Material Queer

Moving away slightly from the more cynical edge of ‘marketability’ but still considering the industry side of these shows, there’s a bit of a ‘make what you’d want to see’ in all creatives and a simple fact of age ranges, those writing shows are now…the ones who missed out on these shows as a teen. They are the Millenials in their 30s and 40s who grew up without the teen shows they are now writing. Those adults grew up and started making TV.

It is easy to forget, in the current climate of legalised gay marriage and a general acceptance of homosexual relationships - more than noncishet gender identities - that as recently as 1999 queer venues were the target of nail-bombings.

There's Something About Miriam ended after just one season, but those pining for more heartless telly were in luck when Channel 4 aired a show called Playing It Straight just two months later. There, a woman named Zoe Hardman was courted by 14 men through a series of dates and wild activities. The twist, as you can probably guess by now, is that half of them were gay.

Queer identity is at the heart of this album, with her matriarchy really being a group of incredible women and non-binary folks that make up her touring crew, people she spends a lot of time with. “My touring crew helped me see what matriarchy is, they are all women and non-binary, and I have seen them be such badasses. Live music is so male dominated. We have had some rough experiences at festivals and support tours.

If there's such a thing as the perfect pop lyric, the Pet Shop Boys surely nailed it with the crisp payoff from their 1987 single Rent: "I love you, you pay my rent." The song's title and subject matter has always felt queer-coded because it lets the mind wander to "rent boy", a now slightly outmoded term for a male sex worker.

This counts doubly when I’m trying to date gay men. You cannot divorce the queer experience from politics. Our rights, protections and existence were once political debates. Whether you were born before or after Section 28, before or after same-sex marriage was legalised, the lives of LGBTQ+ people have always been policed and punctuated by politics. Knowing about our political past and struggles, remembering the shoulders we stand on, is important.

There is a sense of movement in this painting, most of the subjects are dancing, talking, embracing or drinking. Although Toor depicts a public scene, the subjects are in small, private huddles. They are together but there is no sense of ‘togetherness’. This is testament to the fact that the most public settings can be the most lonely. On the right-hand foreground, we see a couple holding each other, in what looks like a close dance.

“It's important to have like minded people working with you, who are not just focusing on the commercial aspect, but also people who really understand creating value for the community,” he adds. Zhuk singles out nightclub Closer as one of the most prominent venues that pioneered electronic and rave style music in Kyiv, which has since become more of a cultural hub that is welcoming to all, including the queer community.

Divisions in the community Trans inclusivity is a far more prevalent issue now it seems than when The L Word was first released. Watching the show, discussions of gender are almost non-existent or seriously dated. Biphobia is a big problem in the show, with the first episode demonstrating the bierasure of Dayna, and Jenny struggles to understand her sexuality throughout.