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Inspired by Russell T Davis’ fearless statement (thank you King 
), the James Corden atrocity and numerous conversations I’ve had recently...
A thread on why queer actors should play queer roles and why:
), the James Corden atrocity and numerous conversations I’ve had recently... A thread on why queer actors should play queer roles and why:
1) It wasn’t until 6 years and 10 months ago that queer people had the same equal access to marriage... so no, it’s not about love. Because you didn’t consider our love to be equal to yours until 6 years ago, and you still don’t.
2) Being queer isn’t a character trait. By employing straight people, your perpetuating the harmful narrative that being queer is a choice and a ‘lifestyle decision’. We do not choose to be queer, we just are.
3) It’s illegal today to be LGBTQ+ in 74 countries. In 12 countries you get the death penalty for same-sex relations. Unless you understand that fear and cost that comes with queer love, you shouldn’t play those roles. It’s inherently engrained in every queer relationship.
4) A whole generation of millions of queer people died from AIDS. It’s no longer a death sentence, but it ruthlessly murdered queer people for decades. If you don’t understand that historical context in your heart and lived experience, you shouldn’t play those roles.
5) Queer people have been culturally cleansed throughout history, and there are still death/torture camps that do this TODAY.
6) Using the past examples eg ‘Tom Hanks was great in Philadelphia’ is regressive/dangerous and says that you agree with how we were forced to live then
6) Using the past examples eg ‘Tom Hanks was great in Philadelphia’ is regressive/dangerous and says that you agree with how we were forced to live then
CW: Suicide
7) Talking in binaries, that there is only gay and straight, erases the 53% of LGBTQ people who sit under the bi+ umbrella. The majority of LGBTQ are bisexual (bet you didn’t know this)
8) LGBTQ people have the highest level of mental health conditions and su*c*de
7) Talking in binaries, that there is only gay and straight, erases the 53% of LGBTQ people who sit under the bi+ umbrella. The majority of LGBTQ are bisexual (bet you didn’t know this)
8) LGBTQ people have the highest level of mental health conditions and su*c*de
9) Listen to queer people. If we are saying it’s not okay, then believe us.
10) Het people do not understand the unspoken hierarchy of the queer community and the intra-community prejudices. You do not know our history/politics as we do.
10) Het people do not understand the unspoken hierarchy of the queer community and the intra-community prejudices. You do not know our history/politics as we do.
11) Straight people playing queer roles exoticises and fetishises queer love.
12) If you’re straight, why do you feel the need to have an opinion on something which does nothing but oppress us further. It’s not your job to dictate to us what we can/should do.
12) If you’re straight, why do you feel the need to have an opinion on something which does nothing but oppress us further. It’s not your job to dictate to us what we can/should do.
Let us take control of our own narrative. Be our allies in these conversations. I wish for a world where sexuality doesn’t matter, but that argument now presumes we are in a post-HBT society. We are not.
