They call it mental hygiene, but I call it psychic rape! And he won’t get no restitution till we’re dealing with the fact that all the mental institutions are backed by a pack of straight white honky quacks” They lock him up at night so he don’t escape a nd if they hear any gay talk, a sizzle of electro-shock keeps his fantasies in fascist shape. It was a time when people considered liking the same gender a mental illness and being in a same sex relationship was illegal and you could be persecuted. “Waltzing Will Trilogy” is a sad song that talks about the realities of being gay in the mid-20th century. If you want a love song from a lesbian perspective, listen to “To a Woman”, written by Eve Morris. “Gypsy John”, “Georgie Pie”, and “I Can’t Shake The Stranger Out of You” are gay love songs. You’ll know this is an unapologetically gay album with the opening lyric: “Wakin’ up to say hip hip hooray. After that, he was an artist and activist with the Gay Liberation Front. Before Lavender Country, Patrick was in the Peace Corps, but was discharged for being gay.
The band were made up of Patrick Haggerty on guitar and lead vocals, Michael Carr on keyboards, Eve Morris on fiddle, and Robert Hammerstrom on guitar (Robert is the only straight member of the band).
Lavender Country – The first gay country album.
