Let us make a differentiation first: In the Netherlands, Hardcore and Gabber was part of the societal mainstream ("as popular as grunge in the US, or britpop in the UK", one might say). Thus I assume that the attitude towards LGBTIQA+ topics was (more or less) the same as those of mainstream dutch society at that point.
in other countries around the world, the hardcore and gabber movement was more underground; a subculture of its own, sort of removed from society.
And that's what we want to look at here.
There was little outright "official" crossover with the LGBTIQA+ movements of the 90s, and there were few openly queer artists, labels, projects.
But that does not matter, because we want to look at the *secret* history, right?
So, let us begin by stating that Hardcore and Techno was not just a musical taste. Not something you listened to or danced to in your free time, and that was it.
[note: the hardcore techno scene was originally a part of the techno scene, and stayed connected to; so things that apply to the techno movement in the 90s, also apply to the hardcore sub-scene which was contained in it.]
It was a whole movement; a cultural, social, and also political movement. There were ideas, concepts, point of views, ways of living attached to Techno and Hardcore. This does not mean that everyone shared the same views; but there was indeed a common connection, a shared pool of visions about life, the world, everything.
One of these was, of course, the rejection of mainstream society; the values and teachings of the "parent" generation, and the generations before that.
The idea 'to finish school, study, get a respectable job, be well behaved and conformative', was completely alien to many youngsters of the rave and techno thing.
Better to party all day, get drunk, have a good time, chill with friends, and live life like a neverending festival, right?
Opposition against "commercialism" and the perceived fakeness of the mainstream pop and rock stars was another aspect.
Anti-Racism was another huge part of the deal - everyone was welcome at a rave, in the studio, or behind the DJ booth.
There was a vast interest in anything futuristic - computers, the internet, mangas, anime, outer space, inner space, cyberspace...
It seemed as for the Techno zealots, everything "old" was now to be left behind, and a happy, exciting, sparkling new world and society was just around the corner.
And this included leaving behind old roles, rules, views on gender and sexuality, too.
Many people were not too keen on these concepts anymore.
But at the same time, this makes it a bit complicated to look at the scene of the 90s through the lens of the current day.
Because a lot of people did not "align", on a verbal or outspoken level, to contemporary concepts of LGBTIQA+ identities.
The best I could describe this situation is that everything was very, very "fluid", and people often were, too.
Girls would dress like boys at raves, guys might wear a skirt or futuristic make up, people of the "same sex" would hug each other during dancing, but the meaning of that was not really pre-defined.
maybe a guy ran around with long pink hair all day - but was "still hetero". or a tough, bodybuilder type gabber actually fancied men.
on a second thought, it's a bit like today, isn't it?
no one really cared, or asked, what people did in private or in their bed rooms.
maybe a guy liked girls, or guys, or neither. didn't matter. maybe someone thought of themselves as straight, queer, or as an alien from mars. you'd still be accepted into the community.
so there was a lot of gender fluidity and sexual fluidity going on, both in the open and "behind the scenes", and pretty everyone was quite accepting of that. the only difference is that a lot of terms and vocabulary that are nowadays commonplace were not around or were not used in these days, and a lot of folk were less outspoken about this topic.
and when looking back at the 90s through "today's lens", this can obscure and muddle up the view to a large extent, and might make it look like not was going on in this regard at all.
so, to come to a conclusion, let's answer one final question: "what was the percentage?" how many people were LGBTIQA+ in the 90s?
well, carefully judging all aspects, and keeping in mind what i said above about fluidity and lack of strict definitions, I'd say:
everyone was a little bit queer at a typical 90s rave. some to a lesser, and some to a stronger degree.
Listening suggestion: "Various Artists - The Diversity of Hardcore Techno"
A newer LGBTIQA+ compilation in various styles.
https://doomcorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-diversity-of-hardcore-techno
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