Screaming in Digital (2010 Goals)

This is the hardest blog I have ever set up. Not because I don’t have anything to say, but because I carry so much anger and frustration in me over lack of representation and few bones the mainstream media has thrown us.

I think what makes it hardest for me is that I am not sure how to move forward without yelling, screaming, and turning myself into a nuisance. I just feel that is not the answer. That is not the way to move forward. There has to be a middle way… a constructive way.

Finding lost Faith

I lost faith in the mainstream media a long time ago, but I believe that when we set our minds to something we can accomplish anything. Gay, lesbian, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning, and all our straight allies out there; together we are a family and no one messes with our family!

We have to unite! I have faith in us. We know what we are longing for, and are willing to share and grow our community! The mainstream media doesn’t think we are a market, so we have to develop our own marketplace, and make them beg for a seat at the table.

Constant Diligence

We are obligated to point out homophobia where we find it and stand our ground! So we do not support movies like 300 or Silence of the Lambs. We speak out against them, and stand up to our friends and the media that don’t get it yet.

We are obligated to praise inclusive media like Babylon 5 and Stargate Universe! When we see a good representation of our community, point it out and laud it.

I am not saying that we always have to be the hero or a good guy in the story, but Silence of the Lambs uses Bill’s desire to be a woman to justify his murders. Just because he is a transexual, he murders women and takes their skin. I know a lot of transexuals, and it would take numerous other psychoses to turn them into serial killers.

Many books and movies excuse a characters villainy by a reference to their sexuality or gender identity. That is unacceptable.

It is not always easy to speak out, but if we are not diligent, then you can bet our adversaries will be.

Be Mindful of our actions

Image by HaPe_Gera via Flickr

Yelling and screams is easy to tune out. We have to state our objections calmly and logically while appealing to the minds, hearts, and passions of everyone that hears us.

We have to pick our battles carefully. Sometimes, protests bring more attention to their target than it would have ever had without them. It is hard to know when to speak up and when to be quiet, but we need to evaluate the media landscape so we do not give free publicity to a project that would have burned out on its own.

For example, Peter Lattimer in Warehouse 13 and Fargo on Eureka have made statements regarding how not gay they are when put in queer situations, but it is not a major facet of their character, and neither one has made an overtly homophobic statement, so while these scenes make me a little uncomfortable, they do not rise to the level.

We need to pay attention, but not to the point of hypersensitivity.

Concentration

We need to focus our efforts on one or two things at a time. A sure fire recipe for failure is to try to focus on everything at once.

We also need to celebrate the few victories we have already achieved. We have made great strides in Comics, and with Stargate Universe. That is something. It is not enough but if we don’t celebrate our victories, the enormity of the task will crush us.

I am going to focus on building a list of books, television shows, and movies that feature LGBT characters prominently an outreach to the media companies. I need your help to keep me on track and contribute what you find to the cause.

Insight

Our biggest challenge will be to educate content creators and fans about the situation and what it means to be inclusive.

Writers need to know how to write about our community. Media companies need to know what is acceptable, and what is not.

Together, we can teach them how to produce what we are looking for. Join me. United, nothing can stand against us.