As Major Brands Waver, Gay Water Aims for Authenticy

THERE’S NEVER BEEN MORE QUEER REPRENTATN. SO WHY DON’T I LOVE IT?FROM FIRE ISLAND TO QUEER AS FOLK TO BROS, OUR CRIC UNPACKS HIS GRATU—AND TRATN.BY RICHARD LAWSONAUGT 25, 2022ILLUSTRATION BY QUINTON MCMILLAN.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVETHE TRAILER FOR BROS, A NEW FILM OM UNIVERSAL THAT OPENS SEPTEMBER, WILL BE ZILY FAIAR TO ANYONE WHO ME OF AGE THE PEAK ERA OF JUDD APATOW. IT’S GLOSSY, QUIPPY, AND SHOWS OFF A STACKED ST OF EDY PERFORMERS WORKG IDSYNCRATIC HARMONY—AND APATOW IS FACT A PRODUCER. THERE’S A VERY 2022 TWIST, THOUGH: EVERY ACTOR THE MA ST IS QUEER, AND THE CENTRAL LOVE STORY NCERNS TWO MEN. THE FILM, THE BRACHILD OF GUERILLA EDIAN TURNED MOVIE STAR BILLY EICHNER, IS BEG HERALD AS A BREAKTHROUGH FOR LGBTQ+ REPRENTATN ONSCREEN, BOTH BY OUTSIRS AND, WH A WK, BY THE FILM’S MARKETG.BROS—WHICH I HAVE NOT YET SEEN BUT UTLY AWA—IS ONLY THE HIGHT PROFILE OF RECENT PROJECTS THAT HAVE HELPED HER A QUEER RENAISSANCE. OR AT LEAST THE FEELG OF ONE. IN JUNE, HULU RELEASED THE GAY ROM- FIRE ISLAND AND PEACK PREMIERED S UPDATED QUEER AS FOLK. EARLIER THE SPRG THERE WAS THE SLEEPER-H Y.A. LOVE STORY HEARTSTOPPER ON NETFLIX, WHILE JULY A NEW NEIL PATRICK HARRIS SERI, A GAY-THEMED EDY LLED UNUPLED, BUTED ON THE STREAMER. THE ARE TIM OF PLENTY FOR (SOME) QUEER DIENC, A BUFFET OF OPTNS THAT HARDLY SEEMED POSSIBLE DURG THE PENUR WILL & GRACE DAYS.AND YET THE MORE WE’RE SERVED—AS MUCH AS THERE IS AN AMORPHO “WE” AT ALL—THE HUNGRIER I HAVE FELT. IT’S NOT THAT THE RECENT OFFERG OF QUEER NTENT HASN’T BEEN SATISFYG. IT HAS, PROFOUND WAYS. AS SOMEONE WHO WAS A TEENAGER THE 1990S, ’S STILL A PLEASANT SHOCK TO SEE, SAY, A GAY KISS ON THE BIG SCREEN OR AN TRITELY MAPPED QUEER RELATNSHIP ON A SMALL ONE. PERHAPS ’S LS EXCG, OR STARTLG, FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TRAVERSG THE TER WILDS SCE THEY WERE CHILDREN. FOR ME, THOUGH, EACH NEW PROSPECTIVE ADDN TO THE QUEER NON IS GREETED AS A WELE STRANGER ARRIVG A MOSTLY BARREN PLACE.STILL, A CERTA LONGG HAS SET OVER THE RECENT YEARS OF REPRENTATNAL PROGRS. IT’S A FEELG I’VE SEEN EXPRSED BY OTHER WRERS, YOUTUBE PUNDS, TWEETERS. THE GIST IS THAT, Y, ’S GREAT THAT QUEER THG X EXISTS—BUT ULDN’T HAVE EXISTED A LTLE BETTER? MORE CLIVELY, MORE SPECIFILLY, MORE EXPLICLY? THE PROBLEM OF CLAMORG FOR REPRENTATN AND THEN BEG GIVEN SOMETHG—BY DISTANT PEOPLE UNKNOWABLE NFERENCE ROOMS—IS THAT ’S NEVER GOG TO BE QUE WHAT YOU ORRED, OR WHAT YOU WISH YOU’D ORRED, ANYWAY.THERE IS AN IMPORTANT DISTCTN TO MAKE BETWEEN THAT FEELG—THAT EFFABLE LACK—AND GENUE, WORTHY LLS FOR BETTER REPRENTATN. MOST OF THE PROJECTS I’VE MENTNED CENTER ON CIS MEN, WHICH LEAV TRANS PEOPLE AND CIS WOMEN OUT THE LD. WHENS IS STILL THE FLT FILTER OF LOTS OF THE PROJECTS. THOSE MATTERS ARE NOT ENTIRELY SEPARATE OM THE OTHER WANT, BUT THEY N AT LEAST BE ADDRSED NCRETELY. THE MORE DIFFE SENSATN, THOUGH, OF WATCHG THIS SPATE OF QUEER MEDIA AND FEELG SOMETHG MISSG, IS TRICKIER TO SOLVE. IT’S A B LIKE A TRIP TO THE UNNNY VALLEY, CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE REAL THG—WHATEVER THAT IS—THAT SLIGHT DIFFERENC REGISTER ALL THE MORE GLARGLY.THERE’S MORE TO CELEBRATE BUT ALSO MORE TO PICK APART AND ANALYZE FOR FLAWS.I WANTED TO WHOLLY LOVE FIRE ISLAND, AND I DO VERY MUCH APPRECIATE S TRASOCIAL BAT ABOUT GAY IENDSHIP AND ROMANCE, S GZY MERAWORK, S LOTNAL SPECIFICY. AND YET WHEN WATCHG THE FILM I FELT THAT PKY PEBBLE MY SHOE. IT WASN’T QUE RIGHT—THE TONE, THE PATTER, THE EMOTNAL TOPOGRAPHY. I SAT WH NIGGLG, MOSTLY ELS QUTNS: WOULD THOSE TWO CHARACTERS REALLY BE IENDS? WOULD THAT PERSON REALLY SAY THAT THAT NTEXT? IS THAT WHAT MY GHT BLUE WHALE TEA DANC WERE LIKE? SIARLY, WH HEARTSTOPPER, A SWEET SHOW ABOUT ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL BOYS FALLG LOVE, A SENSE OF SLIGHT OFFNS HNTED MY VIEWG. MAYBE WAS TOO CUTY OR TOO DREAMY ABOUT WHAT IS FOR SO MANY PEOPLE A PAFUL PR0CS—WH OR WHOUT FIRST LOVE.THE NEW QUEER AS FOLK THROWS A HECK OF A PARTY, YET THE SHOW SO MANDS THAT WE REVEL WH —AND CHEER ON S EXISTENCE—THAT QUICKLY GROWS ALIENATG. ITS MERRY SISTENCE THAT THIS IS HOW QUEER PEOPLE LIVE NOW MAK THE SHOW RIGID, SPE ALL S ATTEMPTS AT EEWHEELG FLUIDY. WHILE WATCHG , I WISHED WAS AMED AS A QUEER SHOW RATHER THAN THE QUEER SHOW.YEARS AGO, 2014, I ME TO THE FENSE OF HBO’S LOOKG, AN AIRY SERI THAT WAS OFT-MALIGNED BY CRICS WHO FOUND SOMETHG HOLLOW AND UNTTHFUL ABOUT . THE SEX WAS TOO TIMID, THEY SAID; THE IEND GROUP WAS AWFULLY CLOISTERED; S STEREOTYP ABOUT GAY MEN WERE FSY AND ANTIQUATED. AT THE TIME, I FOUND THE SERI PLENTY SEXY, PLENTY CREDIBLE. I ARGUED THAT LOOKG DIDN’T HAVE TO BE A PERFECT AND WHOLLY SUMMATIVE PICTN OF THE GAY EXPERIENCE, BEE WHAT EVER ULD BE?I HAVEN’T REALLY FOLLOWED MY OWN EDICT THE YEARS SCE. (AND, FACT, WHEN REVISG LOOKG THIS SPRG, I FELT AS DISNNECTED OM AS ANYTHG ELSE I’VE WATCHED RECENTLY.) I’VE STEAD BEEN CHASG SOMETHG THAT PROBABLY N NEVER BE—ALL THE WHILE FEELG A FAIAR, GLUM DIP OF DISAPPOTMENT WHEN I WATCH, SAY, THE BROS TRAILER AND THK, OH THAT’S HOW THEY’RE DOG ? PERHAPS WE SHOULDN’T FEEL JOLED TO GRATU FOR STUFF THAT DON’T GET RIGHT ENOUGH, BUT WE SHOULD ALSO LOOSEN THE STANDARDS OF WHAT “RIGHT” EVEN IS.MOST POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE MAY BE “THE MOST EXPENSIVE B OF FAN FICTN EVER”BY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISTHE MORE QUEER NTENT WE GET—AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THERE IS A LOT MORE ON THE WAY—THE MORE I WILL HAVE TO LEARN TO GLEAN WHAT I N OM EACH DISCRETE THG, APPRECIATG MOMENTS OF SALIENCE OR POIGNANCY WHILE ACCEPTG THAT NOT EVERYTHG MT BE, OR N BE, A METICULO RE-CREATN OF (ADMTEDLY MUTABLE) FACT. SUCH IS THE REALY OF CREASG VOLUME: MORE TO CELEBRATE THE AGGREGATE, BUT ALSO MORE TO PICK APART, TO ANALYZE FOR FLAWS THAT WILL PROVE THE TE QUEER WAVE IS STILL YET TO ARRIVE, AND EVER WILL BE.IT’S SOLIPSISTIC, TO BE SURE, TO TASK THE MAKERS OF THGS—STRANGERS WH THEIR OWN VIEWS OF THE WORLD—WH SPEAKG DIRECTLY AND WHOLLY TO MY OWN NARROW LTLE PURVIEW. THAT’S A BAD TENNCY THAT, ANECDOTALLY, I SEEM TO SHARE WH OTHER QUEER NSUMERS OF FILM AND TV. TO LET OFF THE HOOK A LTLE B, THIS EXACTG SPECTN OF EVERY PRODUCT OFF THE QUEER ASSEMBLY LE MAY BE BORN OF BEG NIED SUCH MEANGFUL REPRENTATN FOR SO LONG. IT’S STERY-MD THKG: THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST OF S KD, SO BETTER BE EVERYTHG WE NEED. I FEEL THIS MOST POTENTLY WH LIGHTER FARE, RATHER THAN WH DRAMAS LIKE MOONLIGHT OR WEEKEND OR PORTRA OF A LADY ON FIRE. MAYBE HARDSHIP PLAYS MORE UNIVERSALLY—ANOTHER THG TO UNPACK ANOTHER TIME.SOME QUEER NTENT REALLY IS DOWNRIGHT TERRIBLE—NONE OF THE THGS I’VE MENTNED HERE, BUT PLENTY OF STUFF LURKG THE RECS OF STREAMG. WE SHOULD, OF URSE, REGNIZE WHEN SOMETHG GETS REALLY WRONG, OR PATS WH A BROAD AND RAGGED BSH, OR IS JT NOT VERY WELL MA ON THE TECHNIL MERS. BUT WHAT I’D LIKE TO DISMANTLE MYSELF IS THE HYPERSENSIVE MECHANISM THAT PH SOMETHG AWAY THE MUTE TCH A WHIFF OF VAGUE ACCURACY, OR RCTIVENS, OR D CLICHé.HEARTSTOPPER NEEDN’T S NEGATIVELY MY MD JT BEE OF S FANTASY NICENS. FIRE ISLAND DIDN’T SHE MY EXPERIENCE GAY VATNLAND DIRECTLY BACK AT ME, BUT MAY HAVE FOR WHOEVER WAS STAYG AT THE HOE NEXT DOOR TO ME. THAT’S REASON ENOUGH TO EMBRACE , OR AT LEAST SOME FACET OF . I’LL TRY TO RRY THAT ACKNOWLEDGMENT, AND ACCEPTANCE, OF MOR (OR MAJOR) DIFFERENC WH ME WHEN I SEE BROS THIS FALL. THE MOVIE MAY NOT BE MY LIFE, OR ANYONE’S PARTICULAR. BUT THAT BLURRS MAY JT BE A SIGN OF SOMETHG UNIVERSALLY GOOD: THE PICTURE, OUR PICTURE, IS GETTG BIGGER AND BIGGER. AND OM A FEW STEPS BACK, TAKEN S ENTIRETY, MIGHT LOOK PRETTY GRAND.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR“IT’S RAG TEENS” AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?THE BT TV SHOWS OF 2023, SO FARSEX TOYS, FANCIAL CRIM, AND THE ORIG OF BARBIETHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI THE ACTORS STRIKE PRS APOLYPSE: “THE CELEBRY FACTORY HAS SHUT DOWN”IS ALL THIS AMATR THERAPY-SPEAK JT MAKG US LONELIER?FROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)RICHARD LAWSON
AS MAJOR BRANDS WAVER, GAY WATER AIMS FOR AUTHENTICY

THERE’S NEVER BEEN MORE QUEER REPRENTATN. SO WHY DON’T I LOVE IT?FROM FIRE ISLAND TO QUEER AS FOLK TO BROS, OUR CRIC UNPACKS HIS GRATU—AND TRATN.BY RICHARD LAWSONAUGT 25, 2022ILLUSTRATION BY QUINTON MCMILLAN.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVETHE TRAILER FOR BROS, A NEW FILM OM UNIVERSAL THAT OPENS SEPTEMBER, WILL BE ZILY FAIAR TO ANYONE WHO ME OF AGE THE PEAK ERA OF JUDD APATOW. IT’S GLOSSY, QUIPPY, AND SHOWS OFF A STACKED ST OF EDY PERFORMERS WORKG IDSYNCRATIC HARMONY—AND APATOW IS FACT A PRODUCER. THERE’S A VERY 2022 TWIST, THOUGH: EVERY ACTOR THE MA ST IS QUEER, AND THE CENTRAL LOVE STORY NCERNS TWO MEN. THE FILM, THE BRACHILD OF GUERILLA EDIAN TURNED MOVIE STAR BILLY EICHNER, IS BEG HERALD AS A BREAKTHROUGH FOR LGBTQ+ REPRENTATN ONSCREEN, BOTH BY OUTSIRS AND, WH A WK, BY THE FILM’S MARKETG.BROS—WHICH I HAVE NOT YET SEEN BUT UTLY AWA—IS ONLY THE HIGHT PROFILE OF RECENT PROJECTS THAT HAVE HELPED HER A QUEER RENAISSANCE. OR AT LEAST THE FEELG OF ONE. IN JUNE, HULU RELEASED THE GAY ROM- FIRE ISLAND AND PEACK PREMIERED S UPDATED QUEER AS FOLK. EARLIER THE SPRG THERE WAS THE SLEEPER-H Y.A. LOVE STORY HEARTSTOPPER ON NETFLIX, WHILE JULY A NEW NEIL PATRICK HARRIS SERI, A GAY-THEMED EDY LLED UNUPLED, BUTED ON THE STREAMER. THE ARE TIM OF PLENTY FOR (SOME) QUEER DIENC, A BUFFET OF OPTNS THAT HARDLY SEEMED POSSIBLE DURG THE PENUR WILL & GRACE DAYS.AND YET THE MORE WE’RE SERVED—AS MUCH AS THERE IS AN AMORPHO “WE” AT ALL—THE HUNGRIER I HAVE FELT. IT’S NOT THAT THE RECENT OFFERG OF QUEER NTENT HASN’T BEEN SATISFYG. IT HAS, PROFOUND WAYS. AS SOMEONE WHO WAS A TEENAGER THE 1990S, ’S STILL A PLEASANT SHOCK TO SEE, SAY, A GAY KISS ON THE BIG SCREEN OR AN TRITELY MAPPED QUEER RELATNSHIP ON A SMALL ONE. PERHAPS ’S LS EXCG, OR STARTLG, FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TRAVERSG THE TER WILDS SCE THEY WERE CHILDREN. FOR ME, THOUGH, EACH NEW PROSPECTIVE ADDN TO THE QUEER NON IS GREETED AS A WELE STRANGER ARRIVG A MOSTLY BARREN PLACE.STILL, A CERTA LONGG HAS SET OVER THE RECENT YEARS OF REPRENTATNAL PROGRS. IT’S A FEELG I’VE SEEN EXPRSED BY OTHER WRERS, YOUTUBE PUNDS, TWEETERS. THE GIST IS THAT, Y, ’S GREAT THAT QUEER THG X EXISTS—BUT ULDN’T HAVE EXISTED A LTLE BETTER? MORE CLIVELY, MORE SPECIFILLY, MORE EXPLICLY? THE PROBLEM OF CLAMORG FOR REPRENTATN AND THEN BEG GIVEN SOMETHG—BY DISTANT PEOPLE UNKNOWABLE NFERENCE ROOMS—IS THAT ’S NEVER GOG TO BE QUE WHAT YOU ORRED, OR WHAT YOU WISH YOU’D ORRED, ANYWAY.THERE IS AN IMPORTANT DISTCTN TO MAKE BETWEEN THAT FEELG—THAT EFFABLE LACK—AND GENUE, WORTHY LLS FOR BETTER REPRENTATN. MOST OF THE PROJECTS I’VE MENTNED CENTER ON CIS MEN, WHICH LEAV TRANS PEOPLE AND CIS WOMEN OUT THE LD. WHENS IS STILL THE FLT FILTER OF LOTS OF THE PROJECTS. THOSE MATTERS ARE NOT ENTIRELY SEPARATE OM THE OTHER WANT, BUT THEY N AT LEAST BE ADDRSED NCRETELY. THE MORE DIFFE SENSATN, THOUGH, OF WATCHG THIS SPATE OF QUEER MEDIA AND FEELG SOMETHG MISSG, IS TRICKIER TO SOLVE. IT’S A B LIKE A TRIP TO THE UNNNY VALLEY, CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE REAL THG—WHATEVER THAT IS—THAT SLIGHT DIFFERENC REGISTER ALL THE MORE GLARGLY.THERE’S MORE TO CELEBRATE BUT ALSO MORE TO PICK APART AND ANALYZE FOR FLAWS.I WANTED TO WHOLLY LOVE FIRE ISLAND, AND I DO VERY MUCH APPRECIATE S TRASOCIAL BAT ABOUT GAY IENDSHIP AND ROMANCE, S GZY MERAWORK, S LOTNAL SPECIFICY. AND YET WHEN WATCHG THE FILM I FELT THAT PKY PEBBLE MY SHOE. IT WASN’T QUE RIGHT—THE TONE, THE PATTER, THE EMOTNAL TOPOGRAPHY. I SAT WH NIGGLG, MOSTLY ELS QUTNS: WOULD THOSE TWO CHARACTERS REALLY BE IENDS? WOULD THAT PERSON REALLY SAY THAT THAT NTEXT? IS THAT WHAT MY GHT BLUE WHALE TEA DANC WERE LIKE? SIARLY, WH HEARTSTOPPER, A SWEET SHOW ABOUT ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL BOYS FALLG LOVE, A SENSE OF SLIGHT OFFNS HNTED MY VIEWG. MAYBE WAS TOO CUTY OR TOO DREAMY ABOUT WHAT IS FOR SO MANY PEOPLE A PAFUL PR0CS—WH OR WHOUT FIRST LOVE.THE NEW QUEER AS FOLK THROWS A HECK OF A PARTY, YET THE SHOW SO MANDS THAT WE REVEL WH —AND CHEER ON S EXISTENCE—THAT QUICKLY GROWS ALIENATG. ITS MERRY SISTENCE THAT THIS IS HOW QUEER PEOPLE LIVE NOW MAK THE SHOW RIGID, SPE ALL S ATTEMPTS AT EEWHEELG FLUIDY. WHILE WATCHG , I WISHED WAS AMED AS A QUEER SHOW RATHER THAN THE QUEER SHOW.YEARS AGO, 2014, I ME TO THE FENSE OF HBO’S LOOKG, AN AIRY SERI THAT WAS OFT-MALIGNED BY CRICS WHO FOUND SOMETHG HOLLOW AND UNTTHFUL ABOUT . THE SEX WAS TOO TIMID, THEY SAID; THE IEND GROUP WAS AWFULLY CLOISTERED; S STEREOTYP ABOUT GAY MEN WERE FSY AND ANTIQUATED. AT THE TIME, I FOUND THE SERI PLENTY SEXY, PLENTY CREDIBLE. I ARGUED THAT LOOKG DIDN’T HAVE TO BE A PERFECT AND WHOLLY SUMMATIVE PICTN OF THE GAY EXPERIENCE, BEE WHAT EVER ULD BE?I HAVEN’T REALLY FOLLOWED MY OWN EDICT THE YEARS SCE. (AND, FACT, WHEN REVISG LOOKG THIS SPRG, I FELT AS DISNNECTED OM AS ANYTHG ELSE I’VE WATCHED RECENTLY.) I’VE STEAD BEEN CHASG SOMETHG THAT PROBABLY N NEVER BE—ALL THE WHILE FEELG A FAIAR, GLUM DIP OF DISAPPOTMENT WHEN I WATCH, SAY, THE BROS TRAILER AND THK, OH THAT’S HOW THEY’RE DOG ? PERHAPS WE SHOULDN’T FEEL JOLED TO GRATU FOR STUFF THAT DON’T GET RIGHT ENOUGH, BUT WE SHOULD ALSO LOOSEN THE STANDARDS OF WHAT “RIGHT” EVEN IS.MOST POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE MAY BE “THE MOST EXPENSIVE B OF FAN FICTN EVER”BY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISTHE MORE QUEER NTENT WE GET—AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THERE IS A LOT MORE ON THE WAY—THE MORE I WILL HAVE TO LEARN TO GLEAN WHAT I N OM EACH DISCRETE THG, APPRECIATG MOMENTS OF SALIENCE OR POIGNANCY WHILE ACCEPTG THAT NOT EVERYTHG MT BE, OR N BE, A METICULO RE-CREATN OF (ADMTEDLY MUTABLE) FACT. SUCH IS THE REALY OF CREASG VOLUME: MORE TO CELEBRATE THE AGGREGATE, BUT ALSO MORE TO PICK APART, TO ANALYZE FOR FLAWS THAT WILL PROVE THE TE QUEER WAVE IS STILL YET TO ARRIVE, AND EVER WILL BE.IT’S SOLIPSISTIC, TO BE SURE, TO TASK THE MAKERS OF THGS—STRANGERS WH THEIR OWN VIEWS OF THE WORLD—WH SPEAKG DIRECTLY AND WHOLLY TO MY OWN NARROW LTLE PURVIEW. THAT’S A BAD TENNCY THAT, ANECDOTALLY, I SEEM TO SHARE WH OTHER QUEER NSUMERS OF FILM AND TV. TO LET OFF THE HOOK A LTLE B, THIS EXACTG SPECTN OF EVERY PRODUCT OFF THE QUEER ASSEMBLY LE MAY BE BORN OF BEG NIED SUCH MEANGFUL REPRENTATN FOR SO LONG. IT’S STERY-MD THKG: THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST OF S KD, SO BETTER BE EVERYTHG WE NEED. I FEEL THIS MOST POTENTLY WH LIGHTER FARE, RATHER THAN WH DRAMAS LIKE MOONLIGHT OR WEEKEND OR PORTRA OF A LADY ON FIRE. MAYBE HARDSHIP PLAYS MORE UNIVERSALLY—ANOTHER THG TO UNPACK ANOTHER TIME.SOME QUEER NTENT REALLY IS DOWNRIGHT TERRIBLE—NONE OF THE THGS I’VE MENTNED HERE, BUT PLENTY OF STUFF LURKG THE RECS OF STREAMG. WE SHOULD, OF URSE, REGNIZE WHEN SOMETHG GETS REALLY WRONG, OR PATS WH A BROAD AND RAGGED BSH, OR IS JT NOT VERY WELL MA ON THE TECHNIL MERS. BUT WHAT I’D LIKE TO DISMANTLE MYSELF IS THE HYPERSENSIVE MECHANISM THAT PH SOMETHG AWAY THE MUTE TCH A WHIFF OF VAGUE ACCURACY, OR RCTIVENS, OR D CLICHé.HEARTSTOPPER NEEDN’T S NEGATIVELY MY MD JT BEE OF S FANTASY NICENS. FIRE ISLAND DIDN’T SHE MY EXPERIENCE GAY VATNLAND DIRECTLY BACK AT ME, BUT MAY HAVE FOR WHOEVER WAS STAYG AT THE HOE NEXT DOOR TO ME. THAT’S REASON ENOUGH TO EMBRACE , OR AT LEAST SOME FACET OF . I’LL TRY TO RRY THAT ACKNOWLEDGMENT, AND ACCEPTANCE, OF MOR (OR MAJOR) DIFFERENC WH ME WHEN I SEE BROS THIS FALL. THE MOVIE MAY NOT BE MY LIFE, OR ANYONE’S PARTICULAR. BUT THAT BLURRS MAY JT BE A SIGN OF SOMETHG UNIVERSALLY GOOD: THE PICTURE, OUR PICTURE, IS GETTG BIGGER AND BIGGER. AND OM A FEW STEPS BACK, TAKEN S ENTIRETY, MIGHT LOOK PRETTY GRAND.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR“IT’S RAG TEENS” AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?THE BT TV SHOWS OF 2023, SO FARSEX TOYS, FANCIAL CRIM, AND THE ORIG OF BARBIETHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI THE ACTORS STRIKE PRS APOLYPSE: “THE CELEBRY FACTORY HAS SHUT DOWN”IS ALL THIS AMATR THERAPY-SPEAK JT MAKG US LONELIER?FROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)RICHARD LAWSON

I mean, that’s kd of how queer media began, wh the dience velopg readg practic that were applied to the text, vers the text jt beg like, “I am a gay movie. There was a queer mastream, if you n ll somethg queer mastream, non that veloped around teachg straight people how to rporate gay men — and to some lser extent lbians — to the muny of normative relatnaly.

Like, if you wanna say, “Oh, was eful for gettg gay marriage” — sure.

And you might argue that the non reified a lot of straight cis trop about queer people at the same time that was tryg to assiate gay people to that world. Well, yeah, I mean, I saw a tweet recently that said that gay movi were better when people thought beg gay was bad.

Be gay, do crim, sentially. I like that you raised the ia of barizatn bee barizatn was one of the ways which that olr non ma arguments for the cln of whe cis gays and lbians.

Like, y, we are gay and lbian, but we n largely privatize our sexuali and we f right to the male/female sex bary.

Numero jok throughout the seri implied that Smhers might be gay, but the jok at Smhers' expense end up leadg to the non nfirmatn of Smher's homosexualy twenty-six seasons to The Simpsons.

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