't: https://www.npr.org/2016/07/16/485873750/july-12-1979-the-night-disco-died-or-didnt

#AJadedGay #disco #gayculture #popculture #discomusic