Oscar-winning filmmaker and LGBTQ+ activist Dustin Lance Black is turning up the volume on queer rock history in his new documentary Rock Out—and this time, it’s personal.
The film dives into the often-overlooked LGBTQ+ influence on heavy metal, punk, and rock ‘n’ roll, inspired by a powerful question from Black’s late brother Marcus: “Are there any gays like me?”
Marcus, a closeted queer punk rocker and auto mechanic, passed away in 2012. Black says the film is his way of answering a question he couldn’t at the time.
Featuring legends like Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, glam icon Jayne County, and a surprising revelation about the Dead Milkmen's lead singer, Rock Out uncovers stories of queer trailblazers once erased from rock’s legacy. Black tells Variety: "It became clear that a queer history had been erased. And that’s not news to me.
I’ve made a career out of un-erasing."
Rock Out isn’t just a documentary—it’s a love letter to the misfits, rebels, and rockers who dared to be loud, proud, and different.