When people imagine music by an acknowledged gay male, they usually expect it to be filled with stage theatricality and a tone of angst that comes from the travails of being young and gay. Songs such as the Bronski Beat's "Need a Man Blues" instantly come to mind when pondering the identity of the openly gay man in music. With its lonely vocals, shattering falsetto vocal range, and darkest blue melody, "Need a Man Blues" captures the gloom of wanting someone, anyone; but at the same time, it brings back a cliched theatricality that people often use to stereotype gay males. And while the Bronski Beat was a good band, rarely did they acknowledge what Pansy Division so frequently relished: sex is fun.
Tracks such as "Fem in a Black Leather Jacket," "Anthem," "He Whipped My Ass in Tennis (Then I F*cked His Ass in Bed)" and "Homo Christmas" are infused with a gleeful joy in their acknowledged homosexuality, as well as the ability to be humorously outspoken. The lyrics often bring a chuckle, in songs such as the country-tinged (which might also be funny simply because of its country flavor) "Tennis" with its realist line: "I couldn't wait to feast my eyes on his meaty hairy thighs."
And when Pansy Division isn't being brutally realistic as well as cunningly funny, they speak frankly about relationship issues which speak, well, to any person, gay or straight: "The Best Revenge" truly does remind the listener that the best way to spite a person who's loved you and left you is to be happy without them. Also a part of the less explicit side of Pansy Division is the fragile (well, for Pansy Division it's fragile) "Sweet Insecurity," which deals with those timid moments that often mark the beginning of a new relationship.
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