RESEARCH | PEER REVIEWED “It’s Like Mixing Paint”: Songwriting Alternative Gender Cultures with Young People as an ‘After-Queer’ Methodology Elly Scrine 1 * 1 National Music Therapy Research Unit, The University of Melbourne *
[email protected] Received: 26 February 2019 Accepted: 7 September 2019 Published: 1 November 2019 Editors: Candice Bain, Maevon Gumble Reviewers: Milo Boggan, Marisol Norris Abstract This paper conceptualises songwriting as an ‘after-queer’ approach for exploring no- tions of gender and sexuality with young people. The article draws on songs creat- ed by seven groups of young people in music-based workshops which took place in schools with participants aged between 14–17. During these workshops, songwriting was used to explore the participants' imaginings of what gender might look like in their "perfect world".'After-queer' scholarship is introduced and referred to through- out the paper as it relates to queer theory and research with young people, particu- larly focusing on discourses of risk and vulnerability that emerge across these fields. The paper highlights the value of creative and arts-based methodologies in queer re- search, through which expansion and questions of possibility, alternative, and iden- tity can be raised and responded to.'After queer' is offered as a useful lens for crit- ical analysis, particularly in light of complex questions related to the promotion of "diversity" that emerged through the findings. Keywords: gender, gender diversity, young people, schools, songwriting, after-queer Introduction This article draws on songs created by seven groups of young people in music-based workshops, to conceptualise songwriting as an after-queer (Talburt & Rasmussen, 2010) approach for exploring gender and sexuality with young people.