commodification of oppression

I don't know that I even have the words to express my utter disgust at this new Hanes add (which interestingly enough will not be appearing in the states) and it's blatend commodification of oppression. This add along with it's sidekicks one saying nigger, and the other saying paki) make the claim that the world puts enough labels on people, your underwear shouldn't thus encouraging consumers to purchase tagless underwear.

I never thought I would see the day that gender complexity would be celebrated with this degree of respect by the mainstream media

photo taken from Oprah.com


As many of you know a lot of the media studies research that I have done has revolved around the representation of transgender bodies and lives on the Oprah show, it is for that reason along with a host of others that I eagerly awaited Thomas Beatie's appearance on her show this afternoon. It is uncommon for me to fall in love with something that I have seen in the media, particularly when it comes to transgender lives, but without a doubt he was incredible. I was practically in tears as I watched this episode (yes I am that big of a media nerd) for the life of me I never thought that I would witness mainstream media cover a story of this complexity, and handle it with the respect that they have. Here is a man who is proudly talking about his body, history, and family and in doing so is shattering the narrow and restrictive transgender narrative which all too frequently is the only option the media provides for the telling of gender diverse lives.

On Oprah Beatie responded thoughtfully and strongly about why he and his wife made the decisions they did both in regards to getting pregnant, but with coming forward. He spoke about wanting ot be the one to tell their story, to present it to the media before someone else did, and I have to say even as someone who works with and critiques queer media they couldn't have done it any better. There was such strength in their story as they spoke of the pain of trying to get doctors too bogged down by their own transphobia to work with them, and they spoke candidly at their shock about the way in which they saythe national transgender movement has shut them out.

As a transgender person who lived as an FTM for a number of years before quitting T I believe that I have somewhat of an understandings of the alienation that they are feeling and the fear that they must have had with going forward with the media. I know what it feels like to be shut out of communities which claim to be your family, and when I went off T and began living as a queer femme I watched many of my transgender brothers and sisters walk away from me. This is a media moment to be celebrated, for arguably the first time the mainstream American public is being asked to grapple with the complexity of gender. For the first time the mainstream media is in a very public way showing the complexity and beauty of our community and we are not dumbing down our lives, identities, bodies, or experiences in order to fit into a prescribed idea of what a transgender person should be.

I have been watching a lot of media coverage of Thomas prior to today's Oprah and People exclusives and to be honest I have been thrilled with the response from audiences. Yes there have been the transphobic people who have said extremely hurtful things, including late night TV host David Letterman (whose actions were deplorable) however the majority of people have interfaced with this situation quite well. I have seen very few pronoun blunders, and I have seen people truly embracing this queerness that they never knew existed in the world.

It is true that he is not the first man to do this, Patrick Califia and Matt Black are perhaps the other most well known couple to have done this, and I personally know a number of people who either have gone off T to get pregnant, or who have planned on it, however this is without a doubt the most publicized case to date. The American public, and really the world has been handed an honest look at the queerness of our community, and they are not shying away, sometimes (and as a former queer separatist I never thought I'd be the one to say this) but i think we don't give straight folks enough credit. I may be proved wrong, but at this point they are rising to the occasion, and truly getting a look at what the possibilities of gender.

The search for the gay gene is killing our culture

In recent days the anything but new "scientific research" regarding the so called gay gene has been making a lot of news, including garnering a great deal of attention in mainstream press, including this coverage on ABC http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=4529843&page=1 which discusses this molecular genetic study of sexual orientation http://www.gaybros.com/

Research into discovering the gay gene seems to run in cycles in terms of the frequency with which it gets mainstream attention. I remember doing research for my senior's honors english class in high school about weather or not searching for the gay gene was ethical, and what sort of impacts it would have on the community. Since then, i've seen the issue crop up a handful of times every few years as new "discoveries" are made. I won't even go into the issues that I have with them searching for this, or why i feel it's damaging for some in the community to seek validation of themselves through it' discovery (if in it does actually exist) i also am a very strong believer in the ideology behind queer by choice, and would not find it powerful or validating to have some scientist tel me that i had no control over who i am.

However there is no doubt in my mind that if at some point in the future they are able to discover "the gay gene" which htey have been looking for for quite some time but seems to make the news every so often i believe that #1 the first place this will go will be a search for a "cure" and #2 parents will have the ability to "determine" their child's sexual orientation before birth---which hypothetically is going to put pro-life conservative christian nutjobs in a hillarious position - do they defend the "life" of the unborn if it's a queer fetus?

this is an issue that i feel really passionate about, we need to stop groveling to mainstream heterosexual society to be seen as "normal" and "just like them" that will never get us anywhere other than theoretically genetically eliminated. queerness shouldn't be something that we need to feel horrific about unless we can say "it's not my fault, it's just my genes" which is complete bullshit.

It's interesting to watch the gay community clammer for approval, practically salivating over the idea that the gay gene could be found, and that their lives, families, and desires could somehow be excused by some doctor in a white lab coat. I understand the argument that this could grant additional rights, could prove that we can't help who we are attracted to, but is that really what we want? From a media perspective the fact that this is being discussed in a positive way is interesting, it's very exciting to have parents of a teenaged gay boy say that they love their son (although I do take issue with them saying they *knew* he was gay from the time he was a toddler) and wouldn't have changed his sexual orientation if they could.

That said, by showing loving and rational parents this mediated portrayal of the issue systematically devalues and dismisses the very real concerns of queer folks who know that their families of origin would have behaved differently. Weather we like it or not there are countless people around the world who, if given the choice would either abort a queer fetus, or would choose to undergo medical care in order to genetically alter that fetus into being straight. The only opposition to this research shown in the news segment was a fundamentalist christian psychologist who took issue with the research findings, and believes that gayness is not a result of genetics. One is left wondering where the voices of queer activists were?

Are we as a community willing to stand by while they debate eugenics? Are we willing to beg to be seen as normal simply so that they can kill our culture?

Labor of Love

http://advocate.com/issue_story.asp?id=52664&page=1

I'm so used to having huge complaints about the ways in which queer lives and bodies, and especially gender nonconforming bodies are presented in the media that I will admit that i am not only shocked but thrilled to say that I am highly impressed with the way in which The Advocate (of all places) covered the story of Thomas Beatie a transman in Oregon who is currently preagnent with he and his wife's first child.

I am thrilled to see a media outlet which is so commonly conservative in what aspects of the queer community it chooses to cover publish (even if only online) an op-ed which explores the complexities of queered bodies, and addresses the horrific medical experiences which so many who defy the "normal" trans-narrative are unfortuinatly subjected to in our current, highly broken, queer-phobic medical industry.

I wish all the best to Thomas and his wife Nancy as they await the birth of their daughter, and would like to encourage other media outlets to look beyond conservative and traditional queer lives and bodies when they write about our community.

Luke and Noah

I'm the first to admit that despite being a media junkie i'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to the world of soap operas. However they have caught my attention this week, specifically the current situation with the As the World Turns characters Luke and Noah. Plots around the gay couple have angered fans, but not for the reasons that you might think. Fans are upset because the show has not featured a kiss in months. The exact time in days, hours, minutes, and seconds can be found on a fan site which is running a countdown clock, demanding that he network http://www.lukeandnoahfans.com/ feature a kiss between the two men.

Now i'm all for queer kissing in the media, but i'll admit that even i am shocked by the amount of media attention these fans have been receiving. i also can't help but laugh a little bit because it seems to me in terms of mediated representation of the community we probably have a lot more important things to be concerned about than weather a fictional couple has kissed on screen recently. That said, given that soaps are known for their steamy scenes the noticeable lack of physical intimacy with this gay couple feeds into a cultural dialogue which desexualizes queer folk, at times to avoid controversy.

"spanked children also are more likely to... engage in masochistic sex, including arousal by spanking, later in life"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,333551,00.html

Today Fox news decided to report on a study about how according to the research done by the folks at the Family Research Laboratory, children who are spanked are considerably more likely to as adults engage in "risky sexual behavior" what sexual behavior is that? oh right, masochistic sex which according to Fox news is a sexual "problem" give me a break. This is the sort of news coverage which further stigmatizes members queers and leather folks, and roots the consenting acts of adults to disorders, and medicalizing our bodies and desires.

Do we love kids more when they are dead?

photograph taken from the San Francisco Chronicle article about the memorial for Lawrence King at the SF LGBTQ community center http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/20/BAQBV5EBJ.DTL


There has news within the community, and thankfully a bit within mainstream press about the murder of the queer student in Oxnard California who was shot in the back of the head while sitting in a Junior High Computer lab. The shooting was horrific, and for sure a wakeup call to our community. it is however interesting to note the relative lack of media coverage say compared to the college shooting at the university in Illinois just days later. As a nation it is clear that we do not value the lives of queer people, especially youth. i think that it is especially interesting to note that Lawrence King (the student who was murdered) was part of the foster care system, and was living in a shelter for abused children.

Homelessness amongst queer youth has reached epidemic proportions, and as a whole the community does very little about it. I'm editing an anthology from Homofactus Press which will be out early 2009 titled "Kicked Out" and is bringing together the stories of current and former LGBTQ youth who left home as a result of their sexuality and/or gender identity. the news of this young queers death thus touched me very deeply, and it has also made me angry. I think that it is wonderful that queer groups are having vigils across the country, and that gay press is buzzing with news of this, i've even heard this student referenced as the "new matthew shepard" as people from the trans community, and gay community alike rushing to hold Lawrence up as martyr for their cause. I'm left wondering, when are we as a community going to expend as much attention on living and breathing homeless youth as we do on the ones who die? Why isn't that being talked about? I guess it's easier to have a vigil.

Rural Faggot

A portion of the song can be listened to online here:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.indigogirls.com/media/images/discographyandlyrics/otherrecordings/250prom.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.indigogirls.com/discographyandlyrics/otherrecordings/prom.html&h=250&w=250&sz=43&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=K9TTYct1ZoNUQM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=111&prev=/images%3Fq%3Damy%2Bray%2Brural%2Bfaggot%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN


There are times in life when you hear a song and are instantly captivated, because it speaks to a part of your heart and soul, that's the way I instantly felt about Amy Ray's Rural Faggot which is included on her solo album "Prom." The song which describes the reality of living in a rural area and watching the coming of age of young gay men within the horrors of extreme homophobia speaks to me on many levels, most literally it reminds me of my own experiences of high school in semi-rural Oregon, and what it meant to be a dyke, and even more specifically what it meant for my gay male friends. Listening to this song takes me back to all those scary, dangerous, and haunting memories of a place, where gay bashing is seen as fun, and a game, but it takes me somewhere beautiful. There is something about the country that is truly captivating, and this song brings me back to that place and all the things I loved about it despite the danger and hate. Rural Faggot is a powerful mediated text because of the way it embodies the coming of age narratives of a young rural gay man, a story rarely told within the media which so frequently shapes queerness as a urban phenomenon.

Lyrics:
AMY RAY
Rural Faggot

You ride your John Deere down to the pond
Just to watch me struggle along.
You say you got your daddy's seed in you
And you think you're bored with anything there is to do with me.

You wipe your hands across your bare chest
And rub your fingers through your crew cut hair.
“Expelled from school,” you tell me with a grin,
“I copped a feel from an ex-girlfriend.”

I know you want to break the rules-
We were made by nature's fools.
And so you ride all day long, all by yourself,
‘Til you feel strong-

Strong enough to stay
Strong enough to be
Standing in the way
Of everything I see.

You wanna know why I had to go
Down to the baseball park to see you blow it.
All the balls just fall from your hands,
And your daddy asks me, When is he gonna be a man?”

I know you want to change the truth-
We were made by nature's fools.
So you ride all night long
With your boys in those muscle cars.
And you go down to the city
And laugh at the faggots
Until the girls look pretty and until you feel strong-

Strong enough to stay
Strong enough to be
Standing in the way
Of everything that you could see.

I'm just a magnet for the rural faggots.
They come and knock on my door
Just to find they're running out of time
To figure out what they come here for.

I know you want to know the truth
And I'm the dyke who will give it to you.
By this time next year
you'll know you're queer
It'll all be okay
It'll all be clear
And you'll run away from home
But not to be alone
And you'll go down to the city
Where the boys are pretty

And where you feel strong
Strong enough to stay
Strong enough to be
A country boy who's gay.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/02/in-election-08.html

Rarely does one see the news grapple with LGBTQ issues in a powerful and meaningful way, but this week a USA today opinion piece by Bruce Kluger titled " In Election '08 is there a place for gay rights?" grapples with some of the complex issues LGBTQ Americans face going into the 2008 election. I have no intention of getting into a candidate war on this blog about who I think would be the best candidate, after all I honestly think that of the democratic choices both are pretty similar in terms of how they will or won't protect LGBTQ folks (after all it isn't like either of the top candidates has been brave enough to support marriage equality). That said, at least Hillary hasn't gone out of her way to invite "ex-gay" leaders to campaign for her.

Kluger's post grapples with the very real needs of LGBTQ Americans, the discrimination we face on a legal level, and the silences, which exist around that. He speaks passionately about the needs of folks and the way our issues have been overlooked, and interjects popular culture references from the likes of the L word discussing the ways in which as a community we have in some ways fooled ourselves through these mediated representations, and loose sight of the fact that we lack fundamental rights. As he argues " this significant step forward carries with it a liability: As entertainment executives conscientiously work to bring the gay experience into the mainstream in a non-political way, they also run the risk of neglecting the real-life struggles gays continue to face."

A great read for anyone interested in politics and way LGBTQ folks will be impacted, as well as a look at the power of the media and it's relation to the way we conceptualize the LGBTQ movement and politics.

"The Axis of She-Vil"

The New York Post isn't known for it's positive coverage of queer issues, but even I was floored when I saw their article that ran yesterday titled "The Axis of She-Vil: Death to Gays but Free Ops for Irani Trannies" the poor taste of the cover is just the beginning of this tabloid sensationalistic piece which is in theory telling the stories of what it means to be transgender within Iran where the "crime" of "homosexuality" is punished by death, however trans issues are understood to be medical conditions where the government pays for people to have SRS.

While an interesting topic to explore, the Post did a horrific job of turning this into something to laugh about especially in regards to the article's title and they showed a complete lack of understanding and sensitivity to LGBTQ issues or people.

The full article can be found online here:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02072008/news/worldnews/axis_of_she_vil_92617.htm

a big mistake

“Writer, musician, and bicycle advocate/planner with a tendancy towards big mistakes” (please note, the misspelling of tendency is not mine) reads the website of Darwin S. Ward (http://www.darwinward.com) the author of “Becoming Alec,” a newly self-published book through lulu.com. Without a doubt, “Becoming Alec” was one of those big mistakes.

This is by far one of the most poorly written, and misogynistic books I have read in quite some time. “Becoming Alec” is the story of a young transsexual man named Alec as he struggles to find his way through the intersections of life, love, career, family, and community. I had really high hopes for the book, but those hopes were swiftly dashed as in every chapter I was confronted with clunky backstory and dry poorly constructed dialogue.

Perhaps what alarmed me more than anything was the blatant misogyny, which ran rampant within the text. The transmen in Ward’s novel seem destined to prove their manhood and “normalness” (a frequently mentioned goal) through degrading women. Characters repeatedly referred to female characters as “chicks” and even took issue with women’s desire for sexual pleasure. As such, far from break new ground, this novel played directly into oppressive and patriarchal stereotypes of who men are and how they should behave. While I would like to expect that all men biological or otherwise in our supposedly enlightened society to refrain from blatant degradation of women, it’s particularly unexpected and unacceptable from those men who previously experienced sexism firsthand.

This Film is not yet Rated

A couple of weeks ago when the mailman delivered "this film is not yet rated" to our apartment (oh netflix how i love you) to be honest i was less than excited to see it. as we sat down with a big bowl of popcorn my partner and i both questioned why we had put it in our list of films to see, but then it started and for the remainder of the film i was completely captivated, and knew that I needed to talk about it here.

Despite being a complete media junkie, and having gotten a degree in media studies even i was shocked at some of the innerworkings of the motion picture association. i was especially interested in the queer aspects of the film, the ways in which sex is policed and particularly anything transgressive. these are the people that control who sees cinematic depictions of our lives, and really how our experiences are portrayed, and it's something that we all need to be paying serious attention to.

storytelling at its finest

Eli Clare’s poetry and prose rushed through my heart and soul with the same intensity as the mighty Oregon rivers which feature so prominently in his work. “The Marrow’s Telling: Words in Motion” is storytelling in its finest form. This book challenges readers to look beyond initial assumptions and expectations in order to intimately explore the intersections of race, ability, gender, and sexuality. Politically charged, this work forges an important trail through body memories linked to childhood sexual abuse, ritual abuse, gender transformation, the act of sex, and body acceptance. Through tantalizing poetry “The Marrow’s Telling” challenges us as readers to look more closely at the geography of our own lives.

"Everyone Deserves a Proud Parent"

This new ad campaign unveiled by the "Family Builders by Adoption" organization in California is one of the most incredible uses of media that I have seen in quite some time. The agency, recognizing the specific needs of LGBTQ youth who are less likely to be placed in loving homes, more likely to be abused, and extremely likely to be homeless (it is estimated that upwards of 40% of all homeless youth in the United States are LGBTQ identified).

The ad campaign which kicked off this week in San Francisco with advertisements in the subway system makes the clear and powerful argument that every kid deserves a home, and that queer kids have and continue to be considered difficult to adopt. Seamlessly appealing to the emotions of community members, this ad is a call to action for our community, as yet another way we can step forward to help some of our most vulnerable community members.

A wonderful article in the Bay Area Reporter about the new campaign can be found here: http://ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=2618

http://www.amazon.com/Self-Organizing-Men-Conscious-Masculinities-Space/dp/0978597303

Punctuated with powerful artistic depictions and introspective cartoons grappling with constructed maleness Jay Sennett’s Self Organizing Men breaks new ground bringing together a diverse group of artists, authors, and performers to explore the complexities of masculinity and maleness. Self Organizing Men pays particular attention to the diversity of experiences across borders of gender, sexuality, race, ability, and class and how those social locations and lived experiences shape and transform the lives and identities of contributors, and our culture at large. Injected with a visible feminist consciousness, Self Organizing Men challenges dominant ideologies of maleness, providing a reconceptualization and challenge to the notions of privilege, patriarchy, and the inadequacies of the gender binary. This is an ideal book for anyone interested in gender studies, men’s studies, feminist studies, queer studies, or constructed masculinity.

The Award-Winning LGBT New Site?!?!?????

The Advocate magazine is perhaps the most recognizable glossy publication targeted to the gay and lesbian (and occasionally queer) community. The monthly magazine is a combination of news and celebrity gossip which impacts the community. Although not personally a huge fan of Advocate, even I was surprised when a friend brought to my attention their "Annual Sissy Awards." (http://www.advocate.com/issue_story.asp?id=50984&page=1 ). The article goes on to describe that the "Sissy Awards" are basically code for all of the homophobic and oppressive things which have happened over the year; for example this years include Tim Hardaway's homophobic radio rant, the antics of Bill O'Reilly as well as the absurd statements of Mahomoud Ahmadinejad. In an attempt to describe their awards the Advocate says "every year we have to endure our fair share of idiots, but this year takes the cake. So we here at The Advocate have reinstated our annual sissy awards, recognizing those who show arrogant stupidity, dishonesty, or just a severe lack of spine."

As queer people, we need to be taking serous issue with the fact that arguably our most recognizable publication is furthering and promoting a campaign which is seeped in sissyphobia and furthering the oppressive ideals that gay men are supposed to only be masculine, that there is something shameful about being a "sissy" and that the only acceptable type of gay man is the one who can fit into a heterosexist cultures ideals of masculinity. "Sissy" is a word which has and continues to be hurled at effeminate gay men, and by the same token is a term which many have begun to reclaim, it is reprehensible for an LGBTQ publication to be using it as an insult, or as code for bad or wrong, or things which should be avoided.

"Rich, White, and Gay"

"Rich, White, Gay"
http://www.riotfolk.org/music/31/09%20Rich,%20White,%20and%20Gay.m4a

The HRC made news this fall when they went against the rest of the LGBTQ community supporting the ENDA legislation, and making it very clear about how supportive they are of the trans community, and everyone else who is at all gender non-conforming. Anyway I'm always on the lookout for queer media which looks critically at the HRC, and calls attention to the queerphobic policies supported by the mainstream gay community. I recently was introduced to the music of Adhamh Roland who is part of the Riot Folk collective ( http://www.riotfolk.org/member.php?id=5 ) and fell in love with his song "Rich, White, and Gay" which speaks to a lot of the issues many of us have with contemporary gay rights ideologies and especially the HRC.

The song moves away from simply being a bashing of the HRC and instead explores other problems within the community, and the ways in which trans folks, sex workers, youth, poor folks, folks of color, differently abled folks etc. are marginalized and silenced in an effort for the "normal" gays and lesbians to gain political and social power, leaving everyone else behind fighting over metaphorical scraps. From a media perspective the "it’s queers who equate true equality with straight privilege like shows on t.v. " line was especially powerful as it addressed the ways in which simply being on TV isn't enough if those representations are still based in oppression, stereotypes, and fail to account for the true diversity of our community, and fail to recognize that true equality is more than simplistic mediated representation.

Roland's song brings to attention some really important issues that the queer community in the States really needs to be paying attention to, as far as whose values and needs are being represented by the gay mainstream.


Lyrics:

Rich, White, and Gay
while mainstream gays and lesbians are prioritizing things like marriage and adoption, the rest of the community is left to fend for ourselves against racism, classism, transphobia, ablism and more. queer liberation means liberation for all, while gay assimilation means just that—assimilation. this song was inspired by the anthology, that’s revolting: queer strategies on resisting assimilation.
capo 3rd fret

well, what do you see of the gay mainstream?
queer eye, queer folk—it’s queer t.v.
and you say ‘oh my goodness look how far we’ve come’
but that all depends on where you’re coming from

chorus:
‘cause when you say ‘we’
i think i know what you mean
it’s that rich, white, gay and lesbian
so called community

it’s the folks who wanna end housing discrimination
but ban youth shelters in the name of beautification
who think their partners should have health coverage to share
but don’t give a damn ‘bout universal health care
who fight in the courts for tougher hate crimes
but think the racist system is working just fine
‘cause it’s o.k. to haul off to jail the homeless and the youth
people of color, trannys, sex workers too
as long as it’s not people like you
then you can maintain you’re agenda
that benefits the few

it’s a gay mainstream that votes anti-poor
as long as civil unions are accounted for
they don’t seem to see their obvious connections
between race, class, ability, and gender expression
they don’t think of the black drag queens that battled for us all
hurlin’ high heels at the cops outside of stonewall
when they vote to put more pigs on the streets
and never hear about the people that they beat

‘cause the human rights campaign is sponsored by nike and coors
who violate everybody’s rights but yours
they claim to advocate for queers and trannys
and then don’t write them into nondiscrimination policies
they even endorsed a republican candidate
thanks h.r.c. for bein’ my advocate

it’s the log cabins, the don’t ask don’t tell
it’s consumerisms choice demographic to sell
it’s climbin’ up the ladder leavin’ everyone behind
it’s the best pecking order capitalism can find
it’s the upwardly mobile that want to marry
it’s the strict butch/femme dichotomy
it’s queers who equate true equality
with straight privilege like shows on t.v.
as long as the butt of the jokes are still based on misogyny
and the lead roles are straight in reality
it’s a slap in the face to kioshi (web link)
and every other liberation warrior since the sixties
and anyone ever arrested on your street
cuz they might lower the value of your property

last chorus
when you say we
i think i know what you mean
it’s that rich, white, gay and lesbian so called....
well it’s not the trannys, it’s not the dykes
it’s not anyone who’s not white
it’s not the whores, not the fags
not asians, latinas, natives, or blacks
it’s not the homeless, the deaf or blind
it’s not fake cocks or chests that bind
it’s not the fat folks, or the freaks
or any combination of any sort of identity

except that rich, white, gay
that rich, white, and gay
that rich, white, gay ...
...and sometimes lesbian
so called community

So I’ve following "quarterlife" http://www.quarterlife.com since its arrival on the net a few months ago. The show is attempting to be new and edgy only airing it's episodes online, with loads of flashy technology, obvious corporate placements and desire to plaster myspace with adds for themselves. The show is focused around the lives of six twenty-somethings lost and confused about life, love, jobs etc. the show's primary gimmick revolves around the "quarterlife" site where artists can upload their work and communicate with other lost twenty-somethings attempting to make it in their chosen artist realm complete with cheesy plots surrounding the shows characters also using the site to showcase their videos and video blogs about their oh so tragic, oh so privileged lives.

The reason this show is even making it to my queer media blog is because of how disappointing it is. One of the shows main selling features is that it's done by the creators of "My So Called Life" whose limited run was truly groundbreaking in terms of diversity and the complexity of issues, which were addressed and shown to teen audiences. It was one of the first shows that were willing to treat teens like adults, and creating a show centered around what it really meant to be a teenager. The show included the complex flamboyant queer character of Ricki, and even addressed things like school bullying. This new show attempting to capitalize on the original shows old fans now all grown up fails to present any of the diversity of it's original- it lacks a single character of color, and with the exception of a brief discussion of girl on girl action where lead character Dylan discusses having been with a girl because of how lost she is, and then getting hit on by her obnoxious female boss the show fails to address queerness at all. The portrayal that it does establish trivializes queer experience as nothing more than an experiment that someone might try in college, less real and valid than heterosexuality, and nothing more than something which is explored when one is so drunk they won't remember it the next morning.

All in all, this show is a flop (which if you read the comments on the website it's clear that many viewers share my feelings). It's nothing more than a washed-up attempt to salvage something which was truly revolutionary and package what had been groundbreaking, and diverse into a white, rich, heteronormative show about how much it must clearly suck to be rich and white and straight and traditionally attractive, and oh so terribly talented.

A Pirate's Life for Me!

Used as comic relief within Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy the characters Pintel and Ragetti are highly effeminate and the use of their characters as comedy within the movies feeds into a rich historical tradition of Disney (and many others) using ideas of homoeroticism as comedy. The two men are rarely if ever seen away from one another, sharing intimate jokes, plots, and glances unlike anything exchanged between any of the other male pirates. This while the other pirates with the notable exception of Will and Elizabeth seem to not really get along well with one another, or at least do not appear to have strong connections or bonds in the way that Pintel and Ragetti demonstrate. In this way these two men are constructed as outsiders, different somehow from the other pirates as a result of their relationship

Having watched the "at the worlds end" film for the first time within the past few days I became increasingly aware of the intense affection and homoeroticism these characters brought to the plot of the movie. While there is no denying that the majority of their antics were quite humorous (although they do predominantly resort to slapstick humor) it would be nice if we could have clearly gay characters with depth, who were able to move beyond being simply something to laugh at.

For christmas this year our kids (two puddle cats and a princess dog) got my partner and I six months of Netflix! As a media junkie this pleases me beyond belief and I know that more and more movies will for sure be making their way to being blogged about here at Fuchsia Focus.

I feel a little bit behind the times, as last night was the first time I had seen John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus. Despite hearing rave reviews since it's release I hadn't managed to actually sit down and watch it. Going in I had a few fears that its popularity was all hype, and cult adoration, however it truly was as fantastic as everyone had made it out to be. Set in my favorite city, and home (NYC) the film explores the sexual lives of individuals who frequent the fictional hangout of "Shortbus" with a fantastic cast of people, many well known in the independent and queer communities (such as Bitch - who was half of the infamous 'Bitch and Animal' queer band and now a successful musician in her own right) playing themselves, and helping the script to evolve organically.

With beautiful imagery the film travels throught the city and taking an intimate look into the bedrooms, diverse sexual desires, and needs it's characters. This film explores the limits of sexuality, and why we are all so drawn to it's queerness.