I would like to state up front (before I get a wave of angry emails going YOU CAN’T SAY THAT) that I believe any form of LGBT cinema is a good thing. The more presence we have in the lives of people then the better. It helps people to see LGBT persons as human. I would also like to state that I am openly bisexual and my gender is less definable. So I have an interest in LGBT cinema. I am also not new to it.
In recent weeks, I set myself a task of watching world cinema and every type of LGBT related film I could find. This has led to the gems that are Circumstance (Iranian lesbian film), C.R.A.Z.Y (Gay French Canadian) and Laurence Anyways (French trans film). It has also meant some awful ones too such as Chloe (2009 slightly lesbian thriller) which isn’t worth mentioning.
Something was bothering me.
I am so happy that so far in 2016, there has been a lot of discussion about The Danish Girl and Carole. Carol, I thought was excellent but the Danish Girl was too long and also awkward for me. I felt that there was too many stereotypes and also, why are people in Copenhagen speaking in English accents?! Also I want to go to Copenhagen at some stage. That is a side note.
It took me a full week to find out where I stood on the idea of LGBT cinema and why it was making me feel a bit uncomfortable lately.
I realised it is because I don’t see myself in it.
When I was in my twenties and struggling to come to terms with gender, sexuality and art college, the coming out films were amazing. I loved watching the straight girl fall in love with the lesbian girl and have a mad affair only to be broken up towards the end. But now, at age of 30, I don’t need that anymore. I want to see different lesbians, bisexuals and other sexualities. LGBT cinema is just that. Lesbian Gay Transgender and the occasional Bisexual. As with most things in life, Bisexuality is just something that is rarely mentioned and sort of looked down on by straights and the gays.
I am going to sort these into points to make it easier to say what I want to. So here are the issues I have with the state of LGBT cinema:
1 - Boy meets straight boy. Straight girl meets lesbian girl.
The dialogue is always the same. It is always gay, transgender or lesbian. In this way, a lot of different gender and sexuality types which are the normal lives for many are completely ignored. So far, I know of one Intersex film which the Argentinan film, XXY which is awesome. But why is there one film in a sea of many gay ones? Also, where are the films with A sexual characters? Why are there no characters showing bisexuals being normal? Why are there no films about straight drag queens? I have one friend who is a straight man who is also a drag queen - where is his representation? Instead, the same dialogue is being presented over and over again. The definition being LGT. In fact, I find it depressing slightly that playing trans for cisgender actors is now a bid for an oscar when there are trans actors who cannot find that level of exposure in the profession. I know people complained about The Danish Girl for this reason - let us tell our stories not cisgender actors. Me? I’d like to see more equality within casting roles but I would also like to see more roles representative of where we are now as a community.
2 - Age.
I am 30. I keep mentioning that because some times I almost wish it wasn’t true. I have no connection with the 20ish young girl struggling with her sexuality anymore. I firmly believe that these roles have a place within cinema and should exist. I would just like to see some older people in these roles. I would like to see someone in their 30s who knows that they are gay. Someone who isn’t at that stage where they are fighting the inner struggle that all of us have had. I believe the more we start to see representations of ourselves who are confident then prehaps we might follow? I wonder though, if this is also a problem I see with the lack of bisexuals on the big screen. I see lesbian issues presented accurately and while I have some of them, bisexuals also have their own issues too. I just want to see some people in their 30s who know who they are.
3 - Location.
Irish cinema can be amazing. We’ve had some brilliant stuff over the years, gay or not gay. I have to say that Breakfast on Pluto is one of my favourite films although I feel it didn’t do as well as it could have in ratings. I love it. When researching LGBT world cinema recently, the Irish section was disgusting empty. The only two real films worth mentioning are Breakfast and also, Queen of Ireland which was amazing. I loved it because I lived it. I remember attending marches for marriage, fighting for equality in the pages of magazines and also, trying to push boundaries against my catholic upbringing. I want to see some lesbians who are brought up in West Cork. I want to see gay men in pantibar fall in love over the sounds of the drag show they are at. I would love to see a bisexual from Mayo meet another bisexual from Limerick and start dating. We have such a rich culture, background and strange sounding language, so why are we not making enough LGBT cinema? Why is it so hard?! God knows there are enough LGBTQIA persons in Ireland who are struggling to identify with the glossy lesbian posse on The L Word. I don’t see my reality in that - who does? We all know a Shane but have you ever seen someone who looks like that in your local in Castlebar?
More Irish people please and better stories being told.
These are the three I can think of off the top of my head. If anyone has any other suggestions, get stuck into the comments and let me know.
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