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| ID: A man being proposed to at a table by another man in a kitchen, surrounded by a mouth biting its lip, a person smoking a cigarette next to text reading PARIS IS BURNING, and three drag queen spilling out a car. CREDIT: Rebecca Tozer |
This genre of uncontested, unconcerned homosexuality on screen has only been made possible by a sordid history of gay tragedy porn and trope exploitation beyond belief. One of the premier examples of canon queer representation in film is, obviously, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Although a vital foothold in the climb to gay visibility on screen, Rocky Horror falls into an alternative and deviant portrayal of queerness, ultimately reflecting a distanced and negative representation through the lens of a heteronormative society. Since sinking into a cult classic reserved for midnight showings, Rocky Horror has been the queer awakening and introduction to drag culture of many. These midnight showings, with hecklers adlibbing across the cinema and drag artists lip-syncing to the film, have created a subculture of their own, allowing many queer people to explore their gender expression as well as the art of drag. One of the first films one thinks of when talking about queer media is Rocky Horror, but I can’t help but think that it helped cement the ostracism and distastefully alternative lens cast onto the queer community during the latter half of the 20th century.
15 years later, the documentary Paris is Burning (1990) was released, documenting the ballroom culture of the late 1980s in New York City, showcasing these safe spaces for queer and especially trans youth as well as the development of queer culture and language. Sidebar, as I do want to say that, obviously, “gay language” originated from and in tandem with African American Vernacular English (AAVE). A heartfelt and personal piece (which is so easy to find on YouTube btw!) places the viewer within the folds of NYC’s queer community at that time, when queer people believed they would never see themselves on screen, on the runway, rich, or famous — the ballroom was their red carpet to celebrate safely. If you’re not already crying while watching, the comments will not fail to remind you that the majority of the drag artists and subjects featured in Paris is Burning died as victims of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the following years. This documentary is truly a part of queer media history, and I’m so grateful that this specific moment in time and culture was captured as such.
That documentary then created space and helped greenlight productions such as To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995). The road-trip dramedy focuses on three drag queens travelling to the Drag Queen of America pageant on the other side of the country. The notable casting of Patrick Swayze as one of the three queens, Vida Boheme, stands out. I, for one, would never have assumed that a ‘90s heartthrob would have played a marginalised and pretty controversial character. Apparently cast for his dancer-like sway, which cemented the character’s femininity, such a big name being tied to such a positive portrayal of queer culture felt like a leap forward in the mainstream celebration of drag. Although not a massive box office hit, To Wong Foo remains a treasured indie of queer historic media and lives on in the hearts of many. Furthermore, the inclusion of cameos from many famous drag queens of the time really cements it as a love letter to the drag community. And can I just say, Sykes’ iconic line read — “Little Latin boy in drag, why are you crying?” — deserved its own Golden Globe nomination along with Swayze’s for that masterpiece.
The sapphic classic (and only wlw-focused piece of media in this article) But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) rounded out the ‘90s with camp, satire, the brightest-coloured story of perhaps all time, and of course, a RuPaul cameo. My lesbian ass has watched that film 3 or 4 times in the past 3 years, and it has never failed to fill my heart with queer joy. Seeing literal queer art like that, although produced and acted in primarily by straights, moved something within me. Knowing that little femme lesbians like me in 1999 could see themselves in a true, heartfelt comedy makes me so, so happy.
Then, the 2010s followed with both good (Dave Franco in Neighbors 2) and bad (the entirety of Love, Simon, I actually can’t get into it). In the former, Franco and Early are on screen together for probably a total of 3 scenes, but in each one they deliver a believable and heartfelt couple, and I’m quite certain they kiss more times than Willow and Tara do in the entirety of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And yes, dude-bro Dave Franco’s performance as Pete does make me well up; seeing the antithesis of the expected physical and aesthetic presentation of a gay man as en-gay-ged and joyful and so fucking proud makes my straight-passing-lesbian-heart beat faster. However, it would have been just as nice if an actual queer dude-bro could have played the role.
No matter how beloved all of these movies are, these queer characters are primarily being portrayed by straight actors over and over from time eternal until now. And I want to make it clear that I don’t believe that only queer people should play queer roles (because queer people should be just as able to play straight roles), but when straight people have everything, where is the space for queer creatives? When do we get to see ourselves physically on screen, and not just in the inspiration?
Last May was truly a fabulous time for modern queer representation with the release of TV series Overcompensating and Adults. The former is a semi–autobiographical comedy of a closeted gay guy’s first semester of college, and the latter a Gen Z Friends that is actually funny. Overcompensating provides relatable and believable queer representation on screen, written and produced by an actual gay guy (Benito Skinner, I love you so much). The show really captures the reality and insane amounts of cringe that starting university holds in a way that makes you shiver, and I couldn’t be more grateful. The title captures the need to perform as straight when in the closet, overdoing every social interaction to the nth degree, or even feeling the pressure to perform as some specific stereotype of gay. The exploration of queer identity and coming into your sexuality in a world in which it feels too scary to do so speaks to pretty much every queer person watching (even if Overcompensating exists in some non-specific 2016-esque-but-no-one’s-really-sure era). Adults, meanwhile, truly portrays the fluidity and acceptance found in Gen Z friend groups — not once is any queerness questioned, and heck, even stabbers can be chill gay guys. Its diverse cast, with both queer and straight actors portraying queer characters, makes a TV show that reflects our generation both positively and accurately.
The future of queer representation could be so bright, especially since BOTH Overcompensating and Adults got renewed for a second season! More and more queer self-represented stories like them are being produced, released, and celebrated! Seeing shows and films focusing on queer people but not being consumed by coming-out narratives, along with a rising legion of queer creatives behind and in front of the camera, casts a vision of a future in queer film that really couldn’t seem brighter! That is, I mean, if we ignore the complete lack of sapphic media taken on by the mainstream, the constant centring of white queers, and an overall portrayal that persists to lean very token and pretty cringe. I’m proud of us — we have come a very, VERY long way, but we have so much further to go.
xoxo, Rebecca
P.S I would like to add as a disclaimer that I haven’t watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show but my twin has AND I read the Wikipedia (à la Katya Zamolodchikova iykyk).
Sources
The Queer History of the Rocky Horror Picture Show
LGBT History Month – A History of LGBT Representation in TV/Film – Your Bristol Story
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar - Wikipedia
Dave Franco freaks out over his marriage proposal | Neighbors 2 | CLIP