The proposed paper I plan on writing about will be an analysis of the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and how it addresses issues that the LGBTQ community faces. Some of the issues that film presents and addresses are issues of: sexual and gender identity, issues transgender people face, and issues of acceptance and rejection by different cultures and communities. My thesis for this paper is that this film is one the first films to properly address issues that the LGBTQ community faces, whereas other films play off of LGBTQ stereotypes and most LGBTQ characters are killed off by the end of the film.
Unlike most classical Hollywood films, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is the first film I have watched that properly represents real LGBTQ issues as well as being the first film in which the LGBTQ characters are not killed off by the end. Other films such as Rebel Without a Cause and Thelma and Louise, play off of LGBTQ stereotypes and they don’t properly address critical issues that the LGTBQ community faces. In films like these, the majority if not all of the main LGBTQ characters are killed off by the end of the film, as a statement to indicate that their lifestyle is not one that will allow them to survive in society. By doing so, the media is trying to send a message to society stating that they want to get rid of the LGBTQ community because they do not fit in our so called “perfect” society. The film Priscilla Queen of the Desert is perfect in the sense that, not only does it properly address issues facing the LGBTQ community, but it also presents issues that are wrong with society when they reject the LGBTQ lifestyle and community.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert portrays various situations and issues concerning the LGBTQ that were discussed in class. One of these situations is the idea of gay-bashing. In the film when one of the characters, Felicia, goes out to a party and when the men at this party realize that Felicia is a man, they immediately begin to chase after Mitzi in attempts to beat him. Theo Van Der Meer address this issue in his article “Gay bashing-a rite of passage,” in this article he discusses how gay bashers after attacking their victim “they felt that they were ‘somebody.’” In the film the man that attempted to attack Felicia felt that his sexuality was being threatened, so in order to feel that he was a “man again” (a somebody) he had to beat Mitzi in order to prove his manliness. Another issue that is discussed in the film is the issue of Homophobia and how Mitzi, Bernadette and Felicia deal with it when they become victims of it upon their arrival at Coober Pedy. Before they leave Coober Pedy, they realize that their bus has been vandalized on one of the sides with “AIDS F***** Go Home,” which depicts the homophobia the people of Cobber Pedy have. Barbara Smith address homophobia in her article “Homophobia: Why Bring it up,” and in this article she talks about how “homophobia is not taken seriously as other forms of oppression.” When this occurs in the film no one from the city does anything to help Mitzi, Bernadette and Felicia, instead the townspeople look at them as if nothing had happened and continue on with their daily lives. This goes to show that people do not take homophobia as a serious form of oppression, which is exactly what the film is trying to portray. In conclusion, the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, is a perfect film that discusses real issues that the LGBTQ community faces, as well as properly representing the LGBTQ community.
Smith, Barbara. “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?” The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Henry Ablelove et al New York & London.: Routledge, 1993.
Van Der Meer, Theo. “Bashing A Rite of Passage?” In Culture, Health and Sexuality. Volume 5, Number 2. pp 153-165
After watching the film, TransAmerica, I can see the significance of cinema in the LGBTQ community. It allowed outsiders to visually understand the issues of a transgender and although I may not know what it feels like, I was given the opportunity to see their struggles through film. Your description of the film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, seems like a great example of a positive advancement for the LGBTQ community through media entertainment. I recognize how gay bashing is a definite issue in this movie because of Felicia’s sexuality, but because I haven’t seen the movie, I’m a bit confused as to who Mitzi is in relation to Felicia. Do they share similar characteristics and why do the men go after Mitzi when it seems as though Felicia triggered their homophobic reactions? With that said, I would suggest possibly having a short description of the characters in the film to really be able to explain their sexual identity and their significance within the LGBTQ community. Other than the minor character confusion, I feel as though your paper has great potential. I find it interesting that, within the film, society is represented as a group of individuals who lack remorse for their oppression. This is a great point that can be further analyzed, making a strong statement for the LGBTQ community.
ReplyDeleteAppropriately portraying LGBTQ issues in cinema is an interesting concept that Luis brings up while talking about The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. First of all, there are few examples of LGBTQ films to go off of, but as he says, many of them contain characters who are either stereotypically characterized or portray them in situations where society does now allow them to live their lifestyles. As Mary Gray mentions in her article “From Websites to Wal-Mart”, many LGBTQ youth live in rural areas where it is assumed that their environments are not compatible with their lifestyles, which results in the concept of migration to big cities, necessary for queer identity work and finding community. I’m not familiar with the film The Adventure of Priscilla, but assuming that it is set in a rural area, the assumption that that choice of lifestyle is met with hostility in a rural environment is apparent. This post reminded me of another LGBTQ film that is on the other side of the spectrum in terms of how they portray homosexuality and how others in the environment react to it. The film Imagine Me and You follows the growing relationship between a woman who was recently wed and the florist who catered to her wedding. Without giving too much away, the way that their relationship is portrayed is just as if the florist were a man. It was not stereotypical, nor did the other characters react to it negatively. Though this may be almost unrealistic in a sense, it was an interesting contrast to many other LGBTQ movies with violent and stereotypical themes.
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