Tegan and Sara Rell 'Pros and Cons' of Growg Up Gay the '90s

teagan and sara gay

Pop duo Tegan and Sara talk about the queer '90s movi and micians that spired their journey, and the gay TV shows they currently love.

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TEGAN AND SARA RELL 'PROS AND CONS' OF GROWG UP GAY THE '90S: 'IT WAS EASIER SOME WAYS'

* teagan and sara gay *

The Canadian pop duo share the pop culture that helped them e out and why the new crop of gay TV is so by Mallory Rosten for ThrillistDign by Mallory Rosten for ThrillistThe Qu tws, Tegan and Sara, have spent a lot of time over the past few years reexamg their youth. 'All Over Me' | Full Le FeaturQueer '90s cemaTegan: For Sara and I obvly growg up the '90s, there wasn't a ton of gay reprentatn out there, so I thk what gay reprentatn llid wh , sparked joy and excement and nervons. What's the word, Sara, that you always e about what's your first gay, when you meet somebody—Sara: Your root?

RAILEY AND SEAZYNN GILLILAND BRG TEGAN AND SARA’S 'HIGH SCHOOL' STORY TO LIFETHE TWS WENT OM WORKG A PIZZA SHOP TO PORTRAYG THE MIL DUO, THANKS PART TO {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}MICBY HEATHER BEATTIEOCTOBER 13, 2022/9:23 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:466PX;WIDTH:700PX;}MICHELLE FAYE / AMAZON FREEVEEBY HEATHER BEATTIEOCTOBER 13, 2022 / 9:23 AM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"RAILEY AND SEAZYNN GILLILAND BRG TEGAN AND SARA’S 'HIGH SCHOOL' STORY TO LIFE","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2022-10-13T13:23:14.678+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2022-10-13T13:23:14.678+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"MTV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"MTV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1280,"HEIGHT":720}},"CREATOR":"HEATHER BEATTIE","KEYWORDS":"TEGAN AND SARA","ARTICLESECTN":"MIC"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}LOS ANGEL, CALGARY, LONDON, THE TORONTO INTERNATNAL FILM FTIVAL — THE IMPRSIVE GLOBE-TROTTG DONE BY 21-YEAR-OLD TW SISTERS RAILEY AND SEAZYNN GILLILAND THE PAST YEAR IS ALL THANKS TO POP DUO TEGAN AND SARA. THEIR NEW SERI, HIGH SCHOOL, A BGRAPHIL G-OF-AGE TALE BASED ON THE GROUP’S 2019 MEMOIR OF THE SAME NAME, STARS RAILEY AND SEAZYNN AS TEENAGE VERSNS OF THE MIL QU SISTERS AS THEY NAVIGATE ONE OF THE MOST FORMATIVE PERDS OF LIFE. BROUGHT TO THE SCREEN BY CLEA DUVALL AND INSECURE’S LRA KTRELL, THE SHOW IS A POIGNANT, QUIET EXPLORATN OF TEGAN AND SARA BEFORE THEY BEME CRILLY ACCLAIMED MICIANS, AND THE GILLILANDS HELM EXQUISELY. “THIS PLETELY CHANGED OUR LIV,” RAILEY SAYS. “EVERY DAY THEY TELL OUR SCHLE OR THE THGS WE’RE DOG. IT’S LIKE, HOW IS THIS EVEN REAL? LIFE SEEMS SO SURREAL.”{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IF THERE IS ANY SHOCK TONE HERE, THERE’S SUFFICIENT REASON — NEHER RAILEY NOR SEAZYNN HAD EVEN NSIRED ACTG BEFORE THIS YEAR. THE TWO WERE WORKG AT A PIZZA SHOP THEIR HOMETOWN OF FRNO, CALIFORNIA BEFORE BEG ST SPRG 2022. HOW DID THEY GET OM MAKG PI THE GOLN STATE TO PREMIERG A TELEVISN SHOW AT TIFF AND LANDG ON STREAMER FREEVEE BEGNG OCTOBER 14? {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;POSN:RELATIVE;PADDG-BOTTOM:56.49999999999999%;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;POSN:ABSOLUTE;HEIGHT:100% !IMPORTANT;WIDTH:100% !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SEAZYNN AND RAILEY WEREN’T LOOKG FOR FAME WHEN THEY POSTED VIOS TO THE PLATFORM. RAILEY’S ACUNT IS FILLED WH SHORT VLOGS TALKG ABOUT SOMETHG THAT HAPPENED HER DAY, OR SOMETIM A F CHECK THAT SHE WOULD DRAG SEAZYNN TO. “TIKTOK WASN’T OUR JOB,” SEAZYNN EXPLAS. “IT WAS JT SOMETHG TO DO WHEN WE WERE BORED AFTER WORK. SOMETIM WE WOULD POST A DANCG VIO TOGETHER.” NEVERTHELS, THE TWO EXUD A NATURAL CHARM THAT DREW PEOPLE — AND ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE HAPPENED TO BE TEGAN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE DUO WAS THE MIDST OF TRYG TO ST THEIR HIGH-SCHOOL SELV WHEN TEGAN STUMBLED ACROSS ONE OF RAILEY’S VIOS. “SHE IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT, ‘THIS IS THE YOUNGER ME,’” SEAZYNN SAYS. TEGAN AND SARA WERE TERMED TO MAKE THE SUATN WORK SPE OF EVERYTHG; RAILEY AND SEAZYNN WOULD NEED ACTG CLASS, SOME MIL TRAG — AND THEY’D HAVE TO LEARN WHO TEGAN AND SARA WERE. “I THK MA EASIER THAT WE WEREN’T FAIAR WH THEM. WE KNEW NOTHG ABOUT THE PEOPLE,” RAILEY SAYS. “IT HELPED ME NOT BE MY HEAD ABOUT . WE GOT TO KNOW THEM AS IENDS AND GOT TO KNOW THEM THROUGH THE SCRIPT.”MICHELLE FAYE / AMAZON FREEVEETEGAN AND SARA, ON WHOSE MEMOIR 'HIGH SCHOOL' IS {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WHILE RAILEY AND SEAZYNN BEME ACQUATED WH THE REAL-LIFE TEGAN AND SARA, THE CISN ON WHO WOULD PLAY WHO SEEMED TO E EASILY TO EVERYONE — WH RAILEY AS THE HEADSTRONG TEGAN AND SEAZYNN AS THE MORE SECRETIVE SARA. TEGAN ME TO THAT NCLN THE MUTE SHE ME ACROSS RAILEY’S TIKTOK ACUNT, AND WHEN RAILEY READ THE SCRIPT SENT OVER BEFORE THEIR DN, SHE FELT THE SAME. “I HADN’T EVEN LOOKED AT THE SCRIPTS YET,” SEAZYNN MENTNS. “RAILEY HAD, AND THE FIRST ONE SHE READ, SARA WAS BEG MEAN TO TEGAN AND STARTG A FIGHT. RAILEY WAS LIKE, ‘YOU’RE PLAYG SARA.’”{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}RAILEY, BUBBLY AND WH A VOICE REMISCENT OF ALEXIS BLEL’S RORY GILMORE, PLAYS TEGAN WH TENR SPERATN THAT IS HEART-WARMG AT TIM AND HEART-WRENCHG AT OTHERS. SHE’S CUR AND FIERCELY PROTECTIVE OF HER SISTER, AND ’S HARD TO NOT NOTICE THE SIARI TO THE PERSON PORTRAYG HER. THE SIMMERG TENSY THAT SEAZYNN EMBODI FOR SARA IS STRIKG, AND SHE MASTERFULLY LIVERS THE DRAMATIC MOMENTS OF THE SHOW — LIKE ONE WHERE, WHILE HIGH, SARA MANILLY ANALYZ THE LYRICS TO THE SMASHG PUMPKS SONG “DISARM” WHILE TEGAN UNFORTABLY WATCH {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}“FOR ME, DIDN’T REALLY EVEN FEEL LIKE I WAS PLAYG PEOPLE REAL LIFE,” SEAZYNN SAYS. “IT WAS SO WELL WRTEN BY CLEA AND LRA THAT DIDN’T FEEL LIKE I WAS PLAYG A REAL-LIFE PERSON WHO WAS STG 20 FEET AWAY OM ME. THERE WERE VERY FEW TIM WHERE I DIDN’T FEEL THE SCRIPT WAS RELATABLE TO ME.” THIS MA THE EXPERIENCE SO APPEALG TO RAILEY AND SEAZYNN, AND SHOULD FOR VIEWERS, TOO. YOU GET THE FEELG THAT THE GIRLS ULD BE YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR PEERS, YOUR IENDS; WHETHER ’S TEGAN LYG ABOUT BEG SICK TO STAY HOME AND TEACH HERSELF GUAR BY WATCHG NIRVANA ON MTV, OR SARA TELLG PEOPLE THAT TEGAN ISN’T HER SISTER DURG THEIR FIGHT, THE SHOW IS FULL OF MOMENTS TO SEE YOURSELF .MICHELLE FAYE / AMAZON FREEVEERAILEY AND SEAZYNN GILLILAND POSE WH 'HIGH SCHOOL' SERI WRER/DIRECTOR CLEA DUVALL {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BEG TWS HELPED NNECT SEAZYNN AND RAILEY TO THE STORY, BUT SO DID THE FACT THAT BOTH OF THEM ARE GAY AS WELL. WH TEGAN AND SARA AS INS THE QUEER MUNY, THERE WAS NO DOUBT THAT THEIR STORY WOULD SUBSTANTIALLY EXPLORE THIS AREA OF THEIR LIV. TELLG A GAY G-OF-AGE STORY IS SOMETHG THAT BOTH SISTERS SPEAK ABOUT WH GRAVY. “I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE THIS SHOW WHEN I WAS 16,” RAILEY EMPHASIZ. “BEG ABLE TO PLAY A PART BEG THAT REPRENTATN FOR OTHER PEOPLE JT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME.” THE ARE TWO SISTERS WHO HAVE LIVED A VERY SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE, AND RAILEY AND SEAZYNN UNRSTAND BETTER THAN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THEIR BOND IS CLEAR. DURG THE NVERSATN, SEAZYNN LEANS SLIGHTLY BACK HER CHAIR, OL AND MORE RERVED THAN HER SISTER WHO IS PERCHED SLIGHTLY BEHD HER. AT ONE POT RAILEY TRAILS OFF, POKG AT SEAZYNN AND QUIETLY URGG HER TO TALK ABOUT A FIGHT SCENE THAT SHE LOVED (A STANDOUT MOMENT BETWEEN SARA AND HER STEP-FATHER PATRICK, PLAYED BY KYLE BORNHEIMER). LATER, SEAZYNN LISTS AS HER FAVORE SCENE TO FILM AND GH ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKG THROUGH . THE SISTERS MAKE KNOWN THAT HAVG ONE ANOTHER THERE WAS VAL TO THE EXPERIENCE. “I ULDN’T HAVE DONE WHOUT HER,” SEAZYNN SISTS. “I WOULDN’T HAVE DONE WHOUT HER.”{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}AND Y, THE GILLILANDS NOW HAVE A LIST OF FAVORE TEGAN AND SARA SONGS. THEIR WORDS CRASH TO ONE ANOTHER AS THEY RATTLE OFF TUN LIKE “SENTIMENTAL TUNE,” “100X,” AND “WHE KNUCKL.” “I N’T NAME A BAD SONG BY THEM,” SEAZYNN STAT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}TEGAN AND {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

Billboard talked wh Tegan & Sara about "femotnal" mic, their sexualy (both intify as gay) and why they should be taken as serly as Kanye Wt. * teagan and sara gay *

It had a gay story , was so ol.

"Openly lbian miciansTegan: When we disvered The Murmurs and Leisha Hailey and heard that she was gay, that was a huge al. I have no ia if we loved them and loved their mic bee I n't separate om how fuckg thrillg was jt to know that there was a gay person DiFran, same thg. The fact that she was gay, I didn't feel a sire to hi that I loved her.

A lot of '90s gay people have the same experience. " We're all the nst gay people on earth bee we were so proud of and we were so exced about , but we assumed nobody else unrstood how gay we were. If I was radiatg queerns and I was aaid of beg ught out as a gay person, then I wouldn't have cut my hair like a boy's haircut, wh a sgle earrg, and drsed om the boys' si of the partment store.

SARA, OF TEGAN AND SARA, ON GROWG UP GAY

For Gay Pri Month, Billboard asked numero pop culture lumari to wre 'love letters' to the LGBTQ muny. * teagan and sara gay *

Everyone was like, "You're so gay lookg. " No, I was super still nflicted for years, and really didn't sk for me until I probably was 23 or 24 where I was like, "Oh yeah, no, I'm really gay and I'm gog to tell everyone and I have to nstantly e out bee I don't want to be closeted ever. I hate that we see the weak, vulnerable outsir and prey on them, whereas I thk bee there was two of , we were not as easy to brg What's tertg is we have a iend om high school who actually ran a [Gay-Straight Alliance] the last five years.

She's a teacher and now a vice prcipal and she's not queer but obvly hangs out wh almost exclively queer people, but she had really tertg sight about GSAs, which was 's not all the gay kids at school that go to the GSA. But I thk the fundamental tth is that jt beg young is hard, and so figurg out who you are and what you like and what you're to and what culturally matters—that's really, really, really, really Iwu and Ncuti Gatwa Season 3 of 'Sex Edutn' | Sam Taylor/NetflixThe new crop of gay TV shows and moviTegan: I'm watchg the one on HBO, Irma Vep. ” Stori about how keepg the fact that they were gay om each other ed them to lash out their teens.

“I never sat down and talked about beg gay, or feelg shame, or homophobia, ” Tegan explaed. I’ve been kicked out of the church or I’m havg difficulty at school bee people know I’m gay or I’m the ary and I n’t tell anyone.

TEGAN AND SARA’S SONG FOR ‘HAPPIT SEASON’ IS THE GAY CHRISTMAS JOY YOU NEED

So was easier some ways to be a teenager and be gay if you were fortable wh jt not talkg about . "But also, I got to have sleepovers wh my bt iend bee my mom didn't know I was gay and sleepg wh her. "I mean, we joked at the begng when we got the green light for the show that we were jt hopg we uld fd tws at all, " Tegan says, addg: "We really hoped that the tws would be gay.

Billboard talked wh Tegan & Sara about "femotnal" mic, their sexualy (both intify as gay) and why they should be taken as serly as Kanye Wt. Billboard talked wh the 35-year-old tws about “femotnal” mic, their sexualy (both intify as gay) and why they should be taken as serly as Kanye Wt.

Sara: To talk about beg gay still feels very sexual to people. Do you ever get sick of the qutns about beg gay women pop? Like was on your shoulrs to reprent all gay, polilly active artists.

TEGAN AND SARA: ‘BEG GAY THE MIC DTRY WAS TOUGH AND LONELY’

But jt like gay marriage, there’s that immediate backlash and phback that immediately mak you feel self-nsc about beg different, even though we’re not trans. For Gay Pri Month, Billboard asked numero pop culture lumari to wre 'love letters' to the LGBTQ muny. For Gay Pri Month, Billboard asked numero pop culture lumari to wre ‘love letters’ to the LGBTQ muny.

Tegan: I’m obssed wh male mols and men’s fashn, to the pot I wonr if I’m gay. You get the feelg that the girls uld be your neighbors, your peers, your iends; whether ’s Tegan lyg about beg sick to stay home and teach herself guar by watchg Nirvana on MTV, or Sara tellg people that Tegan isn’t her sister durg their fight, the show is full of moments to see yourself tws helped nnect Seazynn and Railey to the story, but so did the fact that both of them are gay as well. Tellg a gay g-of-age story is somethg that both sisters speak about wh gravy.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* TEAGAN AND SARA GAY

Tegan and Sara: Gay Pri Month Love Letter (Exclive) | Billboard – Billboard .

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