J.D.s

J.D.s - Issue One

J.D.s was a queer punk zine founded in Toronto by G.B. Jones and co-published with Bruce LaBruce.

" J.D.s is seen by many to be the catalyst that pushed the queercore scene into existence", writes Amy Spencer in DIY: The Rise Of Lo-Fi Culture. J.D.s ran from 1985 to 1991, during which time eight issues were released. A cut and paste, photocopied zine, it proved influential.

After the release of the first few issues, the editors wrote a manifesto entitled "Don't Be Gay", which was featured in Maximum Rock 'N' Roll. According to Amy Spencer, "The article appeared in February 1989 and simultaneously attacked both punk and gay subcultures. Following their article, a queer punk culture did begin to emerge."

J.D.s stood for 'Juvenile Delinquents'. The editors originally called their movement "homocore" but later replaced the word 'homo' with 'queer', to disassociate themselves completely from the confines of the gay and lesbian communities' orthodoxy. G.B. Jones, interviewed in DIY: The Rise Of Lo-Fi Culture, says, "...we were just as eager to provoke the gays and lesbians as we were the punks."

The zine featured the photos and the "Tom Girl" drawings of G.B. Jones, fiction by Bruce LaBruce, and the "J.D.s Top Ten Homocore Hits", a list of queer themed songs such as "Off-Duty Sailor" by The Dicks, "Only Loved At Night" by The Raincoats, "The Anal Staircase" by Coil, "I, Bloodbrothers Be" by Shockheaded Peters, ""Homophobia" by Victims Family, "(Gimme Gimme Gimme) My Man After Midnight" by The Leather Nun, and many others. Groups such as Anti-Scrunti Faction were featured in the zine. Contributors included comic artist and zine editor Anonymous Boy, author Dennis Cooper, performer and zine editor Vaginal Davis, Donny The Punk, artist and zine editor Carrie McNinch, punk artist Regi Mentle, Tab Twain, and zine editors Klaus and Jena von Brucker.

In 1990, J.D.s released the first compilation of queercore songs, a cassette tape entitled J.D.s Top Ten Tape which featured songs by The Apostles, Academy 23, and No Brain Cells from the UK, Fifth Column from Canada, Bomb and Nicki Parasite (of The Parasites) from the U.S., and Gorse (whose members included John, the editor of PMt) from New Zealand.

Also in 1990, G.B. Jones and Bruce LaBruce began presenting J.D.s movie nights in London, San Francisco, Montreal and Toronto, with the editors and various contributors showing their low budget films made on Super 8 film.

In 1991 G.B. Jones and associates began a new fanzine called Double Bill.

Library holdings

Complete runs of JDs are held by the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco and the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives in Toronto.

External Links

• G.B. Jones on The J.D.s Years from East Village Boys
• Dennis Cooper on J.D.s
• Adam Block: In Search of the Homo-Core Underground, The Advocate, October 10, 1988
• G.B. Jones artwork from J.D.s