In an effort to build a space for queer people like myself, every Tuesday I’ll be posting interviews, opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx/WOC community since I am Latinx.) Welcome to Queerly Not Straight! Enjoy and leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for what I should cover next.
Personally, I wanted to see New Mutants when the initial trailer came out. It looked dark and the right amount of scary. Being a horror buff, I was instantly drawn in. Then the reshoots started happening and I knew something was afoot. That feeling became even stronger when the revamped trailer came out.
Let me tell you, the revamped trailer looked…basic. It wasn’t scary. All it was was action packed with a lot of scenes where they use their powers. And did I know what the actual movie was about? Not one bit. Before I had an idea. Scary spooky idea with an X-Men twist. After this trailer I had nothing. But I perceived.
I wanted to watch New Mutants because I heard there was a gay couple in it. And we’re not talking gay couple in it like Star Wars did with those two women who kissed in the background of the latest iteration. We’re talking a full blown couple with a strong connection to each other and a significant part of the overall plot.
Then the reviews for New Mutants started coming out. And yay, I was glad for the gay. Still not ready to watch ANY movie at the theater because of the coronavirus. But I was looking forward to when the movie came out on digital or played at a local pop up drive thru theater. Now, after reading the news about major characters being white washed in the New Mutants, they can keep their movie.
I don’t want it.
And I won’t pay for it.
Because yeah, it’s nice to see representation in the media I consume. It’s brilliant and I soak up every single queer thing my little LGBTQ heart can get its hands on like a sunflower soaking up the sun. But what’s not nice is how our brothers, sisters, and people are being disrespected and whitewashed to hell and high water. And I’m not here for that shit any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Why is this a big deal, you ask? Because I’ve seen countless people excuse (yes, you read that right) the racism in the movie because there is a queer couple on screen that can’t be cut out with fancy editing. And I call bullshit. Just because I have queer representation, doesn’t mean I have the right to excuse blatant racism. If anything, I should understand what it means to be oppressed and stand up for those who need my support.
So, fuck off, New Mutants. You don’t get to pat yourself on the back for doing a good job when it comes to LGBTQ representation and use it as a way of excusing, distracting, or hiding the whitewashing you did in the movie or the racist actions of the characters you wrote. I won’t stand for it and you best believe I’ll use my small platform to call our the racists who think, “I can’t be racist because I’m gay.”
Yeah, you can be. And it’s bullshit.
Queerly Not Straight posts every Tuesday with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx community since I am Latinx.)
