#there was like NO lgbtq+ representation during my youth

[jerzwriter]

List of Your Ten Childhood Ships

Thanks @thefirstcourtesan for tagging me. I'm so showing my age here, lol I'm going to count "childhood" right up through the end of high school for these purposes. God, I'm straining my brain. lol What's sad is, outside of Jodie Dallas on Soap, I cannot even recall a queer character, much less pairing, from my childhood. How sad is that? So this list is def hetero as it comes.

This is in no order - not really...

Princess Leia and Han Solo - Star Wars: OK, this was THE couple of my childhood. I was OBSESSED and still am. There was NO better movie than The Empire Strikes Back. The "I love you." "I know." sequence. Goddamn, I've always had a type; it goes back to childhood. I'm ashamed (not really).

Lando Calrissian & Princess Leia - Star Wars: OK - this is bringing back memories - and this is fucking crazy - I did write fanfic as a kid, and it was a Han/Leia/Lando triangle (as good as a 5th grader can write...). God, I'd kill to have that notebook now, and OMG, what a predictor for DTI. 😂😂😂 Even as a tween, I knew that would have been some juicy triangle that never came to be. lol

Sandy & Danny - Grease: Some asides. I was WAY too young to be watching this when it was out (my Mom was insane). Most of it went over my head, and in retrospect, I am so anti-most messages in Grease - but that doesn't mean I don't still love it. I do. And OMG How I loved Sandy & Danny and danced around my living room pretending I was them. lol

Jessie & Angie - All My Children: I was a soap junkie, so I have a lot of soap ships - but this is one of my all-time favorites. A modern-day Romeo & Juliet, and the soap world's first true black super-couple. Angie's well-to-do family forbade a relationship with her obvious soulmate, Jesse. They eventually got together, but in true soap fashion, that didn't last. A death that wasn't really a death, among other things, impeded. But how I remember watching those summers and rushing home from school to check the VCR and pray it recorded. lol OLD SCHOOL!

Kevin & Winnie - The Wonder Years: This was the sweetest show and first love story. The ending was so poignant and probably led to my penchant for beautiful but heart-wrenching endings. I need to rewatch this sometime.

Maddie & David - Moonlighting: This one makes me sad, thinking of Bruce Willis's current condition. 😢 These two drove each other crazy, but the sexual tension radiated from the TV screen. They were the ultimate "will they???" couple, and even when they did, they still never really got it together, but that didn't mean I stopped rooting for them. Sadly, this show is just about completely not available on streaming/reruns due to musical copyright issues.

Nina Cortland & Cliff Warner - All My Children: Told you. I was a soap addict, and AMC will forever be my favorite show. I don't remember how old I was, but I remember that their wedding took place THE DAY that we went back to school, and my prepubescent little girlfriends and I LOST OUR SHIT. This wasn't the days of reruns, this wasn't the days of DVR, this wasn't even the days of Soap Central (y'all don't even know what that is). These were the days of "You missed it, bitch - so sad." And I was...I was...

Maria & Georg - The Sound of Music: OK - I loved musicals from a very young age, and I am forever obsessed with The Sound of Music. I had a mad crush on Georg as a young girl, proof that assholes with a heart underneath it all have ALWAYS been my thing. lol

Dwayne & Whitley - A Different World: It was not a pairing I liked the idea of - initially. Whitley was such a spoiled, obnoxious, rich princess at the start, and Dwayne didn't seem like he'd ever have a chance, but as time moved on, they made it work, and I tuned in each week, dying for them to finally get together.

John & Claire: The Breakfast Club - What can I say - I have a type? lol This was the iconic couple of my teen years, and if had been writing fanfic at that time, I would have had a treasure trove for them.

Tagging @jamespotterthefirst @liaromancewriter @lucy-268 @genevievemd @angelasscribbles @icecoffee90 @cariantha @doriopenheart @peonierose @potionsprefect @coffeeheartaddict2 @lilyoffandoms @storyofmychoices @annoyingmillenialnewbie @utterlyinevitable and anyone who wishes to jump in and play!

[nysocboy]

My Boyfriend and My Satanist Ex-Boyfriend at Thanksgiving Dinner: A Kelvin/Keefe/Daedalus Adventure

This story takes place during Season 2

As they drove up to the house, Mama and his little nephew Jimmy came out onto the porch to meet them.   Hugs all around.

After a "Nice to meet you," Jimmy disappeared with their overnight bags, but Mama kept her hands firmly attached to Kelvin's arm.   "Reverend Gemstone, it's such a pleasure to have you in my home! I wanted to thank you in person for all you've done for my boy. But, you know, I've never seen him sing on the 'Praise Be to He' hour.  He has a wonderful voice, you know."

"That's not really my decision, Ma'am," Kelvin said, although actually it was.

"Mama!" Keefe exclaimed.  "You're embarrassing me."

"No, I'm not.  But listen to me rattling on.  You must be tired after your trip.  The men are watching football in the study.  You can join them, if you like.  Or would you like to go up to your room and relax until dinner?"  She pulled them into the foyer, said "Let me just take this ice chest to the kitchen," and vanished.

Keefe had no interest in sports, but he figured that the game would be the safest, and steered Kelvin to the study.  His brother-in-law Henry on the recliner.  His nephew Austin on the couch...and sitting next to him...what the heck was he doing here?

"Keefe, baby, I've been waiting for you!"  His ex-boyfriend leapt to his feet and hugged him.  He looked very different from when they were dating, much more conservative, not at all like the boy who flew too close to the sun (that was actually Icarus, not Daedalus, but they were really high when they came up with their nicknames). 

 His arms around Keefe, his tight, hard body pressing against him, brought back memories of a thousand nights with the band, performing, getting cruised by fanboys,  dreaming of stardom...and a thousand nights in the bedroom after, Daedalus gently stroking his hair while Keefe went down on him.  Kelvin was not at all gentle -- he was a roaring lion in bed, laying waste to his body with a passion so intense that it was a little frightening.

"Um..hi...Daedalus..." Keefe said, reddening as he began to get aroused.  "I haven't seen you since..."

"The night you broke my heart?"  He broke away and laughed.  "Just kidding."  He turned to Kelvin and held out his hand.  "And this must be your happily-ever-after guy."

"What?" Kelvin pretended to be surprised.  No, I'm Kelvin Gemstone, the youth pastor at the Salvation Center, Keefe's boss."

Daedalus looked more closely.  "Oh, right, I remember you from the night you broke up Baby Queef's performance at Club Sinister. You should have seen him, Henry -- we had Keefe in this isolation tank that symbolized the womb, right, and Indiana Jones here comes splashing in, tearing off the tubes that brought him oxygen, hugging him, kissing him -- the guy's mouth was full of amniotic fluid, mind you -- and whispering 'I love you. I love you.'...do you do that for all of your 'housemates,' Kelv Baby?"

"It was part of the act.  We arranged it in advance," Kelvin said, lying again to save face -- and to avoid admitting that it was the moment when he realized that he was in love with Keefe.  An important moment!  One you should want to share.

"Sounds exciting," Henry said. "You should have taped it."

The full story, with illustrations, is on Righteous Gemstones Beefcake and Boyfriends

[masonuf]

Post for 1/26

"Kamuiden" by Shirato was probably my favorite reading for this semester thus far. I loved the amount of gorgeous detail that the author put into each panel. Everything feels deliberately crafted. I appreciate the fact that not all of the panels contain dialogue so that the reader can savor the art in full, and perhaps wonder to themselves what the characters are feeling or thinking in the moment. It is nice when authors leave some room for interpretation in their works. Also, I'd like to share my favorite exchange of dialogue:

"Where are your weapons?"

"I don't need any…"

*proceeds to lose the fight but looks awesome while doing it*

"Postwar Manga" by Kinsella was an interesting read, as well. As a fan of young adult-oriented manga, I found the origins of gekiga to be quite inspiring. Despite its common association with "poorly educated young urban workers and anti-establishment politics," it seems to me that gekiga was established by passionate young artists who genuinely care about the state of their future. Through experiencing laborious daily lives, I imagine that the young migrant workers reading these books must have had many opportunities to resonate with the tenacious characters within them. For example, there is probably a reason why the beloved Kamui from "Kamuiden," as a cunning maverick locked in a prolonged battle against oppression, became so popular during the era.

Furthermore, I imagine that several parallels can be drawn between the American conservatives' modern efforts to ban LGBTQ literature in school libraries and the Japanese conservatives' attempts to ban the sale of manga and gekiga dramas in 1968. To me, the Japanese conservatives' conflation of adolescent manga with violent and anti-social activities sounds all too familiar to the typical American conservatives' rationale that the representation of LGBTQ ideas corrupts the precious minds of the youth. If it is not obvious from my tone, I find both of these efforts to be utterly ridiculous and backwards.

Image of commonly banned LGBTQ literature from https://www.ajc.com/education/movement-would-ban-lgbtq-books-online-materials-from-school-libraries/DNPFYVOB3FEC5KULDR7XG2LFM4/.

[creativinn]

Utah’s LGBTQ+ youth find connection with art exhibition ‘A Hug Away’

This story is jointly published by nonprofits and The Salt Lake Tribune, in collaboration with, to elevate diverse perspectives in local media through student journalism.

Zee Kilpack grew up in Willard, a small town in northern Utah, where they spent every Sunday in church, surrounded by family and community members.

In high school, Kilpack said they remembered having a crush on their same-sex best friend and not understanding why they felt that way. Worse, Kilpack didn’t feel like they could confront this feeling, after watching a fellow student come out as gay and suffer community backlash.

“Their family were treated unfairly, and unfortunately, the kid eventually committed suicide,” Kilpack said. “This experience showed me that I shouldn’t come out to my family.”

It wasn’t until they moved to Salt Lake City that Kilpack found the language and understanding to find a community in which they belonged. Once Kilpack met other young queer people like them, it was easier to open up and find their identity.

“My family was still in Willard … it’s such a closed community that I was worried that if I came out — even if I didn’t live at home anymore — that reputation would follow my family and they’d be excluded from the community there,” Kilpack said.

These experiences motivated Kilpack, along with other members of the LBGTQ+ community, to spread awareness about suicide prevention through art. Lilian Agar, a queer artist from Mexico, brought these voices together with an art exhibit called “A Hug Away.”

The exhibition ran in January at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art in January, and ran May through July at Salt Lake Community College.

Agar’s art now can be seen on her website, LillyAgar.com. There, Agar also features behind-the-scenes photos, artist’s notes, LGBTQ+ suicide prevention resources, and a virtual, three-dimensional representation of the exhibit.

Agar said the exhibition is on display at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, on the University of Utah campus, now through the end of October — though efforts to open it to the public are still in the works. Agar said she has joined the institute’s campaign to end the stigma about mental health.

(Agar also is producing a series of events in October to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month. One of those involves a project, “New Perspective,” that she first displayed in Los Angeles in 2019.)

On her website, Agar described “A Hug Away” as “a tribute to life, focused on Suicide Awareness and more specifically, the LGBTQ+ youth in living in Utah.” The exhibit, Agar said, also serves as an important reminder to the community that love and kindness are necessary in a world filled with prejudice and hate.

“During the pandemic, we couldn’t be around our loved ones and [we] couldn’t touch them, and we were suddenly hyper aware of how much we wanted to hug our loved ones,” she said.

The exhibit included four paintings — accompanied by headphones for audio — and one mirror with copper tape, all of which provided a glimpse into the life story and growth of four LGBTQ+ community members. Each painting was connected to a motion sensor, to allow the listener to learn about the subject’s past, present and future.

(Matthew Parent) Students at Salt Lake Community College listen to the audio accompanying one of the portraits in artist Lilian Agar's exhibition "A Hug Away" at Salt Lake Community College's South City Campus. The exhibition ran over the summer at SLCC, and is at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah through October 2022. (matthew_parent/)

Agar shared her personal story, about growing up in Mexico and moving in with her mother at 14 years old.

“[My mother] was very concerned that I was becoming ‘machona,’ which is a term in Mexico to say a female that is more manly,” Agar said. “She threw away my clothing and she was like, ‘Now you’re going to wear pink.’”

Agar said she wanted those who didn’t even know they were queer to hear stories about people like them and to not feel alone. That sentiment motivated Maddison Cam, who is trans-nonbinary, to become a part of the project.

“I knew that it was going to be in service to the queer community here in the valley,” Cam said. “So that’s what really got me. It was just knowing that anything I did was going to be in service to a greater purpose.”

Cam, a Salt Lake City performance artist, is no stranger to sharing stories through art. Their one-person puppetry drag and burlesque show, first performed at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival, shared a message about what Cam called the “ridiculous nature of gender.���

Cam said they believe visual messages can make a difference to the queer community. “I never regret coming out as nonbinary,” they said. “How can you regret your truth?”

Editor’s note • If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, provides 24-hour support by dialing 988, or 1-800-273-8255.

Jonnathan Yi wrote this story as a journalism student at Salt Lake Community College. It is published as part of a collaborative including nonprofits and The Salt Lake Tribune.

This content was originally published here.

[letterboxd]

A Cinematic Outcoming.

From Istanbul to Chicago, and C.R.A.Z.Y. to Spirited Away, Letterboxd member, writer and film programmer Emre Eminoğlu explores the films that drove his gay awakening.

“I see it as my duty to never shut up about how representation matters.” —Emre Eminoğlu

I was one of the luckiest ones, yet I had no idea how lucky I was. Growing up in Istanbul, Turkey, a predominantly patriarchal, conservative and homophobic society, my luck was being born into an open-minded, secular and loving family.

In this bubble, I was isolated from the struggles of the majority of my people. I was not bullied at school by my peers, I was not forced into being someone else by my family. Yet I still had that voice in my head. As soon as I realized something could be different with me, I became my own bully and forcefully adopted a fictional persona: ‘exceptionally normal’.

Coming out was hard, but coming out to myself was harder. Although I was perfectly aware of my sexual identity, I could not come to terms with the possibility of being ‘abnormal’. Cue cinema. Watching films was a way of escape for high-school Emre—it still is—and it was inevitable that I would come across some LGBTQ+ films. I was not consciously in search of a ‘truth’ about myself but I started seeing my reflection in them, as they slowly disarmed the bully I involuntarily created.

Twenty years later, now, as a 34-year-old gay man professionally writing on cinema and television, I see it as my duty to never shut up about how representation matters. Streaming LGBTQ+ shows on various platforms, seeing widely released, mainstream LGBTQ+ films, listening to the music of openly LGBTQ+ stars, and hearing words of wisdom like “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”, I am confident that the personal, inner bully that I created twenty years ago would not survive a week in today’s world.

‘C.R.A.Z.Y.’ (2005)

Jean-Marc Vallée’s C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) was definitely not the first LGBTQ+ film I ever watched, but it was an invaluable juncture in my life. It was a hot summer in Istanbul, freshman year of college was over. One of my best friends, who had been accompanying me through most of my cinematic discoveries, told me about a French-Canadian film with this guy on the film poster with David Bowie makeup on his face. We headed to an independent theater in Kadıköy to see it.

Zachary Beaulieu was different. As the lone gay son in a family of five boys, he too was forcefully adopting a fictional persona, and his way of escape was music. He was constantly worried about how to be worthy of his parents’ love, how to realize their ideals of him, and how his difference and truth contradicted all of that. Zac’s 1960s basically mirrored my story in the 2000s. I perfectly muted the life-changing enlightenment I was going through and did not vocalize my inner screams.

In two hours, C.R.A.Z.Y. helped me realize my true self and admit my sexual identity after all those years. It was a personal threshold I had been longing to cross… but there was still a lot to go through.

‘Les Amours Imaginaires’ (Heartbeats, 2010)

Liking someone, falling for someone, being loved, dating someone, sex, refusals, misinterpretations, heartbreaks, break-ups, bad sex. On the other side of the closet, I was being introduced to new, sometimes euphoric, sometimes gut-wrenching experiences. But coming out to my friends was still a challenge. I was feeling so lonely keeping all these wonderful and horrible experiences in my chest.

But I was not alone: LGBTQ+ films were my life’s understudy. The same heartbreaks, worries, and disappointments I was going through were right there on the silver screen. I took note as two best friends, Francis and Marie, fall for the same guy and navigate their friendship in Xavier Dolan’s Les Amours Imaginaires (Heartbeats, 2010). I studied how a popular student, Jarle, falls for the new guy in school, but cannot risk his reputation to be with him in Stian Kristiansen’s Mannen som Elsket Yngve (The Man Who Loved Yngve, 2008) and I watched as close friends Tobi and Achim become lovers, until one’s need to keep everything secret threatens to destroy the relationship in Marco Kreuzpaintner’s Sommersturm (Summer Storm, 2004).

Things were not always accessible via online platforms and the internet, so film festivals were often the only chance to see the latest independent and queer films. Two of the biggest film festivals in Istanbul, thankfully, had LGBTQ+-focused sections; !f’s Gökkuşağı (Rainbow) and Istanbul Film Festival’s Nerdesin a��kım? (Where are you, my love?) felt like home.

‘Tomboy’ (2011)

Being the lone avid cinephile among my friends, I was used to seeing half of my festival picks alone. Even before coming out to myself, my hopes for a romantic relationship included, among other things, having a festival partner. When I, fortunately, found the one, I was delighted to have also found the perfect festival partner. Shortly after our first month together, the first film we saw at a film festival was Céline Sciamma’s Tomboy (2011).

Although I was a 24 year old cis man, I was more than able to empathize with the title character, a ten-year-old trans boy. With his family unaware of his true identity, Mickaël experiences the liberation of a fresh start when ‘mistaken’ for a boy after they move to a new neighborhood—finally able to introduce himself as Mickaël, not Laure.

Changing my career path, a new job in the creative industry, and a stable relationship had similar effects on me. I was still not completely out to my parents, or some of my friends, schoolmates, and acquaintances from my past, but I was freed of the obligation to explain anything to my new friends or colleagues. I would proudly introduce them to my boyfriend, or simply correct people by saying I was attracted to men during a conversation. The perfect festival partner turned out to be a perfect partner as well—over the past ten years, he has helped me grow and be proud of myself.

‘Weekend’ (2011)

We moved in together in the fifth year of our relationship. Right above our bed hangs a poster of Andrew Haigh’s Weekend (2011). At the time we saw it, it was just another film that we watched together and liked—no significance, no symbolism. It is the story of two young men, Russell and Glen, who are fascinated by the connection they find between each other, and are surprised how their one-night-stand evolved into the perfect weekend. When Glen reveals that he will be leaving for another country the very next day, it only makes their connection stronger, and their time together more precious. Being a timid and socially anxious person, none of my romantic relationships or my friendships had formed this organically. Even my first date with my partner was a disaster. We built what we have now over time, slowly and patiently. I did not believe in ‘weekends’.

And yet, one summer night, we met a guy on Grindr, as we occasionally did. What we thought was just another one night stand was in fact a transformative experience for us both. Intense conversation, a triple connection, the drinks we enjoyed instead of hurrying to bed, and the passionate sex turned that casual one-night-stand into a magical reality for us. We realized that we still had feelings and instincts to discover in ourselves and in each other. Over a week-long, unexpected, unpredictable polyamorous fling, we learned to act as one instead of two—only to find out that he was leaving for another country the very next week. This was our ‘weekend’.

‘Hamam’ (Steam: The Turkish Bath, 1997)

Thinking how LGBTQ+ films of other cultures and languages had played a significant role in some precious, threshold-crossing moments of my life, it was alienating not being able to feel embraced and represented openly in Turkish cinema. There were certainly multiple Turkish LGBTQ+ films or characters, but they were in films addressing more urgent issues—right to live, violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, honor murders, trans murders—rather than the nuanced experience of queer love.

Although I discovered it years after it was released, Italian-Turkish director Ferzan Özpetek’s Hamam (Steam: The Turkish Bath, 1997) was a mind-blowing experience for me. The relationship, and the sexual tension, between Francesco, the Italian heir to a building with a Turkish bath in it, and Mehmet, the young son of the family managing the compound, felt much closer to my story and my cultural, familial identity.

Aşk, Büyü vs. (Love, Spells and All That, 2019)

Today, I am glad to see more and more filmmakers finding the courage to maintain the LGBTQ+ narrative in Turkish cinema, despite the oppressive, intolerant and exclusionary policies. Some are telling the youthful, urban stories I was longing for at the time: In Leyla Yılmaz’s Bilmemek (Not Knowing, 2019), Umut, a high-school athlete from a middle-class family in Istanbul, is bullied by his so-called modern and open-minded teammates after not replying to a query about whether he is gay or not. In Ümit Ünal’s Aşk, Büyü vs. (Love, Spells and All That, 2019), Eren and Reyhan, two adult women reunite in the magical atmosphere of The Princes’ Islands on the Istanbul coast, decades after they were forcefully separated by their parents.

The story of me coming out to myself all started with an urge to escape reality through cinema, and on the way, I found films that gave meaning to my muddled existence. When I saw Levan Akin’s And Then We Danced (2019), I smiled as I noticed the Spirited Away poster in Merab’s room; this minor detail another reminder that I was not alone. Merab, a gay dancer who is part of a very traditional and conservative Georgian dance company, was dealing with similar challenges in his life. He was trying to discover his true identity in a society that does not celebrate being different. He was too, finding an escape in cinema.

Coming out was hard. It still is. A recent Instagram post by the 27-year-old actor Connor Jessup, who came out as gay two years ago, reminded me coming out is not a single moment, but a never-ending process, a ‘becoming’. He writes, “When I first came out, a friend wrote to me and said, ‘Now you can really start coming out.’ Start? I thought. I just did it. But he was right. […] I’m going to keep trying. I’m going to keep looking.”

I keep trying, and looking. Learning about myself, my identity, my relationship. And LGBTQ+ films keep helping and inspiring me, just as they did in my journey to accept myself and become the person I am today. This is the power of cinema; unconsciously, you see your past, actuality and possibilities through the stories filmmakers tell. And I am so grateful to these filmmakers.

Related content

The Ten Greatest Turkish Films of All Time, according to the Turkish Film Critics’ Association

Emre’s Favorite LGBTQ+ Films: a personal top 50

Queer Films in Turkish Cinema—a list by Atakan

The Top 100 Turkish Movies of the 21st Century: Emre’s personal favorites

[wtfockinternational]

An article about wtFOCK translated from Dutch:

How wtFOCK conquers taboos through trial and error

wtFOCK: for one person a key player, for the other a rather strange combination of consonants. Young people can’t seem to stay away from the successful web series. The new season has started, so we can look back at the previous one. For three months many fans were glued to their screens for a sixteen-year-old’s coming-out. Did this pave a way for more and honest representation of LGBTQ+-problems, or did they occasionally stray from that path?

“‘Secret’ series wtFOCK became the most popular search term on Google in 2019”, various media reported in December. This news seemed to come as a surprise, because many people seemed to have never heard of the term, let alone the web series. And still the series could crown itself the proverbial king of last year’s Google. How did that happen?

The online series that arrived here from Norway mostly seems a hit with teenagers and young adults. In nine weeks’ time the third season got about 11.8 million online views, SBS Belgium said. In total around 400,000 young people between 15 and 34 would be watching the series.

The presumed reason for the success? Young people can follow the characters daily via their smartphones through short, real-time updates and real Instagram-accounts. So ideal in a world where watching linear television, especially for the younger generation, becomes more out of the question. Besides that the series is kept out of the media consciously, to preserve its authenticity and let young people discover it on their own. So far, so good, it seems.

Homosexual main character

Concretely wtFOCK follows the lives of young people in secondary school, where all kinds of teenage troubles don’t get avoided. Since the previous season more social problems are being discussed, too. The series tackled a topic that still hasn’t completely removed itself from the taboo atmosphere: homosexuality, a coming-out, and everything that comes with it. From absolute peaks to the sometimes painful lows we are witnesses to the bumpy road towards self-acceptance that sixteen-year-old Robbe experiences.

But is that a new thing, an LGBT-character in Flemish fiction? Florian Vanlee researches the LGBTQ+-representation in Flemish television series at Ghent University. He clarifies: “About 20 percent of productions is said to have a prominent LGBT-character. Regarding supporting characters, it’s about 33 percent. That’s a relatively large part.”

It does seem the first time that in a commercial youth television the full attention of the main character goes towards homosexuality. “It’s remarkable how instantaneously the focus explicitly goes towards homosexuality. wtFOCK is therefore a very valuable program”, Vanlee says. The question therefore arises how the new form of representation was received by the LGBTQ+-community.

About recognition and self-acceptance

Amver Maselis, a 20-year-old bisexual student from Hove, has been a fan of the original SKAM. When the series ended in Norway, she started to follow the other remakes. Therefore her interest also brought her to wtFOCK. Passionately she talks about a series which she clearly values a lot. “I’ve been following the project for several years, and despite the subtle differences between shows, the main topics are always portrayed nicely.”

Out of all the remakes she thinks wtFOCK is the best one. Then again, the Flemish version connects the most with her own environment. “Now that the series has arrived in Antwerp, in my own culture, it suddenly feels very close to home.”

It helps that she really recognizes herself in Robbe, the main character that comes out of the closet to his friends and family in his teenage years. “It touches me, because I notice that I’ve sometimes said or felt the same things. Back then it was a huge secret I kept to myself. Now I know that it’ll all be fine,” says Amber. ‘ For other young people the series could be encouraging, like SKAM was for me three years ago, when I had just come out of the closet and I has to learn to accept myself.”

22-year-old Fabio Olivieri from Antwerp seems to share that opinion. As a teenager he barely saw a gay character to which he could relate. It comforts him to know that that’s different for the youth today. Besides that he commends the portrayal of the fact that members of the LGBT-community often have to learn to accept themselves, too. “sometimes it’s hard to learn how to deal with it, to know how you feel and if you want to feel that way. That’s portrayed beautifully.”

“Do you have questions?”

So the storyline can be a comfort to youth who can relate to it. wtFOCK also consciously wants to focus on that aspect. Not only by pushing the subject forward, but also by working together with the online platform WAT WAT. This initiative of the Flemish Government is a bundling of forces of more than 70 organizations to inform the youth. Together, those organizations want to make sure that “all young people are confident and can develop their identity in a positive manner.” On the website, youth can find answers about exam stress, problems at home, but also about sex, sexuality, … you name it.

After every clip of wtFOCK the possibility to visit watwat.be is shown, “in case you have questions”. That initiative pleases Ferre Lamber, a 25-year-old man from Antwerp who remembers how he also went to the internet for questions about his homosexuality when he was younger. “Sometimes it’s just hard to tell someone directly that you’re doubting your sexual orientation. So I can definitely imagine that young people will look online for answers.”

This way, wtFOCK wants to do more than just entertain. “Even though it’s fiction, which automatically entails the aspect of entertainment, that is not the essence of our show”, screenwriter Bram Renders says, incidentally also the writer of youth series W817. “We mostly want to show the youth that they’re not alone. That element is strongly present, and it’s nice that we can convey that message like this.”

The harsh reality

Thus, the series carries an important reality, which can be harsh sometimes. Fabio isn’t sure if he can always appreciate that. “I thought that the homophobia in wtFOCK was pretty cruel sometimes. Somehow that’s a good thing, because real life is like that, too. I’ve already experienced that myself. But in series the focus is generally on all the problems gay characters come into contact with. It would have been nice to see that this wasn’t the case. It has two sides.”

One specific scene that, for the same reason, caused a bomb of critical reactions on Twitter to explode, was when gay bashing was shown shortly, but very explicitly. The choice to portray it, is understandable based on the fact that it’s still a real and current problem today. At the end of December, two LGBT-boys in Ghent became victims of gay bashing. In Het Nieuwsblad they called for other victims to not stay silent, but to report such senseless violence to the police. However, in wtFOCK it’s shown how the main character and his boyfriend decide not to go to the police.

Ferre can understand that decision. “As a victim you want to avoid even more trouble and je need the strength to do something about it. I understand that not everyone would have that. One single right way to deal with gay bashing doesn’t exist.”

Ferre is concerned by, is the way in which the show depicted the incident as a while. The scene depicts how Robbe and his boyfriend get verbally abused and attacked. It end abruptly with the two left injured. Only the next day do we as viewer get to know if everything is okay. “Two years ago, when I hadn’t been with my boyfriend for that long, we were followed, too. After, we cuddled, drank tea, and watched a series, … at moment like that you just want to be together lovingly. You want to know if everything will be okay. But in wtFOCK nothing happened on the night itself and the matter was resolved quickly afterwards.”

Criticism

So more clarity would have been appropriate. The possibilities that you have as a victim after such an incident weren’t emphasized enough according to Ferre. Especially not for a show that has the support of a platform like WAT WAT.

This is clearly not the first time that Bram Renders hears this criticism. He has already given up on reading reactions on Twitter, he jokes. Hesitantly he does admit that they could’ve handled the scene better.

‘How it was protrayed, is more intense than how I imagined it during my rose-colored writing process.’  He says. ‘ That’s no criticism towards the director, because you can never know something like that beforehand. But in hindsight it would have been appropriate to show a follow-up-clip, in which they come home for example. As writeryou always have moments of which you think that it would have been better if you handled them differently; this is one of them.’

Besides that it was a conscious decision to make wtFOCK more heavy than the original SKAM. That decision came after prior conversations with people from the LGBTQ+-community. ‘According to the most people I talked to, was the internal struggle of the main character in the original version too small en was the world around him to rose-colored. So we made that world more raw.’ said Renders.

Ignorance

Then again, benefit of such heavy scenes is the awareness it brings about in viewers outside the LGBTQ+-community. “If you don’t know anyone who’s gay, then you also don’t know how we feel and how we experience certain things,” Fabio emphasizes. “I think that because of wtFOCK people can become more aware. Especially with the amount of young people that watch the series, it can provide more understanding and tolerance.”

Ferre also thinks that larger audiences are show what LGBT-people have to deal with. “Nowadays we don’t know enough about each other’s lives. I noticed that when colleagues or friends asked surprised if certain scenes are really like that, and if I’m really scared to hold hands with my boyfriend in the streets. The different seasons of wtFOCK provide good insights into different problems and how people handle them”, he decides.

Of course, purely scientifically it’s hard to determine such an impact on the audience. But intuitively speaking, that impact is already very logical, researcher Florian Vanlee (UGent) clarifies. “On one side, it can be important for people who do not meet the social standard to see their own experiences portrayed. On the other side, it can make those experiences for those who have less knowledge about it more obvious.”

New insights get subtly imparted throughout the series, but sometimes also in a more explicit manner, like in the part about the Gay Pride. At one point Robbe sneering tells his homosexual roommate that he isn’t the kind of person to dance around at Prides with “plumes in his hole”. That roommate is a more extravagant character that is mostly portrayed as support, with wise advice. He offers Robbe (but mostly the viewer) rebuttal with a short, but emotional history lesson. “Do you know that those people had to fight to be who they are?”, it sounds.

The show is undoubtedly referring to the protests of Stonewall which later grew into the Gay Prides all over the world. Something that is often forgotten, gets emphasized here: that people in the LGBTQ+-community had to travel a long and difficult path to have equal rights today and to be able to completely be themselves.

Amber thinks it’s very important for that history to be highlighted. “That people would rather die than not be able to be who they are, is the basic principle of the Gay Pride. There’s more behind it than semi-naked, dancing people, as some still see it.”

Better representation

Referring to the Gay Pride, Ferre admits to be somewhat disappointed about the type of main character in this season of wtFOCK. According to him it also could’ve been a more pronounced type for once. According to him, LGBTQ+-representation is focused on the so-called ‘mainstream’ LGBT-people too often.

At the start of September the topic got a lot of attention, when radio-dj Wanne Synnave (MNM) made the following statement in the talkshow Vandaag: “The biggest problem is that all the role models you see conform to the cliché image. I’ve never been able to identify myself in that area. I think that there’s a need for more mainstream LGBT-role models, the normal man and woman in the street. So not those flamboyant role models, which are pretty cliché.”

That statement caused a lot of outrage in the LGBTQ+-community. Many people didn’t agree, and had the opinion that there were already plenty of LGBT-people portrayed according to ‘hetero standards’. Florian Vanlee (UGent) confirms that in Flanders very little stereotypical characters are portrayed. “You could almost go so far as to say that the majority of the LGBT-characters are a sort of reverse-stereotype. For example, you will very rarely find very flamboyant gay characters.”

So television program makers represent (admittedly with good intentions) in a very general manner. “But exactly because of that, a large part of the LGBT-community are kept out of the picture”, Vanlee says. So there is need for more varying representation.

Balance

In the specific case of wtFOCK we can argue that the show follows the original format from Norway, and takes satisfaction in the extravagant gay character Milan, the roommate. “It’s hard to find a good balance”, screenwriter Bram Renders says. “In this case I thought that that balance with the ‘out in the open, take it or leave it’-roommate was enough.

In addition, according to Florian Vanlee, it’s not fair to judge individual series on those choices. “That’s not the right way to deal with what we want to see in media and popular culture”, Vanlee thinks. “Nowadays, in Flanders, it’s normal to represent LGBT-characters, for example Kaat in the soap Thuis. That was already an important step. What could be better, isn’t the responsibility of the television-industry, but also the discourse it generates,” he decides.

Finally, representation in Flemish media doesn’t just concern LGBTQ+-characters. It’s also important to look at the portrayal of people with a migration background or with different religions, for example. But wtFOCK doesn’t shy away from that either. In the fourth season, the show takes a new taboo by the horns by making Yasmina, a Muslim character, the main. It remains to be seen how the young, but critical audience will find the new theme.

[hellomynameisbisexual]

Dr. Lauren Beach was 14 years old when she/they first came out as bisexual. Beach revealed the truth to friends and curious classmates at her/their suburban Michigan high school. The reactions varied, but not many were affirming.

"I experienced a lot of people who eroticized my attraction to femme people. It's like, 'oh, you're bi. That's so hot,'" says Beach, who has a Ph.D. in molecular, cellular, developmental biology and genetics.

Other friends asked Beach if she/they were doing it for attention. Beach says only three people, including Beach, at her/their school were openly out as queer. Instead of being embraced by them, Beach received flak for her/their sexuality.

"One of the other people there who was queer was like, 'You're a fence sitter! You're a switcher. You can't be trusted, you might date men after dating me," recalls Beach.

This kind of biphobia, which perpetuates stereotypes, hatred, and prejudices about bisexual people, is not uncommon — even (or sometimes especially) within the queer community. Stigma against bisexual people stems from a larger culture of homophobia, Rory Gory, digital marketing manager of the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization, wrote in an email to Mashable.

"Since bisexuals often move between straight and queer spaces, they are subjected to both homophobia and biphobia," Gory explains.

Bisexual people make up a sizable population within the LGBTQ community, given more than 50 percent of queer people in America identify as bisexual, according to the Williams Institute. The think tank does research on sexual orientation and gender identity to ensure stereotypes don't influence laws, policies, and judicial decisions. To be clear, bisexuality means a person is attracted to more than one gender. It doesn't mean bisexual people are more sexually active than others or going through a phase (two common myths).

As a teenager, Beach bought into stereotypes about bi people. But now 22 years later, she/they are a professor at Northwestern University where she/they focus on the health of bisexual people and works to dispel myths about them. Additionally, Beach co-founded the Chicago Bisexual Health Task Force, a coalition that advances the heath equity of bisexual people.

Mashable spoke with Beach, and representatives from advocacy organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), GLAAD, and the Trevor Project to learn about the unique challenges bisexual people face and how to be an ally.

1. View bisexual people as individuals

It's easy to lump a single group together but resist that trap. Like anyone else, bisexual people are individuals and their personalities and preferences vary. As Beach says, "there's not one single experience of bisexuality."

For example, Beach is asexual or ace. This means Beach doesn't experience sexual attraction, but she/they are romantically attracted to people across the gender spectrum. One can be both asexual and bi, with some asexual people preferring to identify as biromantic. Although many asexual people are not interested in having sex, some may choose to engage in sexual activity; asexual people can have varied preferences and experiences. Beach's experience doesn't mean all bisexual people feel the same way.

Getting to know more bisexual people can help scrub away your pre-conceived notions. You could already have friends who are bisexual and not know it. Be open about your intentions to learn so you can tear down your misconceptions about bisexual people, Beach recommends.

"You'd be surprised by how many people are like 'Oh, I'm actually bi. Let's talk," says Beach. "From understanding the breadth of experience, you personalize people."

2. Challenge negative stereotypes

As you expand your knowledge about bisexual people, speak up when you hear people perpetuating harmful misperceptions. Sometimes we don't even know we've absorbed negative stereotypes if we're not informed, says Mackenzie Hart, coordinator of GLAAD's Media Institute, which advises media, television, and film professionals on accurate LGBTQ representation.

An easy way to interject when you hear a myth about bisexual people is to say, "Actually, that's not true, my friend who is bisexual does not fit that stereotype," suggests Hart. It can also help to arm yourself with accurate statistics to further back up what you're saying, says Madeleine Roberts, HRC's assistant press secretary. HRC is a helpful resource for these stats.

"Barsexual" is a hurtful label often used to demean bisexual people. It refers to the incorrect belief that bisexual people will only interact with certain genders when they are intoxicated, explains Hart. It upholds the myth that bisexual women are actually straight as it implies they only flirt or make out with women when drunk. It also contributes to bi erasure, which GLAAD says happens when "the existence or legitimacy of bisexuality (either in general or in regard to an individual) is questioned or denied outright."

You should also push back against the harmful stereotypes that bisexuals can't be trusted to commit to a relationship, says Gory. "Embrace bisexuals as valid members of the [LGBTQ] community, rather than referring to them as 'allies' of the community."

Additionally, you can be an ally by understanding certain words and promoting proper usage. For example, you can clarify the difference between bisexual and bi+. Bi+ is an umbrella term inclusive of people who are pan, queer, fluid, and those who don't prefer labels. Use the full acronym of LGBTQ rather than gay as an umbrella term for queer people, explains Roberts. By taking these steps, you can "create spaces where people are hearing these words," says Hart.

3. Healthcare providers need to educate themselves

One time, a clinician asked Beach how many sex partners she/they had.

"I was like, OK, what do you mean by sex?" says Beach. The practitioner questioned why Beach would ask this. Beach told the clinician she/they are bisexual and, therefore, needed clarification about what sexual behavior she was referring to.

"She got really uncomfortable and said 'deep vaginal penetration,'" says Beach. "She started off guessing. She said, "you seem like a nice girl. So what is it, like one or two people?"" says Beach. The provider then said, “So, what you’re saying is more than 30 or 40 people.”

"It shows how someone [in a healthcare setting] can make this jump based on biphobic stereotypes of what my sexual behavior would be,” explains Beach.

After that encounter, Beach never went back to that doctor. To this day, Beach doesn’t have a designated primary care provider.

“I have to work up the emotional energy to want to go put myself through that potential experience," Beach says about seeking out healthcare.

Beach's experience isn't uncommon. Biphobia may discourage bisexual people from going to the doctor, with 39 percent of bisexual men and 33 percent of bisexual women reporting that they didn't disclose their sexual orientation to any medical provider, according to a 2012 study by the Williams Institute. Comparably, 13 percent of gay men and 10 percent of lesbians did not share their sexual orientation with a doctor.

Providers shouldn't presume anyone's sexual behavior because they know their sexual identity, says Beach. Hart echoes this advice. A doctor once asked Hart, "Are you seeing anyone?" Hart said no. She then asked, "If you were seeing anyone, would you be seeing a woman, a man, either, or other?" It wasn't perfect, Hart says, but asking open-ended questions that are inclusive of gender nonconforming people made Hart comfortable enough to see her again.

"Even if you aren't sure of certain words... you can make it clear you aren't going to be judgmental and you understand there's a wide array of experiences," says Hart.

4. Uplift bisexual people of color

Roberts recommends following prominent bi+ people of color on social media such as singer and actor Janelle Monáe, NFL player Ryan Russell, writer and transgender rights activist Raquel Willis, and politician Andrea Jenkins to become familiar with their lives. The next step is to share their stories with your friends and family.

At last year's Academy Awards, actor Rami Malek won Best Actor for his portrayal of British singer Freddie Mercury. Malek described Mercury as gay during his acceptance speech but Mercury was actually bisexual. Willis called out the bi erasure in a tweet.

Of the four people Roberts listed, two (Willis and Jenkins) are transgender. Just like one can be asexual and bi, one can also be transgender and bi. In 2015, the National Center for Transgender Equality surveyed 27,715 transgender people from every state and D.C., U.S. territories, and U.S. military bases abroad and 14 percent of respondents described their sexual orientation as bisexual.

To ensure you're not erasing transgender bi+ people's identities, always use inclusive language like "siblings" instead of "brothers and sisters," says Roberts, when addressing people as if they're family. This guarantees you're not assuming every bi+ person (or anyone generally) identifies as either male or female.

Taking into account the role intersectionality plays in the lives of bi+ people is important — especially when you're looking to amplify their voices.

[clare-with-no-i]

the thing about wolfstar is that they were not even hinted in the slightest in canon. In the Marauder flashbacks there is always James and Sirius´ special bond hinted, as in Sirius only having eyes for James during the OWL exams, but not Remus. And in the present time there was also never any lingering touches/ looks. In fact, the only time they hug its described as a brotherly hug. So, I´m really curious why so many people seem to think that they were ever more than platonic friends.

I read a really compelling post one time about how JKR made both Sirius and Remus’s stories allegorical for the struggles of gay youth in the 1970s and 1980s - the AIDS crisis, and being kicked out of your home for being inherently, irreversibly ‘different’ - but did not make either of them gay, which was arguably yet another way that she took the struggle of a marginalized group and attempted to make it ‘more palatable’; which, by extension, also renders it completely baseless in historical narrative. So while there was never any overt mention, it can be argued that there is subtext to both of their characters that makes a viable argument that they could have been queer youth.

(And James and Sirius’s bond was emphasized as inherently platonic; they were brothers above all else, and this is emphasized so much more by the fact that we view the story through Harry’s eyes. He has no immediate loving family, so of course there’s going to be a focus on establishing a positive and grounded relationship with his long-lost godfather.)

Also - fanfiction is a place to extend, modify, and subvert the canon entirely. The idea that something has to be mentioned in canon in order for people to ship it is, uhhh, NOT really something that I’ve ever seen fandom abide by. This is especially true when there is such a critical lack of representation for LGBTQ+ characters and POC characters within canon - if someone wants to feel represented in the story and sees two characters with such an open ended past as Sirius and Remus, why not? Straight relationships get SO much rep in HP canon. Even ones that people have questions about, like Remadora and whoever Draco ends up with (I cba to remember).

I mean, I write pretty exclusively for a couple that got no more than 5 pages of mention across a 7 book series lmao. Almost none of what happens in Bond and Free, or any of my other stories, has ever been hinted at in canon. It’s really one of those things where you just have to lean back on the tenets of fandom, which is: don’t like, don’t read

Hope this helps! I am not an expert on Wolfstar, so I’m sure there are many people in the blog-o-sphere with much more fully formed opinions.

[teiahlu]

The Construction of Violence in Banana Fish

By: Teiah Lu Palhetas

If you speak to anyone who’s read Banana Fish, one of the first things they’d likely mention is the violence. As a crime thriller that follows an 18-year-old gang leader named Ash Lynx in New York City, based in the year 1985, both the comic and the animated adaption are violent from the beginning. The story never goes an episode or volume without threats with guns and knives, kidnapping, sexual assault or murder.

Codes and Conventions and how the influence messages about violence:

Episode 1 opens with what appears to be an eagle flying overhead. Traditionally, birds are seen as a symbol of freedom. This is an interesting contrast to the life Ash Lynx has lived. Freedom is something he longs for, that doesn't exist in his world. Ash was taken and sexually abused from a very young age by wealthy, powerful politicians. When he was only 12, he killed one of his tormenters just to have the chance at escaping this life. Despite the title America has as a “free country, ” Ash’s childhood shows that even though there are laws against violent acts, you can never abolish it for good. That he can never be free from the trauma he experienced in his youth.

At the end of the first episode, A Japanese boy named Eiji asks to hold Ash’s gun in a bar. Given what we now know about Ash’s past, this gun is something he used to take other peoples lives, a violent weapon, the only thing he has to protect himself. Eiji asking Ash’s permission becomes symbolic of trust as well as consent. It's an honest, innocent request without any ulterior motives. This moment is what draws Ash to Eiji. But even more than this, it is the fact that Eiji has enough respect for Ash’s boundaries to ask first. When Eiji returns the gun, he says to Ash “Thank you for trusting me with it.”

Image of Ash and Eiji for Banana Fish exhibition in 2018

In the end theme of each episode, we are shown the lyrics “Get away from me, get away from dark nightmare.” I believe that this is Ash speaking to Eiji. Telling Eiji to get away from him, because all he brings is sadness and chaos and he himself is a dark nightmare. This would be in line with the way Ash tends to view himself, since the audience is shown a lot of self loathing on his part. Especially when it comes to Eiji being involved in this violent world Ash lives in.

Lastly, I'll be discussing a vision Ash has under anesthesia. In episode 9, Ash is forced to kill his best friend, Shorter. In terms of him hallucinating Eiji, I view this as Ash believing that he has murdered Eiji’s innocence and his fear of what's to come. If Eiji were to die as a result of his involvement with Ash, however indirect. Ash would feel direct responsibility. To top off this horrific hallucination, we see Ash drop to his knees as he screams that he is a murderer. Further emphasizing the extent of his guilt. This is again symbolic of how he is trapped in this cycle of violence and self loathing.

Short scene below:

Ideologies put forth by the mediaconcerning violence/ What external forces influence these ideologies?

The racial realities of Banana Fish’s America:

The original comic is a painful read because it’s able to capture how pervasive white supremacy is throughout all areas of society. The series depicts how that ideology is perpetuated through interpersonal relationships and how it has an influence on real-world policy decisions. The creator or the story Akimi Yoshida clearly did extensive research on the subject. However, she ended up perpetuating racist caricatures reminiscent of the long history of Anti-Black portrayals in media.

The comics highly tense environment draws from real-world events such as the Civil Rights movements, the Vietnam War and the Cold War, which created impactful societal changes in the United States. During Richard Nixon’s presidency, the “War on Drugs” became a priority. This initiative both criminalized drugs and associated them with communities of color, which allowed law enforcement to raid their neighborhoods. As a result, the mass incarceration of people of color, particularity Black people, rose dramatically during this period. The street gangs featured in Banana Fish formed as a direct result of communities of color feeling disenfranchised by a country that continuously proved it didn’t care about them.

This is the brutal reality that our racially diverse gang leaders Ash, who is white, Shorter and Sing, who are Chinese, and Cain, who is Black find themselves in as they try their best to survive a world hostile towards them. However, their interactions and later involvement in larger political schemes show how unequally the story treats their leadership qualities.

With the exception of Eiji, there is also the issue of the few openly LGBTQ+ men of color in Banana Fish being depicted as pedophiles or rapists. So, while representation can be empowering, it can also be problematic.

Target Audiences:

Victims of sexual assault and gang violence likely relate to this story the most. One Reddit user says “I definitely related to Ash. We’ve been through a lot of similar things. Maybe that's why I took the ending so hard and felt devastated. Despite its depressing end, I understand that I deserve love too, Just as much as anyone else. I haven't been able to resonate with a character this well ever. Or felt this touched by a work of fiction in a while.”

This story seems to have had a great impact on many people who have read/watched the series. Especially those who grew up around violence. Leading the original comic to reach legendary status is Japan.

Breaking conventional norms:

Everyone loves a happy ending. For all the sadness and violence to just, disappear. Many people read stories for wish fulfillment. They want to see a world where the heroes succeed and the unjust are punished. Stories centered around tragedy often end this way. Bird box, for example. In the movie the main characters witness death and violence around every corner. In the end, they reach a safe haven away from danger, It's predictable.

Banana Fish is a story I’ll l never forget. From the beginning, the audience was sure Ash would find happiness with Eiji at the end. Ash would begin to heal from his trauma and all would be right in the world. Up until the last 5 minutes of the final episode, all was going as planned. Ash’s lifelong abuser was dead and his ring of abusers were exposed to the world.

Ash, recognizing the danger he exposes Eiji to, ceases contact with him. He is to return to Japan, though just before his departure, Eiji entrusts a letter for Ash to Sing. In the letter, Eiji says, "You are not alone Ash, my soul is always with you." Ash changes his mind, and wants to see Eiji one last time. For the first time in his life, Ash lets his guard down is stabbed by an enemy gang member. Ash shoots him, as one last violent act to end the story.

He takes this as a sign from God that he doesn't deserve to be happy. He walks to the New York Public Library where he bleeds to death, smiling and clutching Eiji's letter in his hand.

Eijis final letter to Ash:

[calacuspr]

Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Carl Nassib & UEFA

Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.

HIT – CARL NASSIB

“I hope that one day videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary," said Carl Nassib, the Las Vegas Raiders’ defensive end after revealing that he is gay.

In making his admission, during Pride month no less, Nassib becomes the first active National Football League player to come out publicly.

Nassib added: "I'm a pretty private person so I hope that you guys know that I'm really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important.

"I'm going to do my best to cultivate a culture that's accepting and compassionate."

He followed up with a written message admitting that he had “agonised over this moment for the last 15 years” and it was only after he received so much encouragement from family and friends that he decided to go ahead.

“I am also incredibly thankful for the NFL, my coaches, and fellow players for their support,” Nassib wrote. “I would not have been able to do this without them. From the jump I was greeted with the utmost respect and acceptance.”

Nassib is also donating £100,000 to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention service for LGBTQ youth in America, a creditable gesture which highlights his understanding of the struggles many young people face.

Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of The Trevor Project, gave thanks to Nassib for his generosity and said: “The Trevor Project is grateful to Carl Nassib for living his truth and supporting LGBTQ youth. Coming out is an intensely personal decision, and it can be an incredibly scary and difficult one to make. We hope that Carl’s historic representation in the NFL will inspire young LGBTQ athletes across the country to live their truth and pursue their dreams. 

“At a time when state lawmakers are actively trying to restrict transgender and nonbinary youth’s participation in school sports, this news should serve as a clarion call for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the locker room and on the field.”

Of those who have admitted that they are gay in the past, Michael Sam came out before being drafted into the league in 2014, but never played a regular season NFL game.

Roy Simmons, who played for the Giants and Washington in the 1980s, was one of a number of players to come out after retiring. He told the New York Times in 2003 that he did not feel safe announcing that he was gay while he was in the NFL.

“The NFL has a reputation,” he said at the time, “and it’s not even a verbal thing – it’s just known. You are gladiators; you are male; you kick butt.”

Hall of fame quarterback Warren Moon revealed that gay players had long been a part of the NFL. He tweeted: “As long as they helped us win and were great teammates- their sexual preference was never a issue..

“We live in a different time now where diversity is much more accepted. Cheers Carl, and I hope this lets other athletes know, its OK to say who you are...”

The Raiders tweeted: “Proud of you, Carl” while club owner Mark Davis played down the significance of the announcement and said: “He’s a Raider. If he’s happy, I’m happy. It takes courage. I thought we got to the point where this wasn’t (a story). It doesn’t change my opinion of him as a man or as a Raider.”

The NFL was swift to offer their support for Nassib with Commissioner Roger Goodell saying: “The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today. Representation matters.

“We share his hope that someday soon statements like his will no longer be newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We wish Carl the best of luck this coming season.”

NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith added: "Our union supports Carl and his work with the Trevor Project is proof that he -- like our membership -- is about making his community and this world a better place not for themselves, but for others."

Certainly 20 years ago, Nassib’s announcement may have ended his career based on the macho culture within the NFL locker rooms but the fact that his shirt was the top-selling NFL jersey on its network after his announcement according to sports apparel retailer Fanatics.

Nassib is now a poster boy for a new era in American Football and it is to his credit that he is embracing the challenge.

"I do not know all the history behind our courageous LGBTQ community," he added, "but I am eager to learn and to help continue the fight for equality and acceptance."

MISS – UEFA

The football community has been largely united in support for the LGBTQ+ community recently, from European players donning rainbow laces and calling out blatant acts of homophobia.

However, UEFA have been criticised for not explicitly challenging or condemning homophobia during Pride month.

German captain Manuel Neuer’s decision to wear a rainbow-coloured armband was initially banned by UEFA before they quickly changed their position.

UEFA then last week rejected a request to illuminate the Allianz Arena in Munich with rainbow colours during the EURO 2020 Group F match between Germany and Hungary.

There was suspicion that the proposal was a response to new Hungarian legislation, which has banned the promotion of homosexuality to those under the age of 18.

In a statement posted on social media, UEFA defended their decision by saying: “UEFA is proud to wear the colours of the rainbow. It is a symbol that embodies our core values, promoting everything that we believe in.

“Some people have interpreted UEFA’s decision to turn down the city of Munich’s request to illuminate the Munich stadium in rainbow colours for a Euro 2020 match as ‘political’. On the contrary, the request itself was political, linked to the Hungarian football team’s presence in the stadium for this evening’s match with Germany.”

The major of Munich, Dieter Reiter, was one of many who saw this as a missed opportunity from UEFA and he had hoped that the illuminations during the match would “send a visible sign of solidarity” with Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community.

The Germany and Hungary game finished 2-2 and summed up the mood from the footballing community perfectly towards homophobia and UEFA’s decision.

A pitch invader took to the field with a rainbow flag as the Hungarian National anthem blared out around the stadium, while Leon Goretza celebrated his late equaliser for Germany by running over to away fans and making a heart gesture with his hands, conveying the simple message that homophobia will not be tolerated.

Undoubtedly, UEFA have not a strong and clear position regarding homophobia throughout the EURO 2020 tournament.

Earlier, during Hungary’s opening Group F game against Portugal in Budapest, a set of Hungarian fans were seen holding a sign that read “Anti-LMBTQ”.

UEFA had an opportunity to react instantly to confirm the LGBTQ+ community as equals in society and in football but its delays had the result of many feeling unwelcome.

It took five days for UEFA to release a short statement on their website on the incident and no action has since been taken against Hungary.

The delay meant the message was not instantly dismissed, which suggests UEFA do not take the issue seriously enough.

Joe White, a spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ fans group 3LionsPride, has criticised UEFA’s messaging. In a statement, he said: “UEFA will tout themselves as supporters of equality and rainbow-wash their brand when it suits them, but rarely proactively engage or make improvements for LGBTQ+ people involved in the game.

“LGBTQ+ people across the game are not able to enjoy football when they have to face hatred in stadia and online.

“It’s clear that UEFA once again has its head firmly buried in the sand and is no ally of the LGBTQ+ community. Until UEFA start taking serious action against discrimination, the beautiful game is once again allowing its ugly side to rear its head.”

The rainbow symbol in football stadia reassures to LGBTQ+ individuals watching EURO 2020 that they are welcome in football. It demonstrates that attitudes towards homosexuality are improving within the sport.

Without the rainbow, particularly during Pride Month, those messages are lost.

Germany has led a continental call for greater LGBTQ+ unity throughout football. In the days following the UEFA Allianz Arena rejection, officials across Germany ignored the guidance, as stadia in Frankfurt, Augsburg and Nuremberg, as well as in Belgium, joined Munich by lighting up in rainbow colours.

Elsewhere, UEFA sponsor Booking.com, will use a rainbow outline in all of their pitch-side adverts for Round of 16 matches, including Holland’s game against the Czech Republic in Budapest.

Ahead of the tie in the Hungarian capital, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that Hungary has “no place in the EU,” unless they retract their homophobic laws.

UEFA have demonstrated that the rainbow symbol will not be universally accepted in football, which is hardly consistent with their own claims to be pro-LGBTQ+.

The inconsistency shown by European football’s governing body during Euro 2020 underlines the fact that they have a long way to go to regain the confidence of the LGBTQ+ community.

Perhaps it is time for UEFA to go back to the drawing board and come up with a consistent policy which allows freedom of expression in the promotion of sexual equality.

[bedbathbrainfart]

Yael and Mulwarra

Hello readers! My apologies that this post is late, it will be the last post in the storytelling series other than my concluding remarks. Thanks for reading!

“Yael and Mulwarra” in Ancient Tales for Modern Kids Stories From Far Away Places. Illust. Vesna Krstanovich and John Mardon. 43-52, Toronto: Key Porter Books, 2000.

Summary:

Yael and Mulwara is an Australian tale about a bird spirit who lives in the sky world, and knows little about humans despite being half human himself. For the spirits who live in the sky world humans are clumsy creatures who lack grace and power. One day during his flying, Yael notices a rather graceful human walking along a cliff and watches as she slips and falls off. Yael rushes over and catches her mid-fall, returning her to safety on the solid ground. Once the girl regains her senses she asks “where am I? And who are you?” Yael explains that he is a bird spirit who can fly, and he saved her from falling off the cliff. The girl introduces herself as Mulwara, and soon the two begin to get along quite well. Yael asks to show Mulwara the world, and does so by holding her while he flies high above clouds showing her all of the beauties from above that she would not otherwise see. The two discover their shared love of nature and fall in love. Yael takes Mulwarra back up into the sky world to meet his father Yarnu, who is very displeased at Mulwara’s presence as humans are forbidden in the sky world. Yarnu was the leader of the sky world, and tried to trick his son into dropping Mulwarra back onto earth to no avail. The two leave the sky world without Yarnu’s blessing and are very disheartened. Yael decides to return to the spirit world by himself to consult his father. His father is pleased and claims Yael has returned to his senses, thinking Yael has abandoned Mulwara. However Yael instead asks for Yarnu to use his power to change Yael from a bird-spirit into a full human. Yarnu is enraged and cannot believe the audacity of his son, he gives a resounding no to Yael.

After some time and deliberation Yael approaches his father with his request again, and his father agrees. With Mulwarra in his arms, Yael stands prepared for his father to cast his magic unto him and turn him into a human. This will leave Yael forbidden from the sky world forever, he will not be able to return but accepts his fate. Yarnu turns Yael into a human and gently guides his son and Mulwarra down to the earth. Upon their arrival back to earth Yael and Mulwara are excited and Mulwara wants Yael to meet her family. When they go to leave however Yael tumbles over, not used to using his human legs yet and has quite a bit of trouble walking. After gaining some stability it was time to meet Mulwara’s family, who are all incredibly suspicious of Yael. Yael has different customs than most humans, and some human customs are also very off-putting for Yael - such as eating poultry. The family eventually asks the two of them to leave, which they do very sadly. The two walk together to the beach, and speak softly to each other wondering if they will ever be accepted by the others’ families and if they could love one another for a long time. While sitting, they notice a large colourful glow coming from the Ocean, it is Yarnu, Yael's father. Yarnu comes to the earth and very quickly spreads a warm blue light over Yael and Mulwarra, they watch as their feet turn to tails and Yarnu tells them he wishes them the most happiness in a place where they can be happy together. The two now-merfolk are ecstatic and lunge into the water, swimming and splashing until they disappear into the horizon forever.

Analysis:

Let me just start off by saying that this story is amazing and it was easily one of my favourites to tell. It is full of adventure and action when told, and the kids absolutely loved it. The best moments in telling this story came at the very end, when Yael and Mulwarra become merfolk and get to live happily ever after in the ocean. I found that this story worked for just about every age level being that it does take about 20 minutes to fully tell. The older kids found the adventures and scariness of Yarnu’s wrath to be really exciting and intriguing, the younger kids hung onto other details like how Yael needed help to walk once he was a human. What everyone picked out as interesting was neat to see in the classroom, kids brains are so cool! Now the story itself had TONS of symbolism throughout it that most if not all of the kids would not have picked up on in the same way adults would, but still understood those small changes. The biggest example in the entire story is that Yael and Mulwarra are both transgender.

Yael is half-bird-half-human and so he has legs like a human but wings like a bird, and a bird-like face. Ther narrative that begins the story tells us that spirits from the sky world see humans as undesirable, that they are clumsy and slow and have nothing to offer of value. Yael did not think these things of Mulwarra though. Firstly we see the immediate connection and that Yael comments on how he has never felt so free with anyone else before, Mulwarra agrees the same. Eventually Yael decides to ask his father to essentially transition into a human from his bird-spirit body, and is met by disdain from his father who does not agree that Yael should become a human. This is devastating for Yael as he can’t be with someone he loves very much. Mulwarra feels similarly and after Yael’s transition she too receives a poor reaction from her family upon introducing Yael to them.This narrative is incredibly similar to many of the coming out stories of transgender youth heard today. Someone comes out to their family members, is met with a negative or un-accepting reaction, and is forced to live as someone they do not want to be or to stay away from those who do not accept them.

Children’s literature does not often represent transgender people, not outwardly, so I found this story to be remarkable in that both characters were made to obviously be transitioning. It is a great way to introduce kids to the LGBTQ community, as many adults and educated are often fearful of explaining to younger audiences that people can love people even if they’re different from one another. However despite there being representation of transgender characters there is also the romanticization of transphobia and the trauma associated with family disapproval. Both families ultimately at first reject their children when they approach them with new partners, and this is romanticized when emphasis is placed on the idea of Yael and Mulwarra running away together. This is a common romance trope used in writing but it must be made clear that there is nothing romantic about being disowned and shunned by your own family. To follow this and add to the romanticization, at the very end of the tale Yarnu reappears with a sudden urge to support his son. This comes after telling Yael that he would be banished for life, his lifestyle choices were unacceptable, that he was no longer a part of the original family he had come from. This is a confusing shift in tone as readers by this point are convinced that Yarnu does not support his son.

Ultimately I found that this story was great for older audiences in the grade 4-6 range, but could easily be modified to be suitable for younger listeners as well. Having a story with marginalized main characters (even in fantasy) helps to show kids that there are many diverse people in the world. I found telling this story to be incredibly fun and challenging, the tale itself requires lots of acting and animation to make it come to life. This was great as it made me harness my best acting skills and pay close attention to what skills would need improving for my public speaking. Overall this story taught me the importance of animation and knowing your audience.

[beccasbigworld]

Blog Post #1 Examining Youth Culture

I loved watching the show Euphoria the best out of all of the assigned movies and shows. It’s been something I’ve been wanting to watch for a while so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to binge the whole season. The movies and shows assigned to watch were, Euphoria, The Breakfast Club, Mean Girls, Mid-90’s and KIDS. I know... That’s so fetch, right? Throughout each film, there were tons of astounding characters, some being well known throughout society. Perhaps Regina George rings a bell to anyone? However, despite all of the fantastic characters in each work, I feel as if I identify with Rue from the show Euphoria the most. I feel the most connected to Rue because she is a young teenage girl who has to deal with mental health issues but also the fact that she has fluid sexuality. She likes men, women and just gravitates towards anyone she feels connected to. I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community so the amount of representation I felt in the show was slightly overwhelming. Especially since many older shows and films lack representation so when something arises with more LGBTQ+ representation it makes me happy. I also know how it feels to be in Rue’s shoes, especially with her relationship with Jules in the show. The whole season is a rollercoaster of Rue and Jule’s relationship and as the season progresses Rue finally takes the leap of faith and kisses Jules. **Sorry if I spoiled it for anyone** I’ve been in situations with past relationships where I liked a girl for so long but never could make the move and it was interesting to see Rue’s confidence build and I think her becoming sober helped with that aspect. An article titled The Unicorn Scale written by bi.org it discusses the different sexualities and identities of the characters in the show. It states that Rue, “Rue’s sexuality seems to be unexplored but fluid, she is clearly interested in men, women, and everyone else. Rue’s bisexuality is not shown as the cause or causing her drug addiction, it is simply another facet of who she is. Her nerves seem limited to the normal anxieties we feel for our first love” (The Unicorn Scale: Euphoria) Rue’s character also goes through many ups and downs throughout the season. She struggles with drug addiction and staying sober. She lost her Dad to cancer and had to have her younger sister find her overdosed in her room. Three common themes I’ve noticed in each of these films and shows are one, family dynamic/struggles, sex, and, coming of age moment.

The first theme, family dynamic/struggles is relatable to youth culture because growing up as a young adult or teenager can bring a lot of family issues. For example, in the movie MID90’S the main character Stevie is physically abused by his brother Ian. In one scene, Ian barges through Stevie's room in the middle of the night and punches him repeatedly. There is also no father in the picture and his mother is a single mom. So this could contribute to some of the reasons why Ian abuses Stevie. He could be taking out his anger in the only way he knows how and that’s with violence. I feel that people, especially young men struggle with dealing with their emotions and healthily expressing them. This theme also relates to me because I struggle with family issues and throughout the years it has taken a toll on my mental health. We also see in the movie KIDS the family dynamic and how it affects the main character, Telly. In one scene they show Telly’s mom taking care of the baby in their small city apartment. Telly asks for money and the mom says she doesn’t have any to give. Telly goes out and says he will be back later. The mom is so focused on the baby that she is not paying close attention to her son and what he is doing. This negatively affects Telly because he gets into the wrong group of people. This happens often without young people, it's a form of negligence that can lead people down the wrong path.

Another example is the dynamic between Nate Jacob's and his father in the show Euphoria. From a young age, Nate has been intimidated and scared by his father. In one scene, Nate’s father comes into his room and tells him how he played in the football game. Nate and his father get into a physical altercation and Nate starts to beat his head repeatedly against the floor. The second theme of sex is a big issue in most of these films and tv shows. When viewing and studying youth culture I’ve noticed how sex is a big part of a young person's life. Especially when I was in high school, sex was a majority of what people were talking about and it always mattered who was hooking up with who. I didn’t necessarily care for it and I had my experiences later in my life and at the end of the day, I don’t think it’s worth the hype and stigma around it. There are more things to do and talk about than sex. In the movie KIDS for example the main discussion of the film was sex and how the main character Telly wanted to have sex with virgins because they were seen as pure and innocent and he had the power to take that away from them. In the movie MID90s, the character Stevie has his first sexual experience and it was very real for many young people. In the scene, he starts to shake and get nervous, in an interview conducted and written by Slate Culture, asks Jonah Hill, the director of the Mid90s film, about the scene. Jonah states, “To me, showing it as harsh and as honest as it was back then was the point. You know? The point that this kid is terrified and shaking during his first sexual experience. And we get to see that as the audience. And he only gets happy and excited once he realizes it’s his currency to raise up through the group And that’s a fucked-up lesson that a lot of people now are having to unlearn from this time period And to me, I just wanted to show how that was and let the audience see that for what it is” (Bloomer) When you have your first sexual experience it can be a very nerve-wracking moment and in youth culture, the sexual experience is different for many and I believe it's split between boys and girls. As portrayed in these films for the young men, when they have sex it’s a powerful experience that boosts their confidence when they tell the group of guys they are associated with. For girls, it’s a moment that is more kept to themselves and cherished in a sense.

Being that I identify as a lesbian my experience doesn’t follow the heterosexual story so it’s interesting to me to see how the experience can be for heterosexual people. Lastly the last theme of a coming of age moment. I feel that when you are a young teen there is always this hope that you will have this coming of age moment like in the videos. I feel that Hollywood does a good job of exaggerating what a coming of age moment is for a teen. The film that is a clear example of a coming of age moment is the iconic Breakfast Club. According to the source, Movies, “The Breakfast Club (1985) is perhaps one of the best examples of a classic ‘coming of age’ plot. The film details the lives of five high schoolers stuck in a weekend detention together, only to have the misfit gang bond together despite their differences. This cast of characters are delineated by the conventional roles they fill: the Outcast, the Princess, the Jock, the Basket Case, and the Brain” (Holderbaum) The Breakfast Club shows how highschoolers defeated the stigmas and social scale of highschool. This connects to me a lot because high school was a very difficult time for me. Just like the movie we watched Mean Girls, I was at the bottom of the social ladder because I was different from a lot of people. Being a lesbian, out in highschool isn’t fun especially when you have guys who say “I can change that”. Despite the exaggeration by Hollywood with this big coming of age moment, I believe that my coming of age moment just like the Breakfast club was defeated the social ladder and being a confident, strong, lesbian at the end of my high school career.

The soundtrack of a film, TV series impacts the narrative of a story because it can uplift any emotion or feeling a character is feeling or trying to portray. The soundtrack can make or break a film/show. The soundtrack is a narrative of the story and can bring chills down your spine when watching a film. If a soundtrack is not done well the movie is not as impactive. In the movie the Breakfast club mostly everyone knows the famous song Don’t You and the iconic last scene. If it wasn’t for that song I believe the movie would not have been as famous. The playlist I made called Adolescent experience is a list of 10 songs that define me and myself growing up as a young teen trying to figure herself out. The first song on my playlist is, Electric Feel by MGMT, this song was one of the first songs that I listened to when I got my first iPod. The feeling it gave me felt like I was in an indie film when I would listen to it on long car rides. The second song on my playlist is What You Know by the Two Door Cinema Club. This song helped me with coping with my feeling of being lonely and feeling like I had no one to connect with, especially with being a young teen still stuck in the closet. The third song on my playlist is Little Secrets by Passion Pit. The band Passion Pit was one of the first bands I ever discovered and fell in love with. The fourth song I have in my playlist is 1901 by Phoenix. Anytime I listen to this song it gives me this feeling that I can accomplish anything. The fourth song is All For Us from the show Euphoria and sung by Zendaya and Labrinth. I love this song because it reminds me of the love I carry to many people in my life and how it can be tiring doing things for love all the time. The next song, Work by Rihanna is one of my favorite songs to dance to and it reminds me of a great memory of my middle school best friend Nina and me. The seventh song is Butterflies by Kacey Musgraves, this song is very meaningful to me because it's me and my girlfriend's song and it’s a reminder of the growth I have made within myself and my love life. The eighth song is Cruise by Florida Georgia Line, this was the first country band I started listening to when I was younger and the band reminds me of a very traumatic experience in my life. The ninth song is Man I Feel Like A Woman by Shania Twain. This song strikes a happy memory in my childhood because when all of my siblings were little and would be in my mom's suburban driving down the road we would sing this with her. The last song on my playlist is The Less I Know The Better by Tame Impala. This song just gives me an overall feeling of happiness and it was a song I listened to a lot when I was in a really good spot mentally.

[onestowatch]

Gia Woods on Finding Her Identity Through Music [Q&A]

Gia Woods is taking the LGBTQ community by storm. Through her music, she’s inspiring many from the community to embrace their own identity. Growing up in a strict Persian household, Woods struggled to find herself. But through music, she was able to express herself in ways she never thought were possible. She released her debut single, “Only a Girl”, in 2016. The song served as her coming out song. Since then, Woods has been a voice to many going through the trial and tribulations of finding their true identity. 

 We were fortunate enough to get to know Gia Woods a little better with the release of her brand new single, “Naive”. From what she’s been up to during quarantine, to her experience with The Calvin Klein Pride campaign, she let us into her amazing life.

 Ones To Watch: First off, how are you doing during all of this craziness?

Gia Woods: I just spent the past 30 minutes cracking an egg on my forehead for TikTok content, so you tell me. Jokes aside, I’m actually doing okay though. I’ve been writing a lot. It feels very familiar because it reminds me of when I was younger and would lock myself in my room and write songs on my guitar all day. I was a loner!

What have you been doing to pass the time during quarantine? 

I haven’t been watching too much Netflix, but I did rewatch Madonna’s Truth or Dare documentary the other day. It actually pulled me out of a creative funk, watching this strong badass in one of the biggest moments of her career. Other than that, I’ve definitely been going on more walks. This pandemic has really made me appreciate the smaller things.

Who has been putting out some of your favorite music during quarantine? What have been your jams?

There’s been so much good music to come out these past couple months, but I’ve actually found myself revisiting my old CD collection. I’ve been listening to Nelly Furtado’s Loose, Green Day’s Dookie and Queen’s Night at the Opera a lot.

Have you been doing a lot of writing during your time inside?

Of course! I’m a writer, so that’s one of the best ways for me to keep my brain busy. By the time we’re out of quarantine, I’m going to have like five full albums written!

What are some of your hopes that everyone can take away from our time of social distancing, staying home, being with family, etc.? (i.e keeping the planet cleaner, appreciating family more, etc.)

There’s definitely been more of an appreciation of the smaller things in life that we take for granted, whether it’s phone calls with friends or getting out and appreciating nature. I also think this time has forced people to be more creative! I’m so inspired seeing the way people are creating some really cool stuff while they're alone.

 Can you tell us a bit about The Calvin Klein Pride campaign and it meant for you to be a part of it? 

So, I actually have a crazy story… A year ago, I released a music video for my song “New Girlfriend,” and when we were brainstorming, we were really inspired by the casual feel and black and white aesthetic of Calvin Klein ads. It’s crazy that a year later, I’m in my own campaign...I feel like I manifested that in a weird way? It’s also so cool to be in a campaign with so many badass trailblazers. Like Pabllo Vittar, are you kidding me? He’s a drag queen in the most dangerous country to be openly gay, and here he is thriving and playing huge festivals. That’s so inspiring. I still can’t believe I’m part of this campaign. I’m waiting for someone to pinch me and wake up from this dream.

How has your heavy involvement and influence within the LGBTQ community influenced your music?

I’m so lucky to be a part of such a supportive community, and I’m honored to be able to provide representation for queer and questioning Persian youth that I craved so much growing up. Sonically, I’m not sure being lesbian really influences my music -- but being Persian definitely has. Actually, some of the songs I’ve been writing lately have a strong Middle Eastern vibe to them.

Tell us a little about this new release! What steps did you take in the making of it?

I was getting out of a toxic relationship that felt like a never ending cycle of back and forth, but this time I knew it was really over. I remember going to the studio that day emotionally drained from this breakup. I kind of lost my identity, but writing this song really helped me remember who I was and made me fall in love with making music all over again. This is the kind of song I had been wanting to make for years.

What’s your writing/recording process look like?

Usually I come up with the chords when I’m at home and I’ll bring them to a studio session. This song was a little different. I worked with a producer duo called The Orphanage. I told them I had wanted to do something that had a Radiohead vibe to it and they nailed it almost immediately. As soon as I heard their riffs, me and my co-writer Barkley wrote the lyrics in an hour.

What was the inspiration behind the production?

I was really inspired by late ‘90s alt rock, like Radiohead and No Doubt. I think a lot of what we’re hearing on the radio these days feels very clean and commercial, so I wanted to embrace a bit of a rough, raw sound.

Why the name ‘Naive’?

I had two different ex girlfriends tell me that they never felt like I was as invested in the relationship as they were. During this studio session, I brought this up and we thought it was crazy that they both said that. I did care about them so much, but I wasn’t naive… it felt like they had such high expectations of what our relationship should be and I thought it was naive to be that invested so quickly. The first verse really sums it up: “All my exes said the same thing / maybe they’re right / I’m the high they’re always chasing / but they’re never mine.”

 Can you give us a little background on the lyrics? 

My favorite line is in the pre-chorus, where I sing, “I’ll love you, but let me do it recklessly.” It’s kind of saying that I’m going to love you with all that I can, but I didn’t want my girlfriend to have expectations of what our relationship looked like. I think romance movies are so cheesy… I think it’s healthy to have fights from time to time? Without it, what’s the point? Where’s the passion? That just feels boring to me. I feel like a lot of people fantasize about the ideal relationship, but I’m the opposite of that. I don’t expect anyone to be perfect. Actually, I’d prefer that they’re not.

 What are you really trying to get across with this release? What mark do you hope to leave for everyone listening?

This goes back to how I feel about pop music… I think a lot of the stuff we hear these days sounds so sterile and reductive. I think a lot of current artists are just copying their peers and that doesn’t make sense to me. I wanted to reference the music that I grew up with. And with that, I hope my music has the same effect that Madonna and Green Day and Radiohead had on me when I was younger in that it was an escape for me. I hope my music can also be an escape.

 Lastly, what more can we expect from the great Gia Woods?

Well, I was supposed to release my debut EP, Cut Season, in June and then go on tour to support that, but coronavirus had a different plan for just about everyone on the planet. So we’re reworking our release plan to figure out what makes sense. But if you like “Naive,” you’re going to love Cut Season...I promise that!

Stream “Naive” below:

[shilellaghlaw]

movies/TV/documentaries you should watch:

MOVIES:

•Pride (about the miners’ strike in England during the Thatcher era and the group of gay londoners who raised money in solidarity for them. it’s a feel good movie) Amazon Prime (sorry I know, you could probably buy it on YouTube)

•Sorry to Bother You (about a black telemarketer named Cassius who learns that to succeed in his new job he has to use his “white voice”, and when he ultimately becomes successful, must decide between his own success and standing in solidarity with his coworkers who are striking. dark comedy, easily one of my favorite movies) Hulu

TV SHOWS:

•Sex Education (English Netflix series about a teenager who becomes his school’s unofficial sex therapist, it’s super funny and has a ton of LGBTQ representation) Netflix only

•Mrs. America (biographical, about the women’s liberation movement in the 70s and the fight for the equal rights amendment, follows people like Phyllis Schlafley and Gloria Steinem) Hulu only

•Pose (based on the documentary Paris is Burning, about the Harlem ballroom scene in the 80s, follows a house mother and her house who compete in balls, most of the characters are black or latinx and have actually competed in ballroom in their real lives. drama, super good) Netflix only

•Never Have I Ever (a comedy written by Mindy Kahling about an Indian American girl named Devi who navigates grief and her everyday life. it’s super funny and it’s definitely more of a teen comedy but really anyone could like it) Netflix only

•Derry Girls (set in Derry, Ireland during the Troubles and follows a group of catholic school girls [plus one English guy], it is so funny and their accents are the cherry on top. it would help to have a decent history of Irish culture but even if you don’t it’s still super funny [you might just miss some of the jokes]) Netflix only

DOCUMENTARIES:

•The True Cost (about the fast fashion industry and it’s impacts on the environment, workers, and consumers. super interesting and a doc I think everyone should watch) Amazon prime

•Betting on Zero (about MLM companies but more specifically Herbalife and it’s impact on its sellers. follows this c*pitalist that bets on it sinking in stocks) Netflix

•Stink! (about chemicals in our everyday products’ fragrances, how dangerous they are and the ways the government avoids telling consumers about them) Netflix

•Rotten (series about the dark side of major industries such as sugar, avacados, and water. super in-depth about how each impacts us and it’s impact on the environment and workers) Netflix

•13th (about the way the prison industrial complex targets black Americans and the way that prisons manipulate the 13th amendment to institute modern day slavery) Netflix

•Paris is Burning (classic documentary that everyone [especially in the LGBTQ community] should watch. it is about the Harlem ballroom scene and why it’s so important for queer youth) Netflix and YouTube

•Crip Camp (about Camp Janed, a summer camp for disabled youth and its affects on the disablitly rights movement that fought for the Americans with Disablities Act, mainly follows Judy Heumann and how she organized sit ins and road blockages to pressure the government into making public accommodations accessible) Netflix

Feel free to add any

[catra-is-my-waifu]

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power - A Millenial’s Take

Or, How I Learned How Much the World Has Changed, Thanks to Our Hard Work.

Welcome, fans of all ages! I’m 34 years old, a woman, and I have no labels. I’ve worked all of my adult life for LGBT rights and representation. I know a lot of you might be younger, and I want to give you a gift. When you have reached my age, your youth is pretty much done, and you begin to see what’s really important, and how you’ve shaped the world around you. I promise you this: You DO shape the world around you. You ARE shaping the world around you. You DO matter. Your actions DO have widespread effects. Please continue to read. Please engage with me. Especially during quarantine, let’s all come together around Noelle’s vision. Here we go.

. . .

SPOILERS AHEAD

• September 2004. I was 18 years old and it was the third night at my tiny university. I had never thought about why I was interested in LGBTQ+ rights when I was in high school. This night, I attended a storytelling hour in the basement of a dorm building featuring the life stories of LGBTQ+ students at the university. This night has been burned into my memory, so it must have been life-changing for me. I was so young, and so impressionable, but my mind was ready to be opened. I was really vulnerable, so I’m sure that’s part of why this particular night made such an impression on me. Students stood in front of a microphone in the spotlight on a stage and told their coming-out stories, their sad stories, their stories of personal triumph. I cried over and over again. I had never, ever, ever, EVER heard stories like these - first-person - before. In the early 2000′s, there still wasn’t much acceptance and tolerance for LGBTQ+ - especially in a conservative Christian mostly-white middle class American suburb like the one I grew up in. This one night inspired me to continue to fight in what ways I could for LGBTQ+ representation and rights (and normalization) in my life, after that. It’s been 16 years. A LOT was done in those 16 years, but one thing that was always missing was a NORMAL representation of LGBTQ+ in teenager-focused MAINSTREAM MEDIA.

• Noelle Stevenson has always worked to change that. I’m so thankful. I’m thankful to the staff at Dreamworks and Netflix who hired her to create and head this project, who gave her the room and the means and most importantly, the platform, to do it.

• She-Ra begins by introducing a concept familiar to its target audience: I FEEL ALONE. I DON’T FEEL LOVED. I DON’T FEEL LISTENED TO. I DON’T FEEL LIKE I BELONG. Right away, we connect with Glimmer and Catra. Glimmer is being stifled by her overprotective mother. Catra has only one friend, Adora, who “abandons” her to join the enemy. Glimmer has only one friend. Nobody else listens to her. Nobody takes Glimmer’s message seriously, even though she’s screaming it. And Catra: we could devote an entire series of analysis on Catra. I’m sure it’s been done. We know Catra.

• This show normalizes the fact that people of all backgrounds can become and remain strong friends. Adora is a girl JOCK, Bow is a sensitive black young man, Glimmer is outspoken, dark-skinned, and plus-sized, Catra’s well, an alien, and everyone in the Fright Zone and on Etherea is different. These people continue to be represented by the show for all succeeding seasons. We’re introduced to so many people - and most importantly, young people - who look like us, sound like us, do like us, and they’re all THERE. On a NETFLIX screen.

• This show, shows us that our individual power comes from not only BEING ourselves, but ACCEPTING ourselves for who we are. That’s what all of its heroes and even anti-heroes do.

• This representation is far-reaching. It normalizes us. Yes, we’re here. Yes, we deserve the same rights that everyone has. But most of all? We’re just like you. It’s normal. It’s okay. I’ve been waiting a long time to see this in mainstream media. Thank you SO much, Noelle, her staff, Netflix and Dreamworks. Thank you censure-freedom for allowing this. Thank you free speech, thank you billions of people who pay for this, thank you billions upon billions of heroes in history who have come before us to make this possible. Now let’s get to the celebration.

• Spinnerella and Netossa - the first gay couple we’re introduced to. They had a lot of screen time and appreciation this latest season, and they’re adorable, interracial, each different body shapes, and they’re accepted, and powerful, and their love for each other is celebrated. (same with Bow’s dads too!)

• Entrapdak - Love on the Spectrum!!!! How can we not just LOVE this couple?! They mention them being friends, but it’s so clear that both Entrapta and Hordak feel something very deep for each other.

I love Entrapta, and one of her writers admitted somewhere on Twitter that she’s based on a member of staff who’s on the spectrum. I like to imagine Hordak’s on the spectrum too. They’re both misfits, they’re both painfully aware they’re not like other people, they find each other in this mess. Yeah, their brains are different. Yeah, Entrapta faces flak from the other Rebels about her strange brain and how it happens to work. But she knows what she’s doing is just her being herself. And the others come to accept that and even love that. But Scorpia and Hordak were the first people to truly accept and care for her, just the way she is. And Hordak’s the only person in her world who is like her, who she can relate to on a level that makes sense to her, and vice-versa. Hordak thought the only place he could ever belong and ever be accepted was by being cherished by Prime. Entrapta showed him that was wrong. I’m glad they get a future together.

• Catradora - we’re all here for this.

We have been on this ship’s side since ep 1.

I wanted to hope, but my personal experience told me the show would end with Catra and Adora holding hands and saying, “We’re best friends forever.”

I was NOT ready to be wrong, to be so pleasantly surprised. I was NOT ready. I cried tears of 16 years’ worth of “waiting to see this moment.” I am telling you all: it’s been a long time coming (not to downplay any other media moment here, like other works, books, stories, animations, shows, etc). Yeah, about that - Why is this different?

Here’s why. This is a show about HEROES.

These are people we idolize in mainstream media.

These are PRINCESSES.

This story has been told over and over again in history- and yeah, it’s definitely been told in 1980s cartoons, the kind marketed to little girls like me. I saw She-Ra and Rainbow Brite on my screen and I saw heroines. Girls who could change the world. Girls who could fight. I learned from these women. But it was never enough, was it? She-Ra was white. She-Ra was beautiful. She-Ra consulted her brother. She-Ra was created because He-Man needed to market to girls. It was never deeper than that.

Disney, yes, has come a long way. We now have racially diverse female heroines like Mulan and Tianna and Moana. We have stories like Frozen that celebrate not focusing on the love story between a man and a woman, that celebrate and accept mental illness. And Disney is still number 1. Little girls and little boys and little children everywhere will always know Disney.

But Disney has yet to feature in a mainstream, box-office hit an LGBTQ+ hero or main character. I don’t have a lot of faith right now that that will change soon.

So I was SO SURPRISED to see She-Ra’s endgame:

A KISS between two same-sex characters on a Netflix screen- a same-sex kiss for the hero.

We’ve come a long way and it’s time to really celebrate. Thank you, Noelle.

I’m gonna repost the SHITE out of these two ships, I’ll join you in that. But I wanted to take a moment to talk about what this TV moment means for a millenial like me who grew up watching the original She-Ra, and cartoons like it, and never saw a moment like this until now. Thank you!!! I’m SO GLAD that young people everywhere get this. Let’s cherish this.

Thanks for reading. Ask me anything~! Let’s talk further please~!

sincerely,

a 34-year-old forevernerd. sorrynotsorry.

[gaypersonalscouple03]

Personally Yours Fort Hunter

UNEXPECTEDLY AND SURPRISINGLY!

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