QueerTheory

[pinof]

just married

[queertheory2020-blog]

There are also plenty of “fandoms” to be found on tumblr. The queer fandoms are especially significant, because of the continued growth and acceptance of queer character in TV, movies, etc. Looking back on the posts from a small community of queer individuals discussing their favorite and least favorite characters in the L Word to the post above showcasing a gay couple getting married on Shameless, there’s an obvious change. As Sara Ahmed says “And yet, despite the way in which queer pleasures can circulate as commodities within global capitalism, I want to suggest that they can also work to challenge social norms, as forms of investment,” (Ahmed, 436) which is true in media as we see it today. There is a challenge posed as queer becomes more commercially successful, there is a fear of it being abused. However, for these online queer communities, it gives them an image of what someone like them can look like on screen. There’s still a long way to go in terms of representation, but successes seen in shows like Shameless and The L Word provides an outlet for queer groups to express themselves. (3/3)

Ahmed, Sara. “Queer Feelings.” The Routledge Queer Studies Reader, by Donald E. Hall et al., Routledge, 2013, pp. 422–439.

[paudrach]

Staying proud during the good times and the bad times.

[queertheory2020-blog]

Cont. Artwork made by this user queering quarantine. Stay Home, Stay Proud. Especially in the midst of a pandemic, I see a lot of queer individuals online struggling at home. Younger people are either stuck at home with a family that does not accept them or with nowhere to stay at all. Having an outlet like art is already so beneficial, but having a home for that art like tumblr where people can share and relate to it seems really important for these queer users.

(2/3)

[jade-wests-girlfriend]

I think I’m funnier than I actually am

[queertheory2020-blog]

Searching through the archives on tumblr using popular LGBTQ+ hashtags, I found a lot of users expressing their queerness through art, memes, fashion, and fandoms. This meme for example, shows this users understanding of queer identities. Memes like this (and the many memes I had to make for Queer Theory) relate to different groups of people quickly and effectively. There is scholarly language to describe the subcategories for these queer people, but isn’t it more fun to boil it down to a digestable, funny meme? (1/3)

[queertheory2020-blog]

This article by Douglas Greenwood seems to view many online communities as a negative space for queer individuals. Greenwood references Reddit pages that foster young people with conservative views and use their platforms to dox queer people in the public eye. These groups of people can be dangerous extremists, but they exist in their own spaces. Queer individuals do suffer from online hatred, but this does not negate the fact that there are safe spaces on the internet they can escape to. In an interview conducted by Greenwood with Head of Media at Stonewall, Jeff Ingold, Ingold states “[They/LGBT+ youth] use the internet to help them to understand themselves, find positive role models, and find vital information and support...Our research found that almost all LGBT young people (96%) say the internet helped them understand more about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity” (Greenwood). In particular, Greenwood and myself, see tumblr as a platform filled with like-minded individuals. There are many facets of tumblr that can be used to explore, discover, and feel comforted in one’s identity.

Greenwood, Douglas. “Has the Internet Helped Breed a New Generation of Queerphobia?” I-D Vice, 8 Nov. 2019, i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/8xw7v5/has-the-internet-helped-breed-a-new-generation-of-queerphobia.

has the internet helped breed a new generation of queerphobia?

Study finds Gen Zers have the most negative attitudes to LGBTQ+ people

[queertheory2020-blog]

So, where are the safe spaces for queer people? The internet.

The internet can sometimes seem impossible to navigate as it can be full of hatred, bigotry, and bullying; however, many people have found small corners of the internet with like-minded people they can connect with. Especially in the early-mid 2000s as popularity in online forums grew, queer individuals were able to talk freely and openly about existing outside of heteronormativity. The screenshots above are from a discourse page with a thread of queer individuals talking about “The L Word” (a television drama made in the early 2000s chronicalling the lives of lesbian and bisexual women in Los Angles). The TV show itself garnered a small, but dedicated fandom of queer people who craved the representation of their lives on screen. Forums were subsequentally created and spawned a plethora of queer fans to feel not only represented by the show, but to feel “seen” by other queer people from all over when they may or have had that wherever they happened to live in real life.

[queertheory2020-blog]

Heterosexuality is deeply rooted in society as the norm. Because of this, hetero ideals function as the fighting force in how people live. Existing anywhere outside of the heteronormative causes a state of discomfort, specifically, amongst people who identify on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Sara Ahmed’s “Queer Feelings” dissects the way in which queer individuals navigate the heteronormative world. She states “Queer subjects feel the tiredness of making corrections and departures; the pressure of this instance, this presumptions, this demand that asks either for a “passing over...” or for direct or indirect forms of self revelation” (Ahmed, 424). Those that can adapt to heteronormativity will be provided with safety and comfort in expressing themselves, however, safe spaces for queer indivuals are limited.

Ahmed, Sara. “Queer Feelings.” The Routledge Queer Studies Reader, by Donald E. Hall et al., Routledge, 2013, pp. 422–439.

[queertheory2020-blog]

Hello, my name is Gabby and I’m working on a final project for my Queer Theory class. I have a short questionnaire for the online queer community and I’d appreciate some volunteers to answer these questions by replying to this post.

1) Any general information about yourself that you are willing to share (ie age, location, how long you’ve been on tumblr, pronouns, etc)?

2) Are there any real life spaces where you feel safe and represented as a queer individual? If so, how do you represent your “queerness” in this/these space(s)?

3) Are there any online spaces where you feel safe and represented as a queer individual? If so, how do you represent your “queerness” in this/these space(s)?

4) If you have been in the online queer community for awhile, how would you say the internet has changed the way queers are able to communicate and express themselves over time? (You can use as much or as little personal experience as you’d like!)

Thank you!