Rememberg when Lo yelled that he was "a gay man" for all of S&atil;o Plo to hear.
Contents:
- ‘SENSE8’: INSI THE LAST-MUTE SCRAMBLE TO FILM AT THE BIGGT GAY PRI CELEBRATN THE WORLD
- SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED MAY 05, 2017 12:35PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 05, 2017 12:15PM EDT TWO YEARS AGO, I WATCHED THE FIRST EPISO OF SENSE8.THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW A LOVE THAT LOOKS LIKE ME ONSCREEN. ONE OF THE EIGHT PSYCHILLY-LKED STRANGERS THE WACHOWSKI-LED NETFLIX SCIENCE FICTN SERI IS A YOUNG TRANSGENR WOMAN NAMED NOMI (JAMIE CLAYTON) WHOSE CISGENR PARTNER AMANA (FREEMA AGYEMAN) IS SMART, PLAYFUL, AND FIERCELY PROTECTIVE.FOR ME AND MY OWN CISGENR PARTNER, WATCHG NOMI AND AMANA HOLDG HANDS AS THEY WALKED THROUGH THE PARK WAS LIKE LOOKG A VERY FLATTERG MIRROR. I FELT NOT JT REPRENTED BUT SEEN BY A TELEVISN SHOW A WAY I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. I TOLD ACTRS JAMIE CLAYTON AS MUCH LAST WEEK DURG A NVERSATN ABOUT SENSE8’S SEND SEASON, WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE FRIDAY, MAY 5. CLAYTON DIDN’T KNOW BACK 2015 JT HOW MOVG “NOMANA”—AS THE FANS LL THEM—WOULD BE FOR VIEWERS LIKE ME. “I HAD NEVER SEEN A UPLE LIKE THIS [ON TV] BEFORE SO I KNEW THAT WE WERE DOG SOMETHG SPECIAL,” SHE TOLD ME. “WHAT I DIDN’T REALIZE, THOUGH, IS HOW EPLY WOULD RONATE. WHAT YOU JT SAID TO ME—THAT MOVED ME. I FEEL WHAT YOU’RE SAYG, WHICH I DIDN’T REALIZE WAS GOG TO HAPPEN.”BUT ’S ONLY FTG THAT A SHOW ABOUT THE POWER OF EMPATHY WOULD FOSTER SUCH STANT NNECTNS. NOR IS SURPRISG THAT A SERI -CREATED BY THE WACHOWSKI SISTERS, BOTH OF WHOM ARE TRANSGENR THEMSELV—AND RATED WH THE 2016 GLAAD AWARD FOR OUTSTANDG DRAMA—WOULD NTUE TO BE THE BT SHOW WH LGBT THEM ON TV.IN S SEND SEASON, THE EIGHT STRANGERS—KNOWN AS “SENSAT”—HAVE SEVERAL MONTHS OF TELEPATHIC TIMACY UNR THEIR BELTS. THEY N FEEL EACH OTHER’S FEELGS, PSYCHILLY “VIS” EACH OTHER’S HOM ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE OM NAIROBI TO ICELAND, AND EVEN BRIEFLY HAB EACH OTHER’S BODI.TOGETHER, THEY ARE WARDG OFF A SHADOWY VILLA NAMED WHISPERS AND NNG OM A GROUP LLED THE BLOGIC PRERVATN ORGANIZATN THAT WANTS TO PTURE THE WHOLE “CLTER” OF SENSAT FOR SOME NEFAR PURPOSE.TO BE HONT, I STILL HAVE A HARD TIME FOLLOWG THE PLOT. BUT LIKE MANY QUEER FANS, I FELL LOVE WH THE SHOW BEE HAS TWO OF THE BT LGBT CHARACTERS ON TELEVISN: NOMI AND LO (MIGUEL ÁNGEL SILVTRE), A GAY TELENOVELA STAR LIVG MEXI CY WHO ME OUT OF THE CLOSET AT THE END OF THE FIRST SEASON TO SAVE HIS RELATNSHIP WH HIS BOYIEND HERNANDO (ALFONSO HERRERA) AND HIS “BEARD” DANIELA (ERENDIRA IBARRA).IN SEASON TWO, LO MT PE WH THE NSEQUENC OF BEG OUT ON HIS ONCE PROMISG ACTN MOVIE REER. HE HAS TO MOVE OUT OF HIS APARTMENT BUILDG WHERE HATEFUL BIGOTS HAVE SPRAY-PATED ANTI-GAY SLURS ON THE WALLS AND NAVIGATE HIS LITE AGENT-ACTOR RELATNSHIP. BUT EVEN AS HE STGGL TO FD WORK, LO FDS EEDOM BEG OUT.“I THK THE MOST BETIFUL THG IS THAT LO’S MD STARTS TO BE SYNC WH HIS SIRE, AND THAT’S WHEN WE GET TO SEE THE BT OM HIM,” SILVTRE TOLD ME. “THE BT OF A HUMAN BEG IS WHEN THERE’S NO VLENCE BETWEEN WHO YOU WANT TO BE AND WHO YOU REALLY ARE.”IT’S A STARK NTRAST OM LAST SEASON WHICH FOUND A STILL-CLOSETED LO ON THE BRK OF SUICI AS HE NTEMPLATED A MURAL THE DIEGO RIVERA MM. IN THAT STANDOUT SCENE, NOMI PSYCHILLY “VISED” HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME. LO TOLD HER ABOUT HIS FIRST KISS WH HERNANDO THAT MM AND NOMI OPENED UP TO HIM KD ABOUT BEG BULLIED AS A CHILD BEFORE TRANSN.“THE REAL VLENCE—THE VLENCE THAT I REALIZE WAS UNFIVABLE—IS THE VLENCE THAT WE DO TO OURSELV WHEN WE’RE TOO AAID TO BE WHO WE REALLY ARE,” NOMI ADVISED HIM.THE PAIR OF CHARACTERS—ONE CISGENR GAY MAN AND ONE TRANSGENR LBIAN—HELD HANDS ACROSS TWO UNTRI, LOCKED EY, AND CRIED. SLATE RIGHTLY LLED A “DISPLAY OF RAW HEARTBREAK AND QUEER SOLIDARY” AND “THE SHOW’S BT QUEER SCENE BY FAR.”SEASON TWO LIVERS EVEN MORE OF THE POWERFUL QUEER MOMENTS VOLVG NOMI, AMANA, LO, DANIELA, AND HERNANDO.WHOUT SPOILG WHICH OF THEM HAPPEN TO WHICH CHARACTER AND WHY, THEY CLU: SCEN SHOT AT THE FIVE-LN STRONG LGBT PRI CELEBRATN SãO PLO, BRAZIL; A QUEER RECREATN OF THE INIC BEACH LOVEMAKG SCENE FROM HERE TO ETERNY; A WEDDG WHICH A CHARACTER’S QUEERNS OPENS UP OLD FAIAL RIFTS; AND A LIGHTFUL MEO APPEARANCE BY MARC JABS. ACROSS ALL OF THEM, SENSE8 S SCIENCE FICTN PREMISE TO LERALIZE THE POWER OF LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE.I SUGGTED TO CLAYTON THAT THE WORLD WOULD BE A KR PLACE FOR LGBT PEOPLE AND OTHER MARGALIZED GROUPS IF EVERYONE ULD BE SUPERNATURAL “SENSAT” WHO FEEL EACH OTHER’S EMOTNS FIRSTHAND AND “VIS” EACH OTHER’S LIV. SHE POLELY RRECTED MY REASONG.“I DON’T THK THAT WE NEED TO ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCG TO HAVE EMPATHY,” CLAYTON TOLD ME. ‘WHAT I THK PEOPLE ARE MISSG THE REAL WORLD IS THE ABILY TO LOOK AT WHAT SOMEONE ELSE IS GOG THROUGH AND RELATE TO SOMETHG THAT’S HAPPENED YOUR LIFE TO FD EMPATHY WH YOURSELF.”SHE NTUED: “I THK THAT ’S PEOPLE’S UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO RELATE, ’S [THEIR] UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO FEEL, ’S THEIR UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO LOOK AT SOMEONE ELSE AND SEE THEMSELV REFLECTED THAT PERSON BEE ’S UNFAIAR.”SENSE8 SELF HAS SET AN EXAMPLE BY BUILDG REAL-LIFE EMPATHY AMONG A GLOBAL ST OF ACTORS, ALL OF WHOM BRG VASTLY DIFFERG LIFE EXPERIENC TO THEIR ROL.SILVTRE, WHO HAILS OM SPA, THKS ABOUT THE NTRAST BETWEEN THE ANTI-LGBT VLENCE OF THE FRAN YEARS AND THE UNTRY’S CURRENT ATMOSPHERE OF ACCEPTANCE AS HE PORTRAYS LO’S STGGLE MEXI. (THE ACTOR ALSO DRAWS SPIRATN OM THE LOR PLAY BLOOD WEDDG AND S MSAGE—AS HE BETIFULLY PARAPHRASED TO ME—THAT “WHEN LOVE AND SIRE GET TO YOUR GUT, NOBODY N TAKE AWAY.”)BUT AS A STRAIGHT CISGENR MAN, SILVTRE HAS LEARNED MUCH OM THE WACHOWSKIS AND OM HIS -STAR CLAYTON, WHO IS ALSO TRANSGENR.“I N SEE HOW HAPPY JAMIE IS AND I SAID, ‘SISTER, JAMIE, HOW N YOU BE THAT HAPPY?’” SILVTRE RELLED. “AND SHE TOLD ME, ‘BEE I AM SO HAPPY WH WHO I AM, MIGUEL, AND I FALLY GOT TO LIVE THIS.’”THAT EARNT NNECTN BETWEEN THE ST IS ON FULL DISPLAY DURG THE SãO PLO LGBT PRI CELEBRATN SCENE, LANDG ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE NEW SEASON AND FEATURG ALL OF THE “SENSAT.”IN ONT OF LNS OF ACTUAL PARTYGOERS, A LIBERATED LO SHOUTS, “I AM A GAY MAN!” A SHORT SPEECH, KISSG HERNANDO JT AS THE SUN BREAKS THROUGH THE CLOUDS. “EVEN THE SUN ME OUT THAT DAY,” SILVTRE JOKED.THE SCENE FEELS REAL PART BEE THE CROWD REACTNS ARE THENTIC. SILVTRE TOLD ME THAT LANA WACHOWSKI STCTED HIM TO LIVER THE SPEECH ON THE PARA FLOAT WHEN THE MERAS WERE HIDN OM THE CROWD.“PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW FOR SURE IF WAS ME OR IF WAS LO, IF WE WERE SHOOTG OR NOT, BUT I GOT TO LIVER SUCH BETIFUL L THAT LANA WROTE FOR ME,” HE SAID. “IT WAS SO BETIFUL TO SEE THE REACTN OF THE PEOPLE AND HOW GENERO THEY WERE. WHAT YOU GUYS ARE GOG TO GET TO SEE [ THE FISHED EPISO] IS THE FIRST TAKE.”AFTER THE SPEECH, LANA REPORTEDLY GATHERED ALL OF THE “SENSATE” ACTORS TOGETHER AND TOLD THEM, AS SILVTRE RELLED: “HAVE FUN. CELEBRATE YOUR EEDOM. CELEBRATE WHO YOU ARE NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE. TODAY IS A DAY OF CELEBRATN. I’M GOG TO BE TAKG IMAG; YOU JT HAVE TO HAVE FUN.”IN THE SHIMMERG SCENE THAT FOLLOWS, SENSE8 OFFERS A VISN OF A WORLD WHICH WE ARE NO LONGER BE “SO SRED OF DIFFERENCE,” AS CLAYTON PHRASED . IN A PULSG MONTAGE OF CREDIBLE ON-LOTN PARTY FOOTAGE, WE SEE NOT JT NOMI BUT CLAYTON, NOT JT LO BUT SILVTRE, NOT JT CHARACTERS BUT PEOPLE, ALL DANCG AND LGHG AND CROWD-SURFG.“THAT WAS AN CREDIBLE EXPERIENCE MIXG REALY AND FICTN,” SILVTRE RELLED.INED, FOR MANY LGBT VIEWERS LIKE MYSELF, SENSE8 RENRS THAT BORR BETWEEN FICTN AND REALY BETIFULLY BLURRY. SAMANTHA ALLEN
- NO ONE THROWS A GAY PRI PARA LIKE SENSE8
‘SENSE8’: INSI THE LAST-MUTE SCRAMBLE TO FILM AT THE BIGGT GAY PRI CELEBRATN THE WORLD
He pours his heart out about hidg who he is while buildg his reer as a film star before clarg loudly ont of the massive crowd watchg that he is "a gay man. "It was odd standg there on the float knowg I was gay, and everyone on that float knowg that I was gay as well, and not havg e out yet, " he shar.
In Episo 6, “Isolated Above, Connected Below, ” Lo accepts the opportuny to be Grand Marshall for the Sao Paolo Gay Pri Para (the largt gay pri celebratn the world sce 2006, acrdg to the Guns Book of World Rerds) — an event that be a semal moment for the character, leadg to him g out publicly. This one foc on Lo and Hernando, a gay uple. " For the first time, ont of the thoands of people, he clar the words, "I am a gay man!
SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED MAY 05, 2017 12:35PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 05, 2017 12:15PM EDT TWO YEARS AGO, I WATCHED THE FIRST EPISO OF SENSE8.THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW A LOVE THAT LOOKS LIKE ME ONSCREEN. ONE OF THE EIGHT PSYCHILLY-LKED STRANGERS THE WACHOWSKI-LED NETFLIX SCIENCE FICTN SERI IS A YOUNG TRANSGENR WOMAN NAMED NOMI (JAMIE CLAYTON) WHOSE CISGENR PARTNER AMANA (FREEMA AGYEMAN) IS SMART, PLAYFUL, AND FIERCELY PROTECTIVE.FOR ME AND MY OWN CISGENR PARTNER, WATCHG NOMI AND AMANA HOLDG HANDS AS THEY WALKED THROUGH THE PARK WAS LIKE LOOKG A VERY FLATTERG MIRROR. I FELT NOT JT REPRENTED BUT SEEN BY A TELEVISN SHOW A WAY I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. I TOLD ACTRS JAMIE CLAYTON AS MUCH LAST WEEK DURG A NVERSATN ABOUT SENSE8’S SEND SEASON, WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE FRIDAY, MAY 5. CLAYTON DIDN’T KNOW BACK 2015 JT HOW MOVG “NOMANA”—AS THE FANS LL THEM—WOULD BE FOR VIEWERS LIKE ME. “I HAD NEVER SEEN A UPLE LIKE THIS [ON TV] BEFORE SO I KNEW THAT WE WERE DOG SOMETHG SPECIAL,” SHE TOLD ME. “WHAT I DIDN’T REALIZE, THOUGH, IS HOW EPLY WOULD RONATE. WHAT YOU JT SAID TO ME—THAT MOVED ME. I FEEL WHAT YOU’RE SAYG, WHICH I DIDN’T REALIZE WAS GOG TO HAPPEN.”BUT ’S ONLY FTG THAT A SHOW ABOUT THE POWER OF EMPATHY WOULD FOSTER SUCH STANT NNECTNS. NOR IS SURPRISG THAT A SERI -CREATED BY THE WACHOWSKI SISTERS, BOTH OF WHOM ARE TRANSGENR THEMSELV—AND RATED WH THE 2016 GLAAD AWARD FOR OUTSTANDG DRAMA—WOULD NTUE TO BE THE BT SHOW WH LGBT THEM ON TV.IN S SEND SEASON, THE EIGHT STRANGERS—KNOWN AS “SENSAT”—HAVE SEVERAL MONTHS OF TELEPATHIC TIMACY UNR THEIR BELTS. THEY N FEEL EACH OTHER’S FEELGS, PSYCHILLY “VIS” EACH OTHER’S HOM ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE OM NAIROBI TO ICELAND, AND EVEN BRIEFLY HAB EACH OTHER’S BODI.TOGETHER, THEY ARE WARDG OFF A SHADOWY VILLA NAMED WHISPERS AND NNG OM A GROUP LLED THE BLOGIC PRERVATN ORGANIZATN THAT WANTS TO PTURE THE WHOLE “CLTER” OF SENSAT FOR SOME NEFAR PURPOSE.TO BE HONT, I STILL HAVE A HARD TIME FOLLOWG THE PLOT. BUT LIKE MANY QUEER FANS, I FELL LOVE WH THE SHOW BEE HAS TWO OF THE BT LGBT CHARACTERS ON TELEVISN: NOMI AND LO (MIGUEL ÁNGEL SILVTRE), A GAY TELENOVELA STAR LIVG MEXI CY WHO ME OUT OF THE CLOSET AT THE END OF THE FIRST SEASON TO SAVE HIS RELATNSHIP WH HIS BOYIEND HERNANDO (ALFONSO HERRERA) AND HIS “BEARD” DANIELA (ERENDIRA IBARRA).IN SEASON TWO, LO MT PE WH THE NSEQUENC OF BEG OUT ON HIS ONCE PROMISG ACTN MOVIE REER. HE HAS TO MOVE OUT OF HIS APARTMENT BUILDG WHERE HATEFUL BIGOTS HAVE SPRAY-PATED ANTI-GAY SLURS ON THE WALLS AND NAVIGATE HIS LITE AGENT-ACTOR RELATNSHIP. BUT EVEN AS HE STGGL TO FD WORK, LO FDS EEDOM BEG OUT.“I THK THE MOST BETIFUL THG IS THAT LO’S MD STARTS TO BE SYNC WH HIS SIRE, AND THAT’S WHEN WE GET TO SEE THE BT OM HIM,” SILVTRE TOLD ME. “THE BT OF A HUMAN BEG IS WHEN THERE’S NO VLENCE BETWEEN WHO YOU WANT TO BE AND WHO YOU REALLY ARE.”IT’S A STARK NTRAST OM LAST SEASON WHICH FOUND A STILL-CLOSETED LO ON THE BRK OF SUICI AS HE NTEMPLATED A MURAL THE DIEGO RIVERA MM. IN THAT STANDOUT SCENE, NOMI PSYCHILLY “VISED” HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME. LO TOLD HER ABOUT HIS FIRST KISS WH HERNANDO THAT MM AND NOMI OPENED UP TO HIM KD ABOUT BEG BULLIED AS A CHILD BEFORE TRANSN.“THE REAL VLENCE—THE VLENCE THAT I REALIZE WAS UNFIVABLE—IS THE VLENCE THAT WE DO TO OURSELV WHEN WE’RE TOO AAID TO BE WHO WE REALLY ARE,” NOMI ADVISED HIM.THE PAIR OF CHARACTERS—ONE CISGENR GAY MAN AND ONE TRANSGENR LBIAN—HELD HANDS ACROSS TWO UNTRI, LOCKED EY, AND CRIED. SLATE RIGHTLY LLED A “DISPLAY OF RAW HEARTBREAK AND QUEER SOLIDARY” AND “THE SHOW’S BT QUEER SCENE BY FAR.”SEASON TWO LIVERS EVEN MORE OF THE POWERFUL QUEER MOMENTS VOLVG NOMI, AMANA, LO, DANIELA, AND HERNANDO.WHOUT SPOILG WHICH OF THEM HAPPEN TO WHICH CHARACTER AND WHY, THEY CLU: SCEN SHOT AT THE FIVE-LN STRONG LGBT PRI CELEBRATN SãO PLO, BRAZIL; A QUEER RECREATN OF THE INIC BEACH LOVEMAKG SCENE FROM HERE TO ETERNY; A WEDDG WHICH A CHARACTER’S QUEERNS OPENS UP OLD FAIAL RIFTS; AND A LIGHTFUL MEO APPEARANCE BY MARC JABS. ACROSS ALL OF THEM, SENSE8 S SCIENCE FICTN PREMISE TO LERALIZE THE POWER OF LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE.I SUGGTED TO CLAYTON THAT THE WORLD WOULD BE A KR PLACE FOR LGBT PEOPLE AND OTHER MARGALIZED GROUPS IF EVERYONE ULD BE SUPERNATURAL “SENSAT” WHO FEEL EACH OTHER’S EMOTNS FIRSTHAND AND “VIS” EACH OTHER’S LIV. SHE POLELY RRECTED MY REASONG.“I DON’T THK THAT WE NEED TO ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCG TO HAVE EMPATHY,” CLAYTON TOLD ME. ‘WHAT I THK PEOPLE ARE MISSG THE REAL WORLD IS THE ABILY TO LOOK AT WHAT SOMEONE ELSE IS GOG THROUGH AND RELATE TO SOMETHG THAT’S HAPPENED YOUR LIFE TO FD EMPATHY WH YOURSELF.”SHE NTUED: “I THK THAT ’S PEOPLE’S UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO RELATE, ’S [THEIR] UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO FEEL, ’S THEIR UNWILLGNS TO WANT TO LOOK AT SOMEONE ELSE AND SEE THEMSELV REFLECTED THAT PERSON BEE ’S UNFAIAR.”SENSE8 SELF HAS SET AN EXAMPLE BY BUILDG REAL-LIFE EMPATHY AMONG A GLOBAL ST OF ACTORS, ALL OF WHOM BRG VASTLY DIFFERG LIFE EXPERIENC TO THEIR ROL.SILVTRE, WHO HAILS OM SPA, THKS ABOUT THE NTRAST BETWEEN THE ANTI-LGBT VLENCE OF THE FRAN YEARS AND THE UNTRY’S CURRENT ATMOSPHERE OF ACCEPTANCE AS HE PORTRAYS LO’S STGGLE MEXI. (THE ACTOR ALSO DRAWS SPIRATN OM THE LOR PLAY BLOOD WEDDG AND S MSAGE—AS HE BETIFULLY PARAPHRASED TO ME—THAT “WHEN LOVE AND SIRE GET TO YOUR GUT, NOBODY N TAKE AWAY.”)BUT AS A STRAIGHT CISGENR MAN, SILVTRE HAS LEARNED MUCH OM THE WACHOWSKIS AND OM HIS -STAR CLAYTON, WHO IS ALSO TRANSGENR.“I N SEE HOW HAPPY JAMIE IS AND I SAID, ‘SISTER, JAMIE, HOW N YOU BE THAT HAPPY?’” SILVTRE RELLED. “AND SHE TOLD ME, ‘BEE I AM SO HAPPY WH WHO I AM, MIGUEL, AND I FALLY GOT TO LIVE THIS.’”THAT EARNT NNECTN BETWEEN THE ST IS ON FULL DISPLAY DURG THE SãO PLO LGBT PRI CELEBRATN SCENE, LANDG ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE NEW SEASON AND FEATURG ALL OF THE “SENSAT.”IN ONT OF LNS OF ACTUAL PARTYGOERS, A LIBERATED LO SHOUTS, “I AM A GAY MAN!” A SHORT SPEECH, KISSG HERNANDO JT AS THE SUN BREAKS THROUGH THE CLOUDS. “EVEN THE SUN ME OUT THAT DAY,” SILVTRE JOKED.THE SCENE FEELS REAL PART BEE THE CROWD REACTNS ARE THENTIC. SILVTRE TOLD ME THAT LANA WACHOWSKI STCTED HIM TO LIVER THE SPEECH ON THE PARA FLOAT WHEN THE MERAS WERE HIDN OM THE CROWD.“PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW FOR SURE IF WAS ME OR IF WAS LO, IF WE WERE SHOOTG OR NOT, BUT I GOT TO LIVER SUCH BETIFUL L THAT LANA WROTE FOR ME,” HE SAID. “IT WAS SO BETIFUL TO SEE THE REACTN OF THE PEOPLE AND HOW GENERO THEY WERE. WHAT YOU GUYS ARE GOG TO GET TO SEE [ THE FISHED EPISO] IS THE FIRST TAKE.”AFTER THE SPEECH, LANA REPORTEDLY GATHERED ALL OF THE “SENSATE” ACTORS TOGETHER AND TOLD THEM, AS SILVTRE RELLED: “HAVE FUN. CELEBRATE YOUR EEDOM. CELEBRATE WHO YOU ARE NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE. TODAY IS A DAY OF CELEBRATN. I’M GOG TO BE TAKG IMAG; YOU JT HAVE TO HAVE FUN.”IN THE SHIMMERG SCENE THAT FOLLOWS, SENSE8 OFFERS A VISN OF A WORLD WHICH WE ARE NO LONGER BE “SO SRED OF DIFFERENCE,” AS CLAYTON PHRASED . IN A PULSG MONTAGE OF CREDIBLE ON-LOTN PARTY FOOTAGE, WE SEE NOT JT NOMI BUT CLAYTON, NOT JT LO BUT SILVTRE, NOT JT CHARACTERS BUT PEOPLE, ALL DANCG AND LGHG AND CROWD-SURFG.“THAT WAS AN CREDIBLE EXPERIENCE MIXG REALY AND FICTN,” SILVTRE RELLED.INED, FOR MANY LGBT VIEWERS LIKE MYSELF, SENSE8 RENRS THAT BORR BETWEEN FICTN AND REALY BETIFULLY BLURRY. SAMANTHA ALLEN
The photos, which feature members of both the st and crew alike, have even more exced for the sophomore season than we already were. But like many queer fans, I fell love wh the show bee has two of the bt LGBT characters on televisn: Nomi and Lo (Miguel Ángel Silvtre), a gay telenovela star livg Mexi Cy who me out of the closet at the end of the first season to save his relatnship wh his boyiend Hernando (Alfonso Herrera) and his “beard” Daniela (Erendira Ibarra) season two, Lo mt pe wh the nsequenc of beg out on his once promisg actn movie reer. He has to move out of his apartment buildg where hateful bigots have spray-pated anti-gay slurs on the walls and navigate his lite agent-actor relatnship.
“The real vlence—the vlence that I realize was unfivable—is the vlence that we do to ourselv when we’re too aaid to be who we really are, ” Nomi advised pair of characters—one cisgenr gay man and one transgenr lbian—held hands across two untri, locked ey, and cried.
”In ont of lns of actual partygoers, a liberated Lo shouts, “I am a gay man! The Texas-born actor, who played police officer Will Gorski on the seri, ntu: “You watch [the show] and you feel as if you’re walkg to this big queer hug – whether you’re gay or not.
NO ONE THROWS A GAY PRI PARA LIKE SENSE8
Gay.
But those fears were unfound, as the uple’s nuptials form the stagg ground for the seri grand nouement — a legendarily gay weddg which brgs the seri’ ensemble st together for closure, celebratn, and the se of Nomi’s nightmarish mother Ja, even a ltle healg. How, for example, are we to parse Nomi’s stated belief the pilot that “the [LGBT] distctns [are] dividg ” (and Sarah the TERF’s on-the-nose e of labels to validate and shame Nomi for beg trans), while season two we see that Lo’s abily to publicly label himself a gay man is a moment of profound joy and celebratn? But the biggt world expansn urty of a ut homo sensorium who troduc himself only as The Old Man of Hoy.