While I was working on the show as a Pipeline TD I had always pictured Katie as queer but I figured is was just wishful thinking. Many people, especially those in underrepresented groups, are used to projecting onto characters while the creators leave things ambiguous. But here she was, a girl who didn’t really fit in, trying to find herself and her people, who was into making weird stuff that others didn’t understand…in my mind there was no doubt.
I had wanted to ask the director, Mike Rianda, about Katie’s sexuality, but I was scared. Scared that either he would say she was straight and break that dream for me, or leave it open to interpretation which while neither confirms or denies her queerness means that people will automatically code her as straight.
With representation it has to be explicit, or people who oppose it will find any possible hole/explanation/workaround to disprove it. But on the other hand, a person’s sexuality isn’t their entire identity, so when characters are defined by their queerness (especially in media where the focus isn’t gender or sexuality) it feels hollow and token.
Then one of my queer co-workers messaged me that there were discussions about changing Linda’s line at the end of the movie to “are you dating anyone and will she be coming home with you for thanksgiving” and I cried. Full-on sobbing joyful ugly tears. I was so excited, but also so scared…I knew that it was a long-shot since most companies play it safe when it comes to that kind of representation. But it seemed like Mike was really willing to fight to keep the line in the movie.
There was a giant e-mail thread where some of my coworkers gave their insights and opinions on the line change, but the most beautiful part was that this conversation was started by Mike because he wanted to ask people in the LGBTQ community about making Katie a lesbian. It was clear that he and Jeff Rowe (the other director) put a lot of thought not only on if she should be explicitly queer, but how it should be expressed within the movie. He wanted responses from us, and unlike a lot of diversity initiatives, he was willing to fight for it but he wanted to make sure we’re fighting for the right thing.
The discussions were an open arena where we could voice our thoughts freely. They realized that they had an opportunity and a platform for real representation. As “very much cis white dudes” Mike and Jeff wanted to see if Katie being LGBTQ felt right to members of the community. And my coworkers were just as passionate about Katie being gay as I was.
“It may look like a small thing, but it represents a lot” - Guilherme Paiva, Animator
“it’s great to finally have a movie where there’s an LGBT character who’s allowed to exist and have a role that isn’t just ‘the gay character’ or to have the whole film be about them being LGBT” - Jabari Cofer, Lead Animator
“I think it’s bold, and I really love the character you’ve created and written of Katie. Would love to see this a reality where it’s out there, but understand there could be some push back from higher ups, so I really appreciate [it]” - Jessica Giang, Layout Artist
“I appreciate the thought that you guys are putting into this. It honestly warms my heart seeing how much you genuinely care about getting this right, it really means a lot.” - Chelsea Gordon-Ratzlaff, Lead Animator @not-quite-normal
I don’t know all of the work they put in but it was an uphill battle to keep the line in the movie. Mike actively defended the representation, using our responses to bolster his campaign. We were all a bit scared, going to production and even the studio execs to take a chance on doing something like this, but the line stayed.
Katie is a creative teenager who is struggling to find her place in the world. She has a loving and supportive family that doesn’t really understand her. She’s the kind of character that I wish had been present when I was growing up. Having this kind of explicit representation not only normalizes queerness, but embraces it. But it’s a risk to do something like this, especially in animation which targets a wide and impressionable audience.
A conversation is only as important as the people involved in it. Representation is such a complex aspect of media that many companies prefer to keep things simple within their own comfort zone. But people are complex, and it’s up to art to illustrate that. By actively listening to queer members of the crew “the Mitchells vs the Machines” was able to create a fun, imaginative, and emotional story that just happens to have a lesbian as the lead.
[[ The reason that I fell in love with D&D + the Forgotten Realms, and the reason that my love for both continues to burn bright. ]]
[[ Although I won’t always love every change that is made to D&D, the aspect that I will always cherish is its inclusiveness. They might not always go about it in an ideal way and/or a way that we personally would’ve done it, but including LGBT+ in their official products is something that they strive for year round, not just during June.
The artwork to accompany details on how an academy could function as a group patron in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything doesn’t leave you guessing, as the subtext succinctly tells you: “Wizardly boyfriends relax while their classmates practice magic at an arcane enclave.“
Alanik Ray, known as the Great Detective, and his partner, Arthur Sedgwick, investigate mysteries together and are introduced in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist has the nonbinary herbalist Fala Lefaliir, who uses they/them pronouns and gently corrects player characters if they’re misgendered.
While playing Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, you may encounter Darribeth Meltimer who mentions her wife, Urgala, who happens to be an non-player character from Storm King’s Thunder.
In Ghosts of Saltmarsh, the marines who watch over the docks of the salty city are led by Tom and Will Stoutly, a married couple and hardened veterans against monsters and Sea Princes alike.
In the adventure Storm King’s Thunder, there are the Osstra family. Husbands Thelbin and Brynn and Brynn’s adopted nephew, Broland. These Nightstone villagers are Tethyrian human wheat farmers you can encounter within the first chapter.
Acquisitions Incorporated has “Propha” Dran and her wife, Audra Courtier, who run the aptly named inn, The Dran & Courtier.
Jalester Silvermane, the representative of the Lord’s Alliance in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, originally hailed from Cormyr, where he was part of a mercenary company called the Steel Shadows. While there, he met Faerrel Dunblade, who became his best friend and lover. Elminster befriended the two young men and brought them to the attention of Laeral Silverhand, who put them to work as deputies and spies.
Fel'rekt Lanfeen is a gunslinger and a lieutenant of Bregan D’aerthe in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Fel’rekt is a male drow who was assigned female at birth.
Margo Verida, an Amnian lyrist, and Khafeyta Murzan, a Mulhorandi acrobat are performers in the Sea Maiden’s Faire from Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. The two women are in love with each other.
If anyone has any canonical LGBT+ NPCs from the D&D material to add, please let me know! I’ll keep this list updated. ]]
Let’s take this day to celebrate all the transgender community and the people you might know who are trans. Take this day to inform ourself a little more the issues that still exist in our society that we need to adress in order to make this world a better and safer place to all transgender folks out there. They absolutely deserve it Today is a day to celebrate who you are, whether you are out or not, whether you haven’t started your transition or are already fully transitioned, whether what you like or wear isn’t socially or culturally related to your gender, you are extremely valid and should only feel proud of the journey you took so far to become who you truly are.
Like honestly if being gay was a choice I’d be the gayest human in the galaxy. “We cant have gays on tv because it will turn our kids gay” like excuse me but if it was a choice we’d be the gayest of the gays. We are who we are and if that isnt enough for some people than they can fuck all the way off.
Does anyone just have those irrational conversations that people drag you into because they think their opinion is an absolute solid fact that’s indisputable but in fact they are fucking idiots? I got drug into a conversation about “gays going to hell” at a bloody maccys. Like no sir we aren’t going to hell a clean 50% of us dug our way up from hell just to get some bloody hot fries and to shitpost the other 50% are absolute angels sent from god to keep the shitposters in line. Bloody hell I can assure you you’ll end up their before any of us do so good day sir and piss off.
Living in a heteronormative world is really odd to me. Like we as a society have grown up with predominantly straight couples in shows, movies, and on social media. But if a gay couple is in a movie or even an animation for any amount of time mums and dads alike are raising hell and screaming that “the lgbtq+ community is trying to corrupt their child and they’ll have none of it” so their gonna start a petition that does absolutely fuck all just to show that they are immature bigots. Like I grew up watching straight couples being plastered everywhere up until I was about 16 and look at me, alla that straight influence and I’m still gay as fuck. Like I dont understand this shit and the people that think that we as a community are trying to corrupt people while most of us spend all day shitposting and eat hot chips while avoiding social interaction of any kind.
“You just like She-Ra because it’s gay and body diverse and all women!”
Yup. I do. And here’s why:
I don’t have to watch every character get trimmed down to fit into some feminine archetype or another. I don’t have to watch their relationships get pruned, rewritten, carefully tiptoed around lest they come off as gay. Without homophobia and sexism as a perpetual critical eye, carving and rearranging and judging, always judging, always eager to box and to correct and to exclude, characters and art have room to breathe and innovate.
Catra and Adora’s relationship would not be so rich if not for its ability to evolve and grow beyond typical the typical barriers assigned to two girls, to let romantic subtext happen because they don’t need to hide it or queerbait or make it one of a handful of specific gay tropes. The Best Friends Squad would not be so well knit if there was an executive looking over and saying “Glimmer can be affectionate but not that much” or “We need more emphasis on Bow just being a friend”. When Glimmer cuddles with Adora in the pool or holds her gently, I don’t see the crushing silence of those girls in high school, the reminder that this was going to be completely platonic or else, that box that must be maintained. I just see two people, expressing affection, and letting the chips fall where they may because it’s okay where they end up.
The queerness and diversity of She-Ra is not a checklist, it’s a liberation. It’s freedom from all the tired old tropes and assumptions assigned to women’s personalities, aesthetics, and relationships both in media and out. It’s growth, it’s subversion, whatever you want to call it, it’s new and rich and ripe with potential.
So yeah. I like She-Ra because it’s gay. Die mad about it.
Oh oh ohhh this is so not cool. I can’t believe they’re going there. A jaw droppingly LGBTQ hate and racist kind of not cool.
Florida governor DeSantis is directly targeting Disney World for being conspicuously LGBTQ equality supportive, and throwing the weight of his office to take them down for it… and more than that, if you read his written statement to his supporters, it’s racist too.
YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN FLORIDA… read it here:
The “Don’t Say Gay” laws that DeSantis is fighting dirty for are laws aimed at making it illegal to even mention the existence of LGBTQ people in schools, including giving guidance, protection from bullying, and emotional support to LGBTQ children, and erasing all LGBTQ history from being taught or discussed in schools. Beyond safe sex and inclusiveness- Pride and Stonewall civil rights history? It would be illegal to discuss. The very local Pulse massacre? Illegal history too. “Help- I’m gay and my dad is beating me…” pleas from children to teachers or guidance counselors? Illegal too.
THANK YOU ALL AGAIN to all the people who helped me for my essay with your testimonials and my polls ! Some of these made me cried and really broke my heart, but it gave me so much more confidence for this project when I saw how hopeful you all were. I’m so touched that you agreed to share this with me and it helped me so much when I was lost in my doubts.
I will work on this for a year, and do a documentary about it for my professional career once I’ll be done with cinema school. ❤
image descrition: Previous photo is of two apparently female figures standing close to one another in a sexually tense moment. The person on the left stands isometrically to the camera with their back turned mostly to the viewer but the side of their face, jacket, and legs visible. This person is pale and wears a large black leather jacket, dark charcoal jeans, black cowboy boots and has their auburn hair down. They also are smoking a cigarette and looking down at the other figure.
The other figure is a lot less clothed and leans against a dining table’s chair almost as if they had stumbled back and are now pinned there by sexual intimidation of the first figure.Our second figure has lightly tanned skin, long dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail and large dark eyes emphasized by mascara and eye shadow. They wear black lacy, semi transparent lingerie consisting of a long sleeveless “coat” which drapes just barely over their breasts and hangs down behind them and off to either side. And they wear a pair of black garters attached to some smoky nylon stockings. Their feet are in black stilettoes and are splayed between the legs of the domineering figure.
They both appear to be in an old fancy hotel suite, with adult beverages in a silver cart on the side.
In this video, I answer a question from a client who wants to know why a girl they have been seeing has suddenly said “I don’t want to be in a relationship.”
I answer with what that statement REALLY means and what to do if a girl says that to you… when you thought things were going great.
If you want a question answered in another video email me at [email protected] and I will do so as my schedule allows
K, I know this isn’t my usual content, but I haven’t seen you all in almost a month soooo
Wanna seeeeee what I got!?
Isn’t that doooooorbs!? ❤ K so I love sea horses and to me they represent the normalcy and beauty of the non binary in nature If you didn’t know; the [males] carry, develope, and birth the babies. In light of recent human and constitutional rights violations in the United States, with the “dont say gay” infringements, which puts already vulnerable kids and their care givers at extreme risk; if you’re looking for a positive, non aggressive, scientific way to broach gender fluidity with really anyone ….point them in the direction of a children’s book called Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle ->
Not only is the artwork beautiful and INTERACTIVE !! But it gently leads the reader through different gender roles and non conforming fluidity of many sea creatures ❤
I also got this insanely cravable mug!!! I desire nothing more than utilitarian art !! Like the table for instance It’s not dirty; it looks like water!!
I also got this little Lego figure for the Year of the Tiger we’re gonna pretend it’s Wei Wuxian
Annnnd my favorite!!! ->
I got an amonite for my Pisces sun and a tiger’s eye for my Leo moon
Ah haha!!! Bijou kitty ran to “safe” behind Dad My dog Honey is like OH SHIT!! My bad… She knows I won’t save her lolz LOOK at the fear in those eyes!! [This was taken over my shoulder blind!! I’m sideways in the chair]
Alright happy end of Pictures and thank you for baring with me while I took some time away ❤
![A parody photo of the previous image. It creates the backdrop as a pastel watercolor, and has Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn drawn over each previous feminine figure Poison Ivy is on the left wearing a dark green leather jacket with 3 patches: a prominent "Be Green, Do Crime" patch with a rainbow-ish background, a circular patch that look likes Earth, and an Anarchy patch on the left sleeve facing away from the viewer. Her hair is bright orange-red with leafy vines and poison ivy leaves sticking up out of her long wild hair. Instead of a cigarette is a chewing twig and her dark charcoal jeans are torn at her knees showing off more of her olive green skin tone. Her cowboy boots are now a darkish green with red and light green detailing that makes heart shaped roses, leaves, and spiraled stems with thorns. Harley Quinn is on the right. She has medium tan skin and large brown eyes, but her brown hair has been shown to be shaved on the side so that her dyed blonde hair is piled up in the middle before being tied back into a pair of close-set pig tails. The one on the viewers right has a baby blue pontail holder and the dark blonde hair is dyed a teal-indigo-blue half way towards the end. The pigtail on the viewer's left has a pale pink pontyatil holder and likewise ends in red. There is red and blue clown paint diamonds over her eyes, but in the reverse order of the pigtails (red on our right, blue on our left). She wears a gold hoop earring, and her long sleeveless lingerie coat is now half pale salmon pink and half pale baby blue (same color as the pony tail holders) with pink on our right and blue on our left. Each side seems to have a heart and 3 diamonds in the colors of the opposite side (like a yin and yang reversal) sensually placed over the breast. The coat is torn at its bottom edges as if its seen a lot of action. Harley seems to have red tattoes on the side that faces the viewer, including a tattoo on her upper arm that bears resemblance to a poison ivy leaf by combining three red diamonds in the shape of a club (like from a card game). Red diamond tattoos circle her wrist and ankle like bracelets, and we can see that blue diamonds encircle her other ankle that sticks out between Poison Ivy's legs. She has red nail polish on the one hand that we can see. The lacey parts of her underwear bear resemblance to the spiraled thorn designs on ivy's boots. A slight natural buldge sticks out from her underwear, and the non-lacey charcoal parts attatch via garters to smoky and semi-teansparent nylon stockings. A red stiletto on the blue diamond ankled foot and a blue-indigo stilhetto on the red diamond ankled foot. Harley has fresh, lighter colored battle scars covering her hands, arm, torso, splitting her eyebrow, and grazing across the side of her shaved head. (And subtle stretch marks between her thighs) And she has older darker battle scars out from her bottom lip, across her shoulder, torso, legs, and stomach: including some that seem to spell out "Ha Ha" but is partially obscured by the coat. [end of parody description]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/7d1560aca84b15576e25e5aa8b79b793/208aa74410086ad5-dd/s2048x3072/79690c99db831ffc76c10b48c131138afa868c99.png)
