Kloei's Mind Maze

A collection of my thoughts

[majesticpeonies]

Week 13: THE FUTURE HOLDS... - PoCkets Full of Possibilities

Another prevalent theme in American queer media representation is that it’s overwhelmingly white.

For such a diverse nation, there’s no reason why only white portrayals should keep dominating our screens.

To reiterate, this isn’t to say that there isn’t any representation of queer people of color, as there are. Some brief examples:

Rosa Diaz, portrayed by real-life bisexual actor Stephanie Beatriz, a Latina bisexual detective NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Source

Santana Lopez, portrayed by the late Naya Rivera, a queer Latina student in ABC’s Glee. Source

Lafayette Reynolds, portrayed by the late Nelsan Ellis, a gay Black character in HBO’s True Blood. Source

Titus Andromedon, portrayed by Titus Burgess, a gay Black character in Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Source

All of these characters have something in common: they’re all side characters to white leads.

This theme sends a wrongful message to PoC that they’re not good enough, or interesting enough to be leads.

Not even heterosexual media can capture the full spectrum of humans.

PoC character in heterosexual media is lacking, but PoC queer representation is severely lacking.

I’m hopeful that this could one day change. I want queer people of all races, ethnicities, creeds, immigrants, refugees, & more to be represented.

International cinemas are lightyears ahead of queer PoC representation. Even predominantly white countries (re: my last scrapbook submission) have released films with queer interracial couples involving refugee lovers. One of which is a Muslim lesbian fleeing religious persecution after being outed & her girlfriend was killed. People of color, minorities, immigrants, refugees can offer an entirely new perspective from the same white perspective we’re being constantly fed. The exclusion of minorities from storytelling has detrimental implications to those in that community, as Twitter user itsmissg23 (@LeonaRay23) illustrates;

Source

The time to explore the PoCkets, & world full of possibilities is now. 

[majesticpeonies]

Week 13: THE FUTURE HOLDS... - Change the Cis-tem

By now, it’s established that American media only caters to cisgender gay men & lesbian women audiences to maximize their appeal to the masses.

Appealing to the masses = maximizing profit. (You’ll get more information on this in next week’s journal submission)

The biggest issue appealing to the masses is that queer characters have to be watered down. In turn of queer characters being watered down, they’re denied the authentic complex arcs that cisgender, heterosexual characters are usually afforded.

The queer representation we do get is something like this meme:

Source (Sidenote: Poe Dameron IS gay, regardless of what Disney/Lucasfilm says. You don’t look at Finn seductively & bite your lip if you aren’t gay. This is a hill I’m willing to die on.)

Queer representations tend to play up gay stereotypes. It’s seldom that they are the main character, but when they’re not, they’re usually the “sassy sidekick”.

This isn’t to say that sassy queers don’t exist. After all, I am absolutely one of them. However, I don’t think MY sass is because I’m queer. Just as I was lucky to be born queer, I am also lucky to have been born with a sharp, witty tongue. To expect a “sassy queer sidekick” character to be relatable to ALL LGBT+ members is reductive & borderline, if not completely, homophobic.

The solution to this is simple: it’s time to have characters that both identify with  & non-cisgender LGBT+ members in our media.

We have to represent bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, pansexual, non-binary, & the rest of the + in the LGBT+ community. Just as they exist in real life, they should also exist in the content we watch.

Representation is another roadblock in getting actually relatable queer characters, because studios will only sell the idea of a gay character in their content. This doesn’t necessarily mean that that character will be of substance. They’re likely to be one stereotype in the above meme.

Once the media stops trying to appeal to just a cisgender audience, the sooner they can substantialize representation.

I’m hopeful to see films, series, miniseries, webcasts, etc. that are led by & not just representing people like these:

Alok Vaid-Menon, a non-gender conforming, non-binary activist, author, & actor.

Source

Asia Kate Dillon, a non-binary activist & actor. Source

Rain Dove, a genderfluid model. Source

Cisgenderism doesn’t just affect the gay community. Some heterosexuals do not necessarily conform to their ~designated~ gender. Some examples would be:

Dennis Rodman, a famous basketball player. Source

Another excellent example:

Mark Bryan has caught the attention of the internet. He’s stated in an interview that he’s heterosexual, happily married to a woman, & has three children. He wears high heels & skirts to work as a robotic engineer, as it helps his confidence & makes him feel more comfortable. Source

Then there’s pop artist Harry Styles, who hasn’t put a label on his sexuality, but defies the gender binary through his style:

He recently graced the cover of Vogue magazine, where he earned criticism from conservatives & praise from progressive public figures. Source

I’m hopeful to see in the future of queer representation in media is:

Source

I want gender to be unrestrained by the binary.

Down with the cis-tem.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 13: THE FUTURE HOLDS... - Identity Educational Programs for Children

West Hollywood Public Library hosts a “Drag Queen Story Hour” for children, that has sadly been discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They didn’t want to stop it altogether, so they have uploaded pre-recorded story times from different queens on their site. It was held once a week for about an hour. 

A fully bearded drag queen presenting at WeHo’s Drag Queen Story Hour. Source

The stories from the age-appropriate books the queens narrate are centered on gender identity, acceptance, being different, etc.

This isn’t surprising for West Hollywood to keep in their public service itinerary, as it’s popularly known as a gay area.

West Hollywood’s rainbow crosswalk. Source

In essence, I want our media to be as gay & accepting as West Hollywood. Even gayer.

This entry might possibly be my most controversial one, because if any hardcore conservative ever read this, I’d likely be sent death threats.

One thing I wish to see in the future is to have something similar like West Hollywood’s Drag Queen story hour for children to teach them about the above topics. Sort of like a Sesame Street, or a Schoolhouse Rock!-type educational program for children to teach them about gender identity & expression.

This pitch would surely give the right wing an aneurism & an immediate rant about “The Gay Agenda”. Exhibit A, when Twitter jagweed bigot Alyssa Sturm brought this up unprompted in defense of Cheeto-in-Chief (again, please allow me my colloquialisms, Professor Clements. It’s my final scrapbook entry & I want to go out with a bang by being my most authentic self):

Source (By the way, she’s an idiot if she, original Tweeter Mark Lutchman, & other conservatives think liberals & progressives clutch their pearls when hearing profanity. I, for one, have a mouth of a sailor who’s stubbed their toe & I am extremely progressive. It’s not the F-bomb that Donald Trump dropped that offends me, it’s literally every single fucking oppressive human rights violations he willingly committed during the entire nightmarish 4 years of his administration that does.)

However, I will proudly stand by this hopeful pitch of mine. There’s so much potential in this idea. This isn’t about a “gay agenda”, but about teaching our children how to be more understanding of the colorful differences people have with their own individual identity. This program could also teach children that the gender binary aren’t your only two choices, & that you may venture outside the binary should you choose to. This is about teaching future generations to have more compassion, acceptance, understanding, & autonomy. 

The fact that most of media we see now is geared towards a heterosexual, cisgender audience, there’s very little rage from the LGBT+ community about a “heterosexual agenda”, even though it’s literally the “norm” of our society. Whether some close-minded people like it or not, queers exist. We will never go away. Eventually, our media will be balanced to both represent & cater to us.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 13: THE FUTURE HOLDS... - LGBT+ Writers

Before I get into my hopefuls for what I want to see in future queer representation, I’d be remiss if I glossed over what goes on behind the scenes. Speaking as someone with media writing, producing, directing (essentially all production departments, really) experience & having gone through film school*, I’ve gained a new perspective on how productions are made. This isn’t to say that all the other positions aren’t important, as they absolutely are part of a well-oiled machine, but there wouldn’t be a production without a concept from a writer.

That’s right! A writer is what kickstarts the whole production process. The other positions then work together to make that concept a reality.

In order to achieve my hopefuls, or my peers’ who are also doing this week’s scrapbook, or even Professor Clements’; things behind the scenes have to fundamentally change. Namely, the writer’s room needs to be queered.

We need writers who better understand & in turn, adequately capture the nuances of the LGBT+. The easiest way to ensure that is to recruit queer members to write these stories. Writers such as Steven Canals of Pose, Justin Simien of Dear White People, Lauren Morelli of Orange is the New Black, & more have gotten both critical & fan praise for their work in enriching the stories of LGBT+ characters.

Journalist Jim Colucci quoting actor Indya Moore’s praise for Pose writer Steven canals, as well as fellow actors from the series. Source 

With the current lacking representation of queer identity, here’s a tip from Twitter user Melissa Capriglione (@mcapriglioneart) that could maybe help faux-progressive writers trying desperately to create palatable queer characters:

Source

[majesticpeonies]

Week 13: THE FUTURE HOLDS... - Introduction

Source

In short, what I want to see in future media representations of the queer community is that I want all colors of the rainbow represented.

By now, I sound like a broken record, considering that I’ve written that exact sentence in both my scrapbook & journal for week 12. But it’s true.

The long version is that especially the American media is lacking in diverse, meaningful representation of the queer community. Most LGBT+ content involves only cisgender gay men or lesbian women. Everything in between & not in between tends to be left in the shadows, or to be supporting characters. Never the lead.

What kind of message does this send to non-cisgender, or bisexual, or transgender, or pansexual, or intersex, or non-binary, etc. people? It tells them that they’re “not enough” while simultaneously being “too much” for cisgender people to accept. This invalidity is ultimately dehumanizing.

This isn’t to say that the current representation we see now is meaningless, as it still absolutely makes some difference. However, everything we see now is a by-product of “palatable queers” made for the conservatives to somewhat tolerate (spoiler alert: this never actually works, because no matter how mellowly represented a gay person is, some right-wing jagweed with a stupid podcast designed for bigots will still shit on it). The issue with making LGBT+ characters to be more palatable to a general audience is that the representation ends up being lackluster & isn’t accurate to their beautiful complexities.

I want more for the LGBT+. My community deserves more. Just as heterosexuality is the norm for our media now, I don’t see why homosexuality is still something so shocking to include. Gender identity, expression, & sexuality are becoming more commonly discussed. With the younger generations, it’s not just a topic of discussion, so much as it’s a revelation to their own gender identity, expression, & sexuality.

I’m hopeful that the American media finally puts an end to trying to satisfy an audience they will never be able to satisfy, & instead, place that focus to satisfying the audiences the piece represents & serves. Queer representation now is so limited that it could feel more like an obligation to support queer content in order to send a message to content creators that queer content is valid. It shouldn’t have to feel like an obligation. The array of queer content we should have to choose from should match the vibrant spectrum of the full rainbow.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 11: WHAT UP WHEN IT AIN’T IN THE US? - Intersexuality

Italy: Arianna (2015)

Directed by Carlo Lavagna

Source

Italian film Arianna is about a teenaged girl flowering into womanhood. Similar to the Lucia Puenzo’s XXY, the protagonist wonders about why her body is so different from other girls.

Source

In my research for this, I’ve failed to find any piece of American media with any intersex representation, because there’s really not any to begin with other than documentaries. Both XXY & Arianna revolutionize LGBT+ media representation by having an intersex lead. Both films capture the difficulties & complexities of growing up as both sexes. Both films also have a young woman as its protagonist.

The majority of the US (the conservative white America) still struggling with tolerating even cisgender portrayals of gay or lesbian characters in media. Intersexuality is something that’ll likely throw these said conservatives into an anger spiral. They simply aren’t ready for this type of representation, despite intersex peoples & LGBT+ members still existing, unwavered by their rejection & refusal to accept their identity. The portrayal of an intersex character in US media is unlikely, but once again, they are very welcome to prove me wrong. In fact, I insist that they prove my expectations wrong & finally represent all colors of the rainbow.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 11: WHAT UP WHEN IT AIN’T IN THE US? - Gender Fluidity

Sweden: Girls Lost (2015)

Directed by Alexandra-Therese Keining

Source

Swedish film Girls Lost follows the story of three bullied teen girls who stumble upon a magic plant that has the power to temporarily turn them into boys. With the transformation, they have to learn how to navigate through their new perspectives as males.

Some people say that this film is a metaphor for transgenderism, while others say that it’s metaphor for gender fluidity. While both do make sense, I would personally argue that fluidity makes a stronger case. Transgenderism is feeling like you’ve been born in the wrong body, & there’s no explicit expression or longing from the girls as such. For this reason, I would think this is a representation in fluidity.

Source

Still, this film makes great progress in representation of the LGBT+. Not only does it represent gender fluidity, but it also confronts sexism, male privilege, societal standards, & more.

This representation of fluidity is seldom represented in US media, especially with such young characters.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 11: WHAT UP WHEN IT AIN’T IN THE US? - Bisexuality

United Kingdom: Appropriate Behavior (2014)

Directed by Desiree Akhavan

Source

Though set in New York City, British film Appropriate Behavior tells the story of a closeted bisexual Persian young woman, Shirin, piecing back together her life after her girlfriend breaks up with her.

The representation of this nails a lot of areas. Firstly, the lead is bisexual. Secondly, she’s a woman. Thirdly, her ethnic background is Persian. 

Source

A bisexual Persian woman-led film. 

I remain hopeful that we see this type of representation in our cinema. I won’t take away the fact that this film (+ the other previous films before this post) involve cisgender people, because their representation still counts for something. It’s still much more diverse compared to what the US is releasing.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 11: WHAT UP WHEN IT AIN’T IN THE US? - Interracial LGBT+ Representation - 2 of 2

Iceland: And Breathe Normally (2018)

Directed by Ísold Uggadóttir

 Source

Icelandic film And Breathe Normally is about a working class struggling single mother, Lara, who takes up a border security job where she meets Adja, a refugee from Guinea-Bisseau fleeing persecution for her lesbian identity after her girlfriend is captured & killed for the same reason. While the film is not your conventional love story, it’s some other type of love story. 

Source

In the film, Lara flags down a discrepancy in Adja’s passport, resulting in her being separated from her family. Lara & Adja end up forming a kinship, where Lara is protective of Adja. It’s a love story rooted in protection, care, & empathy. Lara & Adja share a gentle, intimate love that exists outside of the male gaze. 

Again, this type of interracial love & refugee representation would have white America clutching their pearls. This is something we’ve yet to see in our own cinema.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 11: WHAT UP WHEN IT AIN’T IN THE US? - Interracial LGBT+ Representation - 1 of 2

Finland: A Moment in the Reeds (2017)

Directed by Mikko Mäkelä 

Source

A Moment in the Reeds is a Finnish film about a young man coming back home for holiday from college. While he’s home to help his father renovate their home, he meets Tariq, a Syrian refugee. The two create an unforgettable bond.

The film has some shared plot lines with the US/Italian film Call Me By Your Name, both released in 2017. However, Call Me By Your Name’s story involves only around white men.

Source

The interracial relationship between Leevi, a Finnish man, & Tariq, a Syrian refugee is something the US cinema fails to represent. Our diverse nation is plagued with xenophobia. People of color still face struggle for acceptance, or at the very least, tolerance from white America. Unfortunately, xenophobia has been further become the norm in these past four years under President Fascist Cheeto’s administration (Professor Clements, please don’t dock me down for not addressing him by his proper name. It’s become a “he who shall not be named kinda thing). The portrayed relationship between two men from starkly different backgrounds is an astonishing feat in LGBT+ representation. Especially with Tariq’s Syrian nationality AND being a refugee. This pairing would have white America clutching their pearls. Allow me a(nother) colloquial comment: America could never.

But they’re welcome to prove me wrong.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 11: WHAT UP WHEN IT AIN’T IN THE US? - Introduction

In order to properly compare the US LGBT+ cinema to international LGBT+ cinema, we must first analyze the US’ more recent LGBT+-related releases.

We’re going back 5 years, & picking out a popular LGBT+ film for each year.

Starting with 2015: Carol (dir. Todd Haynes)

Source

Set in 1950′s New York City, Carol chronicles the forbidden love affair between a woman caught in a divorce & a younger woman aspiring to be a photographer.

2016: Moonlight (dir. Barry Jenkins)

Source

Winner of the elusive 2017 Best Picture Academy Award, Moonlight follows the life story of a young Black man, Chiron, who throughout the stages of his life comes to terms with his sexual identity. 

2017: Call Me By Your Name (dir. Luca Guadagnino)

Source

[Could also fall into the Italian LGBT+ cinema in part with US.]

Call Me By Your Name is about a young man on a family vacation in Italy where he meets a student interning for his father, which results in a passionate bond.

2018: Love, Simon (dir. Greg Berlanti)

Source

Love, Simon is (another) coming of age film about a young man whose sexual identity blossoms, despite his hesitance to reveal it to his community. Based on Becky Albertalli’s “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” novel.

2019: Rocketman (dir. Dexter Fletcher)

Source

Rocketman tells the colorful story of openly gay music legend Elton John.

2020 Part 1: Out (dir. Steven Hunter)

Source

Disney+’s short film Out follows the story of a young man whose identity isn’t yet out, but magically swaps bodies (or minds?) with a dog. This is Disney’s first canonically gay animated character.

(Jesus, this is just tone-deaf.)

2020 Part 2: Love, Victor (multiple directors)

Source

Love, Victor is a series spin-off of the film Love, Simon that came out (pun intended) two years prior. It has a similar story with the film it’s spun off from, but with a different protagonist & in TV series format.

What Up When It IS In the US?

In every single one of these above, there’s a common theme of familiarity/relatability, whether it’s through the obvious sexual identity, or race, or age. What I mean by familiarity/reliability is that it’s something the American audience can easily somewhat relate to. All, or most of these have some type of coming of age tale to further normalize the LGBT+ identity. It acknowledges has natural it is.

Another common theme for these above is that it’s led by ~traditional~ gay masculine-presenting men (or lesbian feminine-presenting women in the case of Carol). Any representation of sexual orientation above cisgender gays & lesbians is lacking. There’s barely, if at all, any bisexuals leading in US films & series. Certainly, the transgender, intersex, asexual, non-binary, & other sexual identities’ communities aren’t leading, either. In US mainstream media, what little acceptance the gay community gets is reserved only for gay masculine-presenting men or lesbian feminine-presenting women. The rest are usually just made side characters. Only cisgender LGBT+ get to be the lead in the US. Whether they’re comfortable with being labelled as such, I would say that this choice of only representing LGBT+ members who adhere to the gender binary is still pretty conservative, no matter how much they want to be labeled “progressive” just for producing this type of content. There are more colors in the rainbow than just gay & lesbian.

Mainstream LGBT+ representation in US media is watered down to make it more ‘palatable’ to the prudish American audience.

The most noticeable sub-theme of the familiarity & relatability of these above is the racial representation. Despite the US being perhaps one of the most diverse, if not the most diverse nations, our content is still dominated by white leads. We unfortunately also live in a nation where half of us voted for someone as bigoted, racist, sexist, & openly homophobic as Donald Trump. These films have to cater those audiences, too. Those conservative audiences will likely reject a piece of media if it’s led by a person of color. Imagine how they’d react if an LGBT+ person of color led a film or a series? It’s a guaranteed stupid hashtag to boycott on Twitter waiting to happen.

How we treat & portray the LGBT+ community in media is a direct reflection of our nation’s collective values.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 9: GENDER EXPLOSIONS - Gender Expectations - 2 of 2

A popular example of queered gender in media through shattering gender expectations is Netflix’s Queer Eye. Queer Eye’s cast includes Jonathan Van Ness (non-binary), Antoni Porowski (gender-fluid), & Bobby Berk, Tan France, & Karamo Brown. The last 3 identify as gay men. The whole premise of the show itself already breaks the gender binaries, as it’s centered on LGBTQIA+ people making over some average folk. The cast, while most are male, do not exactly fit the gender binary expectations.

Source

Making over someone isn’t what our society would consider “masculine” activity.

But, beyond that, the cast members destroy any gender expectations. Throughout all episodes of the show, they fearlessly share emotion. There’s a vulnerability they all display. This type of softness would be frowned upon in their (supposed) gender binary’s identity.

Tan France holding Antoni Porowski during a screening of one of their makeover’s progress check-in after they’ve left. Source

Karamo Brown wipes Jonathan Van Ness’ tears during another screening of one of their makeover’s progress check-in. Source

The cast of Queer Eye openly feeling their emotions is defiant of gender binary expectations. Males are instilled with the damaging idea of “boys don’t cry” by society. This dated way of thinking is slowly disappearing as younger generations are championing a more progressive approach to expression (& pretty much everything else).

Two years ago, the cast did a video for Glamour magazine’s YouTube channel. In the video, they all do friendship exercises that shows their vulnerable side. They’re all seen as comfortable, accepting, & unashamed by this display. It’s powerful to see mainstream stars behave in such a way, to be openly affectionate & loving towards one another. Emotions were & are taught to be suppressed by males, as it isn’t “manly”. This vulnerability shown by the cast of Queer Eye shatters what’s expected from the gender binary.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 9: GENDER EXPLOSIONS - Gender Expectations - 1 of 2

Perhaps the most looked-over aspect of the gender binary is expectations from each of the binary gender. This could very well be closely related to gender roles, but this is more about what is expected emotionally from each traditional binary gender & how they’re supposed to present themselves. Again, to be queer is to go against the gender binary grain. In this tradition, men/males are expected to be “tough”, “masculine”, & “machismo”. Women/females are expected to be “soft”, “damsel-like”, & dependent.

An extremely relevant recent example of a queered gender representation that destroys gender expectations in media is the character of Montrose Freeman from HBO’s Lovecraft Country.

Source

Montrose Freeman, portrayed by the talented Michael K. Williams, is the gruff, troubled father of main character Atticus “Tic” Freeman. Upon first glance, Montrose fits the binary mold of what’s to be expected from a man.

Source

His exterior is gruff, & he’s masculine-presenting. Actor Michael K. Williams’ face scar gives another layer to Montrose’s tough exterior. The horror/drama series is set in the 1950′s Jim Crow era in the United States. The all-Black main cast has to deal with both the horrors of American racism AND the supernatural. One character struggles a little more in the show; Montrose Freeman. Montrose is a closeted gay Black man in the American ‘50s. He’s faced with pressure both from the white side & Black side to uphold his masculine exterior.

Montrose attending a drag ball with his secret lover, Sammy. Source 

Over a course of multiple episodes, main character Tic, Montrose’s son, details suffering from physical abuse by Montrose as he was growing up whenever he expressed any “softness” around him. When Montrose’s sexuality is suddenly revealed to Tic, Tic understandably gets angry with his father as he questions why he had to suffer the abuse when his own father is gay.

Montrose’s secret relationship with Sammy is revealed to Tic & his girlfriend Leti. Source 

Eventually, the father/son duo talk about it & there’s not much to be said after. Montrose tells Tic that he himself suffered abuse as a child for the same reasons, in turn, he made the decision to “cut out all of the soft parts out of [himself]” from that day forward. Montrose’s abusive father was also an alcoholic, like him, only Montrose turned to alcoholism to cope with hiding his sexuality. It may not be the easiest piece of representation to watch, as it stays faithful to the prevalent 1950′s homophobic attitudes that’s still felt today in 2020. Montrose’s facade may conform to the binary gender, but his character arc & true identity breaks free of the binary mold for what’s expected from his gender.

When he finally gives in to his truth on the fateful night of the Drag Ball, it was met with varying responses from negative:

Twitter thread between users woo_chamberlain & O2Real expressing their disgust for the portrayal of gay Black men in media (specifically Lovecraft Country). Source

To positive reactions:

Twitter user Kimmer4444 recalls the liberation they felt when they first visited the gay bar after viewing the episode where Montrose attends the Drag Ball. Source

Another positive fan reaction from Twitter user DavidDJones17, thanking the series for making his identity feel visible & represented. Source 

[majesticpeonies]

Week 9: GENDER EXPLOSIONS - Gender Roles

Many Queens/contestants from this competition series would be appropriate to include in this scrapbook entry, but a particularly the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race aired earlier this year, there’s a contestant that stands out more.

Source

Drag queen Jackie Cox (real name: Darius Rose)  from season 12 reveals during her season that this lifestyle isn’t what her parents intended for her to have. (If I interchange pronouns during this entry, it’s because Jackie out of drag has stated that they accept he/him, she/her, & they/them pronouns & she/her pronouns when in drag.) She comes from a conservative Canadian/Iranian household. He states that his mom immigrated to Canada so that he could be a Doctor. Jackie has expressed that his queerness was realized when he was young, but his mother would discourage & deny it. While women are now leveling the medical field, the occupation of being a doctor was once considered “masculine”. Jackie’s mother would discourage their artistic pursuits in favor of a “respectable” & “masculine” occupation.

Darius’ tearful confession of his mother’s rejection. Source

However, Jackie/Darius turns this painful recollection to a stand-up comedy bit for a challenge on Drag Race. In the bit, he impersonates his mother’s indifference for his queerness growing up.

It’s quite a difference for Jackie to instead pursue the effervescent career path of a drag queen to the “traditionally male” doctor. Not only does she reject the gender roles her mom has set for her, she also defies the gender binary by being a drag queen.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 9: GENDER EXPLOSIONS - Identity - 2 of 2

To reiterate, the non-binary identity in & of itself breaks the gender binary mold, as it does not fit it.

Earlier this year, singers Demi Lovato & Sam Smith (who identifies as non-binary themself) released a music video including other queer artists with identities ranging from gender non-conforming, transgender, non-binary, & gay. It also features queer imagery through set design, lighting, & wardrobe. Both artists are popular in the mainstream western music scene.

Screenshots from the music video:

Demi Lovato is a self-proclaimed proud LGBTQIA+ ally & describes herself as “fluid”. Sources: (x), (x)

Queer artists Alok Vaid-Menon, Valentina, Dee TrannyBear, Gigi Goode, & Jeffrey C. Williams along with singer Sam Smith.

[majesticpeonies]

Week 9: GENDER EXPLOSIONS - Identity - 1 of 2

Queered gender representations in media include gender identity. To be queer is to break the standard binary mold most of us have been indoctrinated with. The non-binary identity in & of itself goes outside of the gender binary, as it does not fit this mold.

Unless we come from very progressive backgrounds, we likely weren’t taught anything other than the gender binary.

Actor Asia Kate Dillon, a non-binary actor, has been making strides in film & TV portraying characters that are true to their identity.

Asia Kate Dillon as Taylor Mason in the SHOWTIME series Billions. Source

Taylor Mason introducing themself to their boss, Bobby Axelrod & stating their pronouns in Billions. Source 

SHOWTIME’s Billions is known to be the first television series to include a non-binary character. Taylor Mason is immensely talented with numbers & quickly becomes an asset in the Axe Capital company. There’s a scene where a seasoned staff member from Axe Capital misgenders them with the pronoun “she”, but the CEO Bobby Axelrod corrects him immediately by saying “not she, they.”. Source It might seem small, but this seamless defense of Taylor Mason’s character is important to those who identify as non-binary. Tumblr user cassolotl notes Taylor Mason’s character & these interactions on a mainstream show on their post:

Source

Asia Kate Dillon has portrayed another non-binary character in the third installment of the hit action movie series John Wick.

Dillon as The Adjudicator in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. Source

The Adjudicator (right) confronting Bowery King (left) [portrayed by Laurence Fisburne] & Tick Tock Man (center) [portrayed by Jason Mantzoukas] in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. Source

The Adjudicator’s pronouns are never used in the film, nor are there any clear indications, though actor Asia Kate Dillon states that their character is indeed non-binary. They also state that the film’s director Chad Stahelski, the star of the film, Keanu Reeves, & Lionsgate studio were “[on board for] adding gender diversity in the John Wick universe”. Their character’s inclusion has non-binary, LGBTQIA+, & their supporters campaigning to support the film. Twitter user Trans_Artists is one of these fans:

[majesticpeonies]

Week 9: GENDER EXPLOSIONS - Style/Fashion - 2 of 2

Another media icon that’s been queering gender through fashion is popstar Harry Styles, of One Direction. British boyband One Direction spawned global fame in the early to mid 2010′s reminiscent of Beatlemania. Now a solo act, Harry Styles has broken free from his boyish days & into his own distinct image.

At the 2019 Met Gala. Source

The album cover of “Fine Line”, released December 2019. Source 

Wearing a Glitter Gucci ensemble while performing in Milan, 2018. Source

Photographed by Samuel Bradley. Source

Though he’s never explicitly stated his sexuality, he has defended his sexual ambiguity & spoke about how it’s organic to him in an interview with The Guardian. His style expression includes pieces that would be traditionally “for women”. Regardless of this, it has never stopped him from rocking colors & styles that would be reserved for the opposite sex. He has also been spotted in several concerts happily waving the rainbow pride flag (pictured above) in full support of the LGBTQIA+ community (a whole thread of photos/GIFs here).

This type of fearless expression can be so inspiring to others. Just take it from Twitter user goldnhrrys: