It’s Out There, Just Look

Words by Goose (they/them)

“She’s bisexual,” my sibling insisted, pointing at a five-second clip of two girls dancing together in Pixar’s recent flim Turning Red. The character in question had spent the entire movie obsessing over boy bands, but people are allowed to interpret these snippets how they like. Until they say “the creators said so.” 

No the fuck they did not.

I want to talk about actual queer art, by actual queer people, that existed long before the major studios decided it was profitable to represent us. Film is my major at uni, so it’s what I’ll focus on here. 

In 1327, King Edward II was deposed for his relationship with his close, male “companion”. Several hundred years later, Derek Jarman, one of the pioneers of New Queer Cinema, blurred the lines of history and gay image with his artsy Edward II (1991). Elsewhere in the New Queer, Rose Troche’s Go Fish (1994) addressed the nuances of butch-femme relationships and lesbian life.

There are lesbian comedies (The Watermelon Woman), gay horrors (Knife+Heart), genderbending musicals (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), and that’s just the movies. By and about Us.

Did you know Wellington used to have a queer film festival? It was called Out Takes, look it up.

Most of the works shown were independently produced within their communities. Aside from the festivals or university courses, you’ve probably only heard of one or two. Queer is not mainstream.

What I’m trying to say is that we shouldn’t settle for scraps from the likes of Disney or any other company. The fulfilling art we need will never come from above, it comes from within. And it already exists in abundance. Dig a little deeper than you usually would, and you’ll discover a plethora of beautiful, diverse, and proud art.

Most importantly, support local queer artists so that generations to come can find us too.