Hi Eve. I enjoyed reading this. Lots of layers. Love it. To begin with, I happen to adore Divine. An icon for the ages. Her stubborn defiance of the establishment was epic, especially considering the times she lived in. Now, about the visibility v hypervisibility of the LGBTQ+ community, I don't subscribe to the dichotomy that you describe. Why? Because, in my view, it's about the eyes of the beholder. They see us the way they want to see us no matter what we do or say.
thank you so much for sharing your perspective! i definitely think you are right at the individual level. in my opinion hypervisibility comes into play at the level of society and media. for example, the new york times can continue to run sensationalistic and misleading stories (as they did today) because of the biases of a few editors, reporters, and columnists, but the power of the media institution itself influences otherwise naive readers. anecdotally, the level of public harassment i receive has been increasing over the last year and half. i think changing minds is possible but political leaders (even left-leaning ones) refuse to earnestly take on the task. these dynamics aren't new, but finding ways to undermine them is a timely political project
FILTH NEVER FAILS
Hi Eve. I enjoyed reading this. Lots of layers. Love it. To begin with, I happen to adore Divine. An icon for the ages. Her stubborn defiance of the establishment was epic, especially considering the times she lived in. Now, about the visibility v hypervisibility of the LGBTQ+ community, I don't subscribe to the dichotomy that you describe. Why? Because, in my view, it's about the eyes of the beholder. They see us the way they want to see us no matter what we do or say.
thank you so much for sharing your perspective! i definitely think you are right at the individual level. in my opinion hypervisibility comes into play at the level of society and media. for example, the new york times can continue to run sensationalistic and misleading stories (as they did today) because of the biases of a few editors, reporters, and columnists, but the power of the media institution itself influences otherwise naive readers. anecdotally, the level of public harassment i receive has been increasing over the last year and half. i think changing minds is possible but political leaders (even left-leaning ones) refuse to earnestly take on the task. these dynamics aren't new, but finding ways to undermine them is a timely political project
p.s. yes divine is such an ICON!
Agreed!