Class Blog

Eli Clare’s Exile and Pride was difficult to read but necessary. Writing subjects such as racism, sexual violence and homophobia, Clare reveals the dark but real side of being apart of the LGBTQ community as a person of color. Although we tend to focus on the good sides of being queer, there are many perspectives that do not get heard from people of different race, gender, disability, etc. Clare’s literature brought to light the dark reality of many queer people who are not accepted by the world around them. He explains the overlap between queerness, disability and race. He says that by begging on the street for money, “is how some of us (disabled persons) survive,” (Claire, 81). According to his race also he says that African men and women were, “made freaks, socially constructed for the purposes of entertainment and profit,” (Claire, 89). By doing so, he describes intersectionality and its affects on identity. In contrast, Schitt’s creek is a sitcom centered on a small town in which homophobia does not exist. Rare for many small towns in America, this sitcom provided a safe environment for those in the LGBTQ community. By having one of the protagonists, David, be an openly gay man and slaying, it sends the message that being gay is okay. In a world where you have to live up to societal standards in every aspect, seeing this in every episode all 6 seasons was a necessary change of pace. However, one does not hold more significance over the other. As everything in life, there needs to be a balance of the good and bad. Although the most ideal world would be no homophobia for LGBTQ people, that’s sadly not the case. Both texts offer their audiences an insight into their perspectives- the light and dark realities of LGBTQ persons in America. 

Dungeons & Dragons is a table-top roleplaying game first published in 1974. Spanning over five major editions and with 23 published adventures for the most recent edition, there is no doubt that Dungeons & Dragons has had a massive impact on pop culture.

But what is often overlooked is the inherent queerness of Dunegons & Dragons, and TTRPGS more broadly. Since its publication, D&D has mostly been associated with cishet white men. Yet the mere concept of roleplaying as a character different from yourself is a vessel for sexuality and gender expression.

When I think of the queer aspects of D&D, I think of three major categories: fluidity, community, and mythmaking. All of which can be connected to The Legend of Auntie Poe by Shing Yin Khor. 

Continue reading Your Turn to Roll: Dungeons & Dragons and Auntie Poe

After Mr. Anderson gets fired, Bee asks Mei how she’s feeling (Kohr, 113). Mei is frustrated and explains that her father “spent weeks on a boat to come here [to the logging camp]. He said my life will be better than his. He said we are a people that endure.” Mei and Bee have come from different backgrounds, ‘people.’ Even though Bee and Mei are friends (with some romantic tension as well) there is a clear power imbalance between them since Mei’s dad worked under Bee’s dad, who fired him for not being white. Even though a part of Bee and Mei’s identities is centered around their relationship, layers of their identity relating to race and class are more prevalent when people make judgements about them, as individuals. Mei finally asks Bee, “does your family have to endure too, or is it just us?” While Bee can empathize with her friend and her family, she does not share the same experiences as Mei. When Bee doesn’t respond, this gives Mei a newfound perspective about Bee’s life experience and identity (it is not remotely like hers) which makes her feel very isolated because this is her only friend. 

Bee and Mei’s relationship reminds me of Bette and Tina’s relationship from the L word. When Bette and Tina were talking about sperm donors, Tina was confused why Bette wanted an African American sperm donor. Bette was hurt because her partner, Tina, forgot a very important part of her identity. Even though Bette is biracial and might not present as ‘black’ to some people, including her own partner, her identity as a black woman is valid, and has always existed. Even though Bee never questioned her friendship with Mei because she was Chinese, as other people in the logging community might, Mei’s Chinese identity has always existed too. Mei and Bee will never share the same identity, no matter how much time they spend together and that it is an essential part of their coming to age story.

In this post I would like to use Angels in America as a lens to look at this brief fragment of Money Heist. In both, the play and the TV show, we encounter figures that personalize the toxic masculinity. On the one hand, we need to pay special attention to Roy M. Cohn and particularly the scene 9 of Act One in which he is told by his doctor Henry that he has AIDS and that it may have been caused by the intercourse he had without protection with other men, from what Roy reacts defiantly and in a passive-aggressive and defensively tone: “No, say it. I mean it. Say: “Roy Cohn, you are a homosexual”. And I will proceed, systematically, to destroy your reputation and your practice and your career in New York State, Henry. Which you know I can do” (Kushner 45). His speech about being “an heterosexual man who fucks around with guys”, is the representation of his denial about his own identity, portrayed by Kushner as a way of highlighting how heteronormative social conventions and the discrimination against the queer community could make Roy deny his own sexual orientation so fiercely.

This confrontation between Roy and Henry resonated with the one existing between the characters Palermo and Nairobi in Money Heist. Palermo would be the equivalent to Roy in terms of toxic masculinity since he is the one that brags about using men as sexual objects and ghosting them afterwards without any kind of romantic perspective, calling this behaviour of him “Boom boom ciao”. This is probably how the authors of the screenplay show that this mask Palermo creates is another way of denial, he avoids to show his true emotions because vulnerability and sentivity in men are frown upon by society. Nairobi confronts him and says that “to love, you need  courage”.

In this sense, another interpretation can be drawn from this comparison: there could be even a parallelism between a coming-out and a declaration of love since in both situations you are being honest with yourself and the other person. In a coming-out you are declaring your love about who you are, your love for yourself. That special moment in which you decide that society and conventions do not have a say in how you should be or feel. In both cases, and as Nairobi states, “to love, you need courage”, and toxic masculinity is the opposite of bravery: cowardice in its purest form.

(English subtitles can be selected in the settings)

 

In the play, “Angels in America,” by Tony Kushner, Joe Pitt is used by Kushner as a device to represent the closeted homosexual experience during the AIDS epidemic. Joe Pitt is an aspiring lawyer who is mentored by Roy Cohn, who is one of the main characters and is a staunch conservative lawyer. Joe is a man married to a woman named Harper, however he comes to the realization that he is homosexual. This realization, which had been suppressed by internalized homophobia, completely uproots his life. His wife leaves him, and his mom completely invalidates his feelings when he comes out to her. Within their discussion, Joe laughs at himself and apologizes for making things awkward, despite just telling his mom that he is homosexual (Kushner 77). His mother then tells Joe that he is being ridiculous, a response that resonates with homosexual individuals that struggle for acceptance.

This conversation with his mother is also representative of the homosexual struggle with religion, whether it be one’s own religion or someone else’s. Kushner uses religion as a common theme throughout the play, and this scene is no different. Homosexuality, especially during the AIDS epidemic, is characterized as being rejected by religion and sometimes weaponized by these religions. Joe and his family are Jewish, and his mother uses this religion as a way to berate Joe within their phone call. She states, “Within their conversation, his mother states, “No more talk. Tonight. This… (suddenly very angry) Drinking is a sin! A sin! I raised you better than that” (Kushner 79). Kushner uses their religion as a symbol of homophobia in this scene, with Joe’s mother as well as Joe’s internalized homophobia both playing a role. Overall, Joe Pitt is a character that Kushner uses to represent the homosexual experience in the AIDS epidemic.

In Act 1, Scene 9 of Angels in America, Roy Cohn is diagnosed with AIDS but he rejects it. Henry, his doctor, has just taken samples of lesions for a biopsy which he believes to be Kaposi’s sarcoma, an early indicator of HIV. Roy is angry at his diagnosis, stating, “It afflicts mostly homosexuals and drug addicts,” (44) and attempts to goad his doctor into calling him a homosexual so he can “…destroy [his] reputation and [his] practice and [his] career in New York State…” (45). This threat and Roy’s following monologue, is what interests me. His attempt to wield his political power over his diagnosis shows the importance of identity during the AIDS crisis, and the attitudes of the heterosexual majority toward HIV.

Roy Cohn is a powerful man. This is not a revelation. When we are introduced to Roy in Act 1, Scene 2, we find him at his desk in a flurry of conversations and phone calls. He exudes power and confidence (perhaps a bit too much of both) by putting clients and his in-person meeting with Joe on hold, swearing on and off hold to his clients, and making dinner plans while working. The next time we see him is in Scene 9 in Henry’s office.

Henry knows there is something queer about Roy’s sexual behaviors. He notes that he has treated Roy, “[f]rom syphilis to venerial warts. In [his] rectum,” (45), but he hesitates to call him a homosexual out of fear. He instead concludes that Roy has had sex with men and diagnosis him with AIDS. Roy claims Henry believes too strongly in labels and believes label only describe where one sits in the pecking order. He does not identify as a homosexual because “[h]omosexuals are men who know nobody and who nobody knows, “(46). To Roy, homosexuality is a statement of inability; an inability to shape the world around their own self-interest like Roy can. He does not deny to Henry his sexual interactions with men. He denys his diagnosis because, “AIDS is what homosexuals have. [He has] liver cancer,” (47). This attitude mirrors the attitudes of the heterosexual majority. For years, people were convinced they were safe from the “gay cancer” and it wasn’t until heterosexual people contracted it that anything was done to combat it.

In the end, Roy’s political power fails to defeat his diagnosis, but even in his final moments, he attempts one last time to take control. He dies the way we were introduced to him, by attempting to put a hold on his own mortality.

Whether it is denial about sickness, sexuality, or reality itself; nearly every character in Angels in America experiences denial at some point during the play. In the first act of Millennium Approaches, we see Joe in denial about his sexuality, claiming that as long as he doesn’t act on his homosexuality it wont be a problem in the eyes of the Mormon church. Joe’s denial about his sexuality, though he addresses it in later scenes, is brought to the surface by both his wife Harper and Prior, a man he has never met. Although Harper is also Mormon, she doesn’t seem to have the same moral problems with her husband being gay but it does aid in showing the audience her denial about reality. Harper has constant thoughts about leaving for Antarctica where she believes she can have a new life. She eventually gets to experience this in what is a reality for her only to realize she had never left New York. We see Harper’s denial be challenged in ways she has not experienced before, just as we did Joe’s. 

Louis has a different experience with denial, he believes his boyfriend is dying and rather than face what is happening he is in denial about his emotions. He attempts to cover these fears by leaving Prior and finding solace in others. Towards the end of the reading we have done so far, Louis realizes that he wants to be back with Prior, but it has taken him so long to get over the denial of his emotions around Prior’s sickness that there has been significant change in both circumstances. Prior’s denial is closer to that of Harpers, he questions his sanity because of his visits from the angel. He is not sure if what he sees and hears is real or if it is his sickness getting to his head and creating delusions. The development of each character in either the progression or overturning of their denial brings their stories closer, giving the audience a way of connecting each storyline and personality.

Through the experiences of Belize and Roy Cohn, Tony Kushner shows the importance of self-acceptance with the use of power. Belize and Roy show two very different impacts with their power and actions. Roy as a white, closeted, wealthy lawyer harms marginalized people all while being one himself. His internalized homophobia results in him being especially hateful and dehumanizing towards Queer people even when they help him. When Belize advises Roy to use his connections to avoid being scammed by the medicine trials, Cohn still treats him in a demeaning manner despite Belize helping him with medical treatment. He still calls Belize a “ butterfingers sp**k f*ggot nurse” (Kushner 155) and ironically points out that Belize has “little reason to help” him (Kushner 155). Roy uses the slur as his internalized homophobia separates himself from its dehumanizing impact. Furthermore, it prevents him from empathizing with the experiences and feelings of queer people despite being one himself. This leads to him only looking out for his best interests like in the case of him hoarding medication that would have helped many others. Additionally, with his bias towards marginalized people, Roy is unlikely to help them in legal cases for their rights. This only results in a more oppressive and hateful world.

Unlike Roy, Belize faces more severe oppression due to his intersectional identity as a middle-class gay black man. Despite the severe levels of oppression making it difficult for him to have power in his life, he still chooses to use what little power he does have to help others. As a nurse during the AIDs Crisis, Belize aims to help all people affected but especially Queer people. As seen through his interaction with Roy, Belize’s kind actions come from a place of empathy and self-acceptance. When Roy insults Belize’s intentions for helping him, he simply responds with “ Consider it solidarity from one f*ggot to another.” (Kushner 155) Instead of feeling offended by Roy’s use of the slur, Belize reclaims it by turning it into a fact of reality. For him, his sexuality is not a shameful part of his identity and despite Roy being terrible and ungrateful towards him, Belize still helps him with treatment.
Through this scene, Kushner supports his theme of the state of self-acceptance and it’s impact on the uses of power. He shows us that self-acceptance leads to empathetic actions that change the world for the better while the opposite results in harmful results.

In the play Angels in America the character Roy Cohn represents a form of masculinity that society often portrays as very manly but also toxic, to hide his homosexuality by talking down on woman and having a big ego.

In Act 1, Scene 2 Roy argues with a client on the phone because he missed their court date and says “YOU THINK I’M THE ONLY GODDAMN LAWYER IN HISTORY EVER MISSED A COURT DATE?! Don’t make such a big fucking— Hold.” (Kushner 12), emphasizing how he is not treating his client with respect, yelling at him, and trying to present himself in a superior position, which can be read as very “manly”. It contributes to the stigma that still exists in society, that men need to act strong, tough, focus on material success and take a superior role in society. However, this behavior is highly toxic and just strengthens the idea of a men needing to act and present themselves in a certain way for society to accept them as “manly”. Ever other form of self-representation could be interpretated as feminine and connected to homosexuality.

The aspect of Roy having a big ego and acting on toxic masculine behavior can also be observed as the  talks down on two women in the same scene. On one hand, he calls his secretary multiple times “baby doll” (Kushner 12) which shows the little respect he has for her and, on the other hand, he talks down on Mrs. Hollins as he says “Yeah, yeah right good so how many tickets dear? Seven? For what, Cats, 42nd Street, what? No you wouldn’t like La Cage, trust me, I know. Oh for godsake” (Kushner 12). This situation shows how Roy questions Mrs. Hollins capability to make a good choice and instead makes it for her, by not validating her opinion.

Both described aspects are relevant to understand that Roy is trying to cover his homosexuality through his behavior, which he believes underline his masculinity and the associated heterosexuality. I believe that the character Roy is great example of how homosexual men are pressured to have the need to be portrayed with manly considered attributes to not be questioned in their sexuality. In addition, I assume that many closeted homosexuals fear rejection from society if they are associated with female read characteristics.

All in all, I believe that this scene shows how much work we still have to do in society by breaking up stereotypes about “feminine” and “male” behavior and how these characteristics don’t give an answer to people’s sexual orientation or identity.