Queer as Folk: LGBTQ narratives in folk music

February is LGBTQ+ History Month, and Team Moseley Folk & Arts wanted to take the opportunity to spotlight LGBTQ musicians and narratives within the folk world.

Folk music is often pigeonholed as a genre dominated by straight, white men, but a closer look tells a different story. LGBTQ+ artists and experiences have always been part of folk music, even if they weren’t always named as such. Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls, Peggy Seeger, Rufus Wainwright and Lucy Dacus are just a few well-known figures whose work sits firmly within the folk tradition, and who also identify under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. At Moseley Folk festival, we welcomed Grace Petrie, The Deep Blue, Maddie Morris and Cerys Hafana, all of whom identify as queer, to the Moseley Folk stage in 2025 alone.

Storytelling sits at the heart of folk music, and stories, by nature, shift and change over time. Goblin Band, who describe themselves as a “queer trad-folk quartet”, take traditional material and reimagine it through an LGBTQ lens. Their debut song, The Prickle Holly Bush, reworks a folk fable dating back to the 18th Century, positioning the protagonist as a queer person abandoned by their family. Speaking to Trad Folk, the band explain, “it feels like a metaphor for a queer experience of estrangement and chosen family and needing to find a community that will save you. That’s something that queer people understand very well as a sort of communal experience”. They go on to describe how introducing the song as ‘queer’ at live shows has led audience members to seek them out afterwards, impassioned to share how deeply that framing resonated, and how refreshing it can be to see your experience reflected on stage.

LGBTQ+ narratives in folk don’t always appear explicitly, as highlighted by Folk Bitch Trio. The trio explore themes of self-expression in their songwriting and deconstruct the narrative that folk is an uncompromising genre. Bandmates Grace Sinclair, Heidi Peverelle and Jeanie Pilkington told Monster Children that their first ever gig took place on a stage dedicated to platforming female and gender non-conforming artists, championed by Pilkington’s mum! 

Although the band often push the boundaries of what folk is ‘expected’ to be, their lyrics are broad and encompassing, allowing listeners to find themselves in Folk Bitch Trio songs. This openness has long been part of folk music’s appeal. Long before LGBTQ+ lives were spoken about explicitly, folk songs focused on stories of outsiders searching for community – many of which could well be LGBTQ narratives, for those who know how to listen. 

Platforming LGBTQ+ folk artists is imperative, but allyship within the genre is vital, too. Frank Turner knows this well, and has long been a consistent and outspoken ally of the LGBTQ+ community. Turner, who runs his own festival Lost Evenings, frequently partners with The Ally Coalition to fundraise for “organisations dedicated to bettering the lives of LGBTQ+ youth” and to “raise awareness of systemic inequalities faced by the LGBTQ+ population”. At Lost Evenings VIII, held in September 2025, fans raised over £53,000 for the charity. 

Turner’s allyship and experience with the LGBTQ+ community appears in his own songwriting, too. Miranda, from his 2022 album FTHC, reflects on reconciling with his estranged father after she came out as a transgender woman. Speaking to The Guardian, Turner describes how finding her identity stirred visible change; “immediately I felt that this was a person who was a lot more considerate, more aware of the people around them and of their impact on other people”. The song’s refrain, “Miranda, it’s lovely to meet you”, grounds listeners in a wider reflection on what it means to live openly, and honestly.

Today, it feels as though LGBTQ+ folk music and culture is going through something of a renaissance. Projects like Queer Folk, founded by Sophie Crawford and George Sansome, are actively expanding on queer folk history through archives, talks and workshops. Alongside this work, Queer Folk are spearheading present-day celebrations, such as queer ceilidhs. Coupling tradition with contemporary experience matters, and is refreshing for those who previously did not feel comfortable expressing their identity. 

Celebrating LGBTQ+ history within the folk scene isn’t about changing, or redefining the genre, rather highlighting what is already there. Folk has long been shaped by storytellers, outsiders and the care of a community. We can’t wait to gather our own community back in Moseley Park this September to celebrate all things folk.

Team Moseley Folk & Arts are always looking to explore new ways of experiencing music or discovering new people. Please send any requests or suggestions onto info@moseleyfolk.co.uk.