#unapologetically queer and HAPPY

[jewishdainix]

IVE BEEN RUNNING SO LONG AND I KNOW THAT YOUVE BEEN HIDING AND WE SHOULDNT HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE

[s4pphic-sh3nan1gans]

I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY BAMBIE THUG GOT THROUGH AAAAAA

[alreadytaken23]

I just finished RWRB and I just feel blessed by the wonderful people who clearly poured their hearts and souls into making it. It wasn’t perfect or “exactly everything I wanted it to be,” but you could tell the care that went into it all. I cried, I laughed, I cringed, and it felt good to see this relationship and story brought so genuinely to the screen.

[suneatar]

I have nuanced thoughts about it on both sides because I am incapable of not putting too much thought into things but right now I am very tired so.

Aroace erasermight where they have a space to talk about how their work as a limelight and underground hero respectively garners very different public reception, especially as so many start young and how their self image would be so wrapped up in their work, alongside the popularity side of the ranking does feel it comes with sexualisation and dehumanisation because heroes are treated like celebrities and there is plenty of evidence how a majority treats them.

Just Yagi and Aizawa having someone who understands even with their differences, it is very close to my heart and, though I have no romantic intent behind it at all, I am not opposed to that angle when done in a respectful light.

[reginalds]

nimona the webcomic and nimona the netflix movie are so thematically different and come from such different periods in the artist's (nd stevenson) life and our lives and I love that?? I love the bitterness and angst and how morally gray the graphic novel was, just as much as I love the hopefulness and compassion and how unapologetically trans the netflix film is. watching his work grow as he grew older and I grew older and more secure in my sexuality, is just - so special. it's a rare thing to grow in parallel with the work of an artist you love, especially a queer artist, and I'm so fucking happy this film got made, especially with all its differences to the original work. something something to be loved is to be changed idk lmao.

[bilateralorchiectomy]

to the trans woman riding her bike through loring park

I love you

to the twink in short shorts and a mesh top at the grocery store

I love you

to the trans guy who rides the same bus as I do

I love you

to the butch lesbians I work with

I love you

[witchygaymer]

Let’s reverse the trans genocide and turn it on transphobes cause I’m fucking tired of this shit

[i-am-a-fish]

I love queer joy. I love it when gay people are unapologetically happy

it just fills me with a lot of hope, like yeah, I can be happy too

[gamora-borealis]

here's the thing. to outsiders it may seem like we're excited because "phan is real!!" or whatever. but they don't know... it's not about that. phan has been real this entire time. there's always been evidence that dan and phil were together, more or less (more evidence than I think some people realize). the reason phan™ is such a big deal is because two silly gay boys met online in 2009, but their fame quickly outgrew their comfort zone and they quickly went back in the closet. dan was so traumatized from being bullied in school that he had a public meltdown on tumblr in 2012 insisting he was straight after some very private stuff leaked (that he insisted was a unused prank). after going to therapy and meeting so many queer fans on tour, dan slowly began to hint again that he was queer. but it still took them until 2019 to officially come out! and like. dan essentially confirmed that yes all the public online flirting back in 2009/2010 between him and phil was very real and that they were "more than just romantic" at that point and were currently "real best friends, life companions, and soulmates." but that was it, they weren't going to share any more. which is perfectly fine, but some of that definitely had to do with dan wanting to explore himself outside of the Dan and Phil™ brand (which unfortunately he got fucked over by the pandemic and by YouTube in the process). however they did eventually make a very cute announcement that they had bought and designed a new house together. and bit by bit they started making some more coupley jokes about each other here and there and sharing glimpses of a bedroom with both of their stuff in it, though it was still fairly subdued. but then dan finally got to go do his solo comedy tour and when he came back, shit suddenly CHANGED. 2023 was wild. they brought back their joint gaming channel they hadn't touched in five years since just before they came out. and they basically started the public flirting again??? this time on camera??? maybe not as direct as the 2009 stuff at first but. it's definitely been building up close to it. and then Dan finally releases his comedy special for free on YouTube. Phil writes a gushy tweet about it. and dan just replies with 🧡. ...except for within a larger birthday tweet in 2023, dan had not used a heart emoji for phil since like... 2010??? and then suddenly he screenshots this interaction and POSTS IT ON HIS YOUTUBE COMMUNITY TAB with the caption "gay" and a link to his special. like. this isn't about confirmation... the people who have been saying that they probably aren't together or that you shouldn't think or wonder if they are were like, the twitter morality police, ex-phannies, and generally clueless people. tumblr phannies clearly have known that they've been gay for each other for the past 15 years. but this whole "gay 🧡" incident is the first time Dan Howell has very publicly said something like this about his relationship while being "unapologetically gay" as a very public figure (there's been some magazine interviews that technically have come close but, nothing as direct as this). like that is so fucking huge??? that he and phil are finally comfortable enough online, on YouTube, and in life, to go there!!! as we are now approaching fifteen years of them together too!!! like, it's so nice to get to celebrate such a happy queer relationship and expression of queer joy. and dan has hinted that bigger stuff is coming too... like. yeah phan is real I guess 🙃

[gdsplicer]

Happy pride month to everyone but especially to the aro men, like all of them. This month is for you too

All for us in all our shapes and experiences are deserving of aro joy and being allowed to be unapologetic, and further without belittlement and shame. We are human, we are whole and we are radiant!

I see you, I am you and I treasure you. I am so proud to share this community, be it the overall queer one or our aro one, with you my brothers.

[dyke-will-graham]

Okay but on a serious note. I love how unapologetically queer the world of Our Flag Means Death is. Like it isn’t just the characters, it’s not just their actions or attitudes or anything. Like the world itself is just this modge podge melting pot of every kind of human being and not once is anyone ever asked to apologize for it. Not once is anyone persecuted for it, because what the show does is immerse you in this queer landscape of pirates and found family and relationships while judging it’s character solely on their actions and who they are as people rather than their sexuality or identity. And soon you’re watching the show, of course invested in the romance, but also in the hope and growth of the characters and how they grow not just further into their queerness but also further into themselves as human beings.

Like I adore it, it’s so refreshing. We never have a “oh he’s gay?” Or “are you gay?” Or “what?! You’re together?” Moment it’s just like yeah whatever we have bigger things going on like childhood trauma, relationship trauma, growing as people, being happy and having hope.

[sonseulsoleil]

I’ve seen some posts that are variations of “I wish they’d just queerbaited me instead” and while I’m sure most of them are jokes, it’s still rubbing me the wrong way.

I first read Good Omens when I was about 15 years old. At the time I was closeted, and extremely depressed. I knew I was feeling a lot of things that I wasn’t “supposed” to be feeling, and that I wasn’t feeling other things that I thought I should be feeling. I knew I was different, but I hadn’t figured out exactly how yet. Good Omens came into my life during this time, and it spoke to me. Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship was not defined, but the queerness was obvious, just beneath the surface. And even beyond them, it was a book about choosing love. Adam chooses his love for his family and friends and Tadfield over being the antichrist. Anathema chooses a life with Newt over Agnes’ predictions. Crowley and Aziraphale choose their love for the world, for humanity, and for each other, over their duties. It’s against the rules. It’s deviant. But it’s the right thing to do. Love, in every form, is always right, that’s what I learned from Good Omens as a sad repressed queer teen. And I fucking loved it. I saw myself and my own struggles in that story.

When the first season of the show came out, there were a lot of accusations of queerbaiting thrown around, but I never saw it that way. It’s always been a story drenched in queer themes and motifs, intentional or not. Would it be nice to see the angel and demon kiss? Of course. But I didn’t need it. I was happy with the story the way that it was.

And then season two came out, and honestly? I underestimated how much blunt textual queerness would mean to me. And I’m not just talking about Crowley and Aziraphale. All the queerness. Maggie and Nina. The magic shop owner and his spouse. Beelzebub. The story of Beelzebub and Gabriel falling in love and choosing each other over their respective sides, which took those queer themes already present and doubled down on them. Even little things like Crowley offhandedly saying “actually not either” to “you’re a good lad” took my breath away.

The ending was heartbreaking, but it was heartbreaking because it felt so real. It tapped into a specifically queer pain, the pain of repression and fear, and how easy it is to give into the desire to simply fit in, and how that can tear apart our relationships.

It truly, sincerely, means so much to me. This story that I’ve loved and seen myself in for over a decade, has just said back to me, loudly and utterly unapologetically: yes, you are a part of this story. yes, it’s for you.

So, no. I wouldn’t have preferred to be queerbaited.

[the-ace-with-spades]

You know people assume (and like it's their right to do so, its headcanons, etc etc don't come with pitchforks at me) that Bradley's youth queer experience would be very positive given Mav and the implied icemav of it all

But I think instead of making him more open about his sexuality in adulthood (or just unapologetic), it'd give the opposite result

This is to do with that, although he'd see happy queer people (Mav and Ice) behind closed doors, his childhood, mainly in the 80s and 90s, as well as Mav's and Ice's attitudes toward being open about their relationship, would teach him how cruel the world can be and the typical 'better safe than sorry' attitude being queer outside of typical queer spaces brings to many

He could see Mav and Ice love each other very very much, maybe to the point he'd even base his idea of love on them, but he'd also see how much maneuvering would keeping their relationship from the public cost. Sure, there are friends who supported them (flyboys, Carole, etc), but there were also countless people who would destroy their careers and lives if they ever found out (also if Mav ever adopted/fostered him, just suspicions of him being queer could put Bradley back in the system, the way things worked back in the 90s and also given how many fostering agency, even government employed, are christian-lead...)

In the instances someone would come close to discovering it, not only he'd see how distressing it can be but also how much being discovered would cost - whether this is personal safety, job security, respect, etc. And even if the worst didn't come to it, he'd still be left with the foil remarks and hate 'bullying'

As long as DADT was in place, I think he'd be equally if not more careful in comparison to what he had seen while with Mav and/or Ice

If anything I think Jake would have more of the naivety being openly and unashamedly queer takes (whether this is because he grew up in an environment with no visible queer people ergo never saw actual acts of hate toward them, or because he thinks he left the most hateful environment and nothing can be worse than it OR maybe because he is 100% or nothing kind of guy, no matter to what he commits)

[teashadephoenix]

also thank you to nick offerman for being unapologetically vulnerable and to mazinneil for showing it. bill is such a gruff and tough character and getting to see him all hunched and awkwardly blush smiling bc Handsome Man kissed him, and giggling with unfettered joy with his husband about fresh strawberries

that isnt just good queer rep, its beautiful to see a burly bear of a man being happy and in love without it being made into a fucking joke

[maximumqueer]

I've recently been thinking a lot about the queer rep in One Piece (particularly Ivankov and the the New Kama of Impel Down) and how it feels different from a lot of other main stream/popular media that also has queer rep in it. And the best way I can think of describing it is that it doesn't feel sanitized in the way a lot of other queer rep/media does.

Like. Normally queer rep in pop media tends towards cis gay (often cis gay white men) who do not present as overly feminine, who are "just like you" (you being cishet people) with the only difference being that they like boys as a boy (or girls as a girl). It shies away from queer culture and places its gay characters in heteronormative roles despite their gayness. Queerness in One Piece doesn't do that, and Ivankov and the New Kama are the perfect example of that.

Everything about them is queer. From the gay club hidden in a prison, to Ivankov himself - being a queer genderfluid drag queen whose power set involves being able to instantly trans another persons gender, to Inazuma regular switching between masc and fem presenting with no explanation.

I think this panel

encapsulates that feeling perfectly. This is in no way meant to hand hold the cishet audience. It is unapologetically queer, directly questioning not just the gender binary, but the very concept of gender. It celebrates the differences and diversity that is found within queerness in a way I rarely ever see in other main stream media of similar popularity.

I cannot overstate how happy - as a queer and trans person - this makes me. To have a shonen manga of all things celebrate the inherent weirdness that is human gender expression, and have it not be played as a joke. To have characters like Ivankov and Inazuma be important to the story (NESSISCARY even). And to do that without hand holding the audience, or over explaining what is happening in these scenes.

And this isn't even mentioning other queer/trans characters like Yamato, Kiku, and Bon Clay. All of who are incredibly interesting and complex characters whose queerness and transness is presented with sincerity. Yamato's trans identity in particular is wonderfully intertwined with the rest of his character, bleeding into is idolization/respect of Oden, and his desires and dreams (being to follow in Oden's footsteps and act as the protector of Wano).

And obviously One Piece doesn't have perfect queer rep (no piece of media does). But I would much rather have queer rep that celebrates queerness as a whole with a few missteps along the way, then purely inoffensive rep that strips away any and all queer culture, sanitizing it to be appealing to a cishet audience.

[fandommemequeen]

happy anniversary to welcome to night vale, for the closeted queer kids who felt seen listening to the podcast through dollar store earbuds, the trans people who love hearing trans artists like mal blum and against me during the weather, and to every queer fan who loves this podcast for its unapologetic queerness, even during times when that kind of stuff was frowned upon.