[YouTube Video]
That One Time Swan (And Panda) Talked About Queer Inclusivity
ClarityIsClear
573k Views / Posted 2 years from now
(The first image of the video is a bird's eye view of a Pride parade - rainbow flags, painted faces, and defiantly flamboyant people proudly marching down the street. That image morphs into another short video of a different pride parade, and then another, and then another. The video clips speed up until, suddenly, they stop on an image of a rainbow banner being held up reading "Out And Proud".
The image fades to black, replaced by Leah Clearwater's mischievous expression. Behind her, a now-familiar building can be seen; eagle-eyed veteran viewers recognize the Midnight Sun doorway and signage.
"It's Pride Month," she begins unceremoniously, tapping her finger against a new gold ring in the center of her bottom lip. Her lips quirk up to the side. "Did you know that, like, one in four people are part of the community? Like, if you know four people, then one of them is probably queer? We're a lot more common than certain people want to believe. I mean, including myself, there are at least six queer people in my immediate friend group, and I honestly only consider, like, ten people my friends. So, either that earlier statistic is wildly inaccurate, or I know too much about my friends. You choose.
"Anyway," she continues lightly, gesturing behind her. "We're here because life is about seizing the moment. Okay, well, the real story is that Bella has cloistered herself in the office for the last three days and I'm afraid what will happen to her if she doesn't see sunlight, so I'm here for a jailbreak. And also because, since Pride is around the corner, I figured I could use an opportunity to get an assignment of my own done."
Here, Leah Clearwater pauses, making a scrunched-face expression nearly the same as her sister. "Everyone else has graduated. Instead, my stupid ass had to go and sign up for that MFA. At least Rose is in the same boat," she sighs. Leah rolls her eyes at herself. "But like I was saying, I thought I would kill two birds with one stone, and be topical at the same time. You don't need to tell me what a genius I am. Trust me, I already know. Now, let's go see what our Swan is up to inside and get this assignment out of the way..."
Leah swings the camera around, mutters something about "editing this so the professor gets the polished version", and walks into the building. Without any hesitation, or any word to the sputtering receptionist who jerks to a stand at her entrance, Leah waltzes right into the busy office floor. The camera pans around, taking in the view of the bustling office environment, many stress-looking people hunched over desks.
Leah's voice can barely be heard over the din. "There's a lot more women here than before, isn't there? Bella wasn't kidding. But where is Bella...?"
Then the camera passes over a pale man with platinum blond hair, who scowls fiercely over some red-headed guy on a computer, and Leah's voice shifts to cheerful as the camera rapidly moves closer.
"Al!"
Al - or Alistair, as other viewers know him - looks up and his scowl deepens. "You get that bloody thing out of my face, Clearwater."
"You shouldn't talk so sweet to me, Al," Leah chides.
The red-head snorts and Alistair sighs, long-suffering. "Why are you here?"
"Why are you holding my sister hostage?"
"She's not a hostage. She's a valuable employee."
"I see," Leah says agreeably. "Then where are you holding this valuable employee hostage? I'm here to take her out for fresh air and some watering."
Alistair snorts, then waves her away. "Conference room," he says dismissively.
"Many thanks, Al. I'll send you some cashews!"
"If they're spicy..."
Leah merely laughs, and the camera turns in the opposite direction, striding clearly through the dead center of the office to a discreet door. There is a silver plaque beside the door reading Conference Room and inside there are two figures sitting side-by-side, each on their laptops, but clearly working on the same type of project. Leah opens the door silently and is just in time to watch Bella lean over and point at something on the other person's computer. The other person, it turns out, is Peter, who viewers recognize as the man who had gone as a Sexy Panda to a Halloween party the year before. Needless to say, many viewers call him Panda. He's a fan favorite.
"Bell-Bell," Leah sing-songs sinisterly, laughing in delight when Bella jumps and turns around to shoot a narrow-eyed look at the person behind the camera.
Bella, frankly, looks something of a fright. It's very easy to believe that she's been holed up in an office for three days, given the Cheeto stains on her hoodie, the mess of her hair, and the dark circles beneath her green eyes. Peter doesn't look any better, even though he smiles brightly and waves at the camera.
"Why are you here?" Bella asks.
Leah - and the camera - circle around the conference table. "For a few reasons," Leah says, sitting down at the table. The camera is adjusted to a better level. "Lunch, for one. But also, I need to talk to you."
Bella's brows lift. "Oh?"
Peter echoes the expression.
"Yeah," Leah says behind the camera. "I need an interview for my assignment."
Bella immediately looks exasperated. "Why me? I'm busy enough."
"You're my favorite subject, of course. Plus, you promised," Leah reminds her. "All those years ago, you naively agreed to be my film subject, and you have to keep your word by the bond of sisterhood."
Bella sighs, slumping back in her chair. She waves a hand. "Fine."
Leah clicks her tongue, and the camera zooms in a few inches. "Could you be a little more photogenic?"
"Leah," Bella prompts. "The question?"
"Let's talk about queerness!"
Peter's eyes widen as he turns to look at Bella.
Bella, meanwhile, has pursed her lips together. "What about it?"
"Yeah! What about it?" Peter apes cheekily.
"Are you talking about, like, prejudice within the community?" Bella wonders.
"Sure," Leah says behind the camera. "Let's start there."
Bella gives the camera a perfectly deadpan stare. "You know, Lee Lee," she starts flatly. "I'm not sure how I feel about your interview format. Aren't you supposed to ask specific questions?"
"I am," Leah insists. "I just asked you a question!"
"Dude, you really didn't."
"Oh, shut up, Peter," Leah says shortly. "Just answer the question, Bella."
Bella leans back in her rolling chair, dusting crumbs off her shirt. She looks very tired but maintains a game face. "Obviously, I'm not the authority on it or anything, but I guess we can start with biphobia. You know, like when bi people are told they aren't gay or straight enough?"
"As a bi man, I agree that it's pretty much fucking bullshit," Peter says sagely, nodding his head. "Go on."
"Plus there's this really weird idea that bi people are cheaters or liars," Bella adds with a frown. She looks at Peter inquisitively. "It's really weird, right?"
"As if I would ever cheat on Garrett!" Peter exclaims.
"Case in point," Bella says. "It all seems a little unfair, you know. People shouldn't have to live in fear of - of judgment, or whatever."
"Agree," Leah says, unseen.
Peter snaps his fingers rapidly. "Also! Hey, also, people should definitely be allowed to use the bathroom they want to without other people accusing them of being perverts!"
"Say it louder for the people in the back," Leah cheers, and Peter laughs.
Bella smiles too, propping her chin on her fist, elbow resting against the arm of the chair. "Yeah, but the bathroom bill isn't the only phobia trans people face, is it? They get it in the community, too. We've all seen it, right?"
"Give an example," Leah tells her.
Bella purses her lips. "Well, like, I'm sure you've heard about it, but there are people who say trans women aren't really lesbians or trans men aren't really gay, which completely discredits the idea that gender is not determined by biological sex."
"Which it totally isn't," Peter says to the camera.
"Of course, it isn't," Bella agrees. "Gender is something you feel, what you identify as, what feels the truest to who you are."
"Sexual orientation follows gender orientation, basically," Leah says.
"Mm-hmm. I mean, if someone is telling me they're a woman and they're attracted to women and they're in a relationship with a woman, and that that makes them identify as gay, then who am I to say otherwise?" Bella asks with a shrug, clearly stifling a yawn. "I don't get to decide for people what's true for them."
"Stupid TERFs," Peter mutters.
Bella nods at him. "That's the things about TERFs, right? They think they're defending biological gender, but what they're really doing is setting the entire women's lib movement back by at least 50 years."
Behind the camera, Leah snorts, then clears her throat. "You sound just like Rose. Can you elaborate?"
Bella lifts her brows, then heaves out a gusty sigh. "Saying a woman is only defined by the presence of a womb or her ability to bear a child is, you know, patently anti-woman and anti-feminist," she points out. "There are cis women who can't give birth, or who have hysterectomies for whatever reason, and even women who don't want to have children, so by defining women by the status of their wombs, TERFs are undercutting women who maybe don't fall into whatever they consider normal."
"Which is seriously messed up," Peter asserts.
Bella gives Peter a fond side-eye. "Thanks, Pete."
Peter, who always seems to have a smile, looks uncharacteristically serious compared to how viewers are used to seeing him. "Plus, it bothers me that the same isn't said about trans men, which is really weird."
"It is weird," Leah agrees.
"It's a strange dichotomy," Bella tells them, leaning more heavily into her chair. "On the one hand, being perceived as feminine is considered a weakness or somehow degrading -"
"Dudebros calling each other pussy," Peter says, providing an example.
"- but on the other hand, being a woman is considered some kind of exclusive club where you have to meet certain requirements? Society just can't make up its mind."
Leah hums. "I feel like this dovetailed into gender issues," she says, fiddling with the camera to readjust the angle. "But it's all related, so I'll let it slide. It's my own fault for interviewing you after a three-day bender."
Bella makes a face at her. "Don't make it sound like I have a problem. I don't have a problem, I have a job."
Peter snorts. "And right now our job has a problem."
Bella rolls her eyes. "It's fine. We'll fix it."
Peter looks a little doubtful.
"Let's stay on topic," Leah chides.
"She says as if she has any idea how to conduct an interview," Bella titters.
Leah huffs behind the camera. "Look. I haven't taken any journalism courses. How was I supposed to know I would need the skillset?"
Bella's eyes widen. "You want to make documentaries! Of course, you need the skillset!"
"Oh, whatever," Leah says dismissively. "I still have one more question."
"Let's have it," Peter says.
"It's for you, Peter, mostly because you're here."
"Oh my." Peter smiles widely. "I feel special."
Bella bites her lip to hide her own smile.
"Well," Leah begins. "For as long as I've known you, you've pretty much always identified as queer. Um, not gay or bi, but queer. So, why is that?"
"Queer is a more general term," he says. "Anyone in the community is considered queer, because queer is queer, you know? Plus it's easier. Being less specific is better, like safer, for some people."
"Being out and proud is one thing, but if someone doesn't want to reveal their orientation to strangers, then they shouldn't have to," Bella agrees, nudging Peter's knee with her own. "Using queer takes care of that."
"And you say that as a queer person?" Leah prompts.
Bella nods, freely and openly. "I mean, I'm definitely on the asexuality scale, but it's all so fluid. Saying I'm queer is easier than explaining demisexuality."
"Same," Leah says. "But using queer is a touchy subject in the community."
"That's, like, a recent thing," Peter insists. "Queer has a good history. The community has reclaimed it - we've reclaimed it since 1969."
"We're here. We're queer. Get used to it," Bella quotes.
"Yeah, exactly."
"Queer is an inclusive term," Bella says. "It applies to all of us in the community. It's a neutral term and it describes the very basis of who we are. I know some people don't like it or have negative associations with it, but it's the most inclusive term there is. The community, I mean, some people like to really make divisions -"
"Because people suck no matter where you go," Peter interjects.
"-and by using queer, you're getting rid of that division. It's no more gay and lesbian and bi and transgender as if those are all different groups. It's just queer, and that includes everyone. But," here Bella pauses to yawn into her fist. "But it's still catching on. I think our generation is more open to it."
"Gender identity and sexual orientation are already difficult enough to explain, being so fluid, right? It's okay to simplify things, sometimes," Peter says. He reaches out to poke Bella's cheek and she flaps his hand away. "Man, you really are tired, huh?"
Bella gives him a droll stare.
From behind the camera, Leah scoffs. "Well, I guess that's it, then."
Bella squints at her. "Are you really going to be posting that?"
"How am I supposed to get better if the people of the internet won't tell me how bad I am?" Leah shoots back.
"A valid point," Peter observes, and Bella nods, her tiredness clearly catching up to her.
The camera jostles, the angle switching back around until Leah is in the frame, too, right at the forefront. "This is Leah Clearwater signing off. Um. For more information about using the word queer and other things we talked about, follow the links I'm going to edit it!"
The video switches to a series of slides directing viewers to particular URLs. After several moments, the video ends.)
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A/N: Update 1 of 4. Alright! So, an important conversation I felt it was important to include, not only as a future take showing how things will be and what the characters will be doing in 2022, but also because the entire subject of LGBTQ rights, freedoms, and expressions is pretty central to Millenials and Gen Zs. It's something we talk about easily and most people know where they stand on the Kinsey scale if you know what I mean. Young people care about pride - in all its forms. And since there are a lot of queer characters in the story, it only made sense to include this chapter.
A few chapter notes!
Stanford does have a MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) in Documentary and Filmmaking, so Leah is going to school for two more years; so is Rose, but for her MBA. I say this now because, as a future take, this is probably not going to be covered anywhere else in the story. At the time of this video, Bella and Alice are recent graduates, and Bella is obviously full-time at Midnight Sun working on some projects with Peter.
Transphobia is very real, very frustrating, and very dangerous - not just physically dangerous, but also for the feminist movement. TERF stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, which is a person (feminists can also be men) who tries to qualify who is and isn't allowed to claim a female identity. TERFs like to argue that there are only "real" women, and those "real" women have wombs, so everyone else is a fake woman. There's some gross things TERFs like to say about transwomen really just being perverts out to attack "real" women, which is why TERFs get so up in arms about things like Bathroom Bills and name changes, and anything else that would allow transwomen to live their lives as the women they are. JK Rowling is probably the most infamous TERF in the world right now.
Queer does have a pejorative history as a derogatory word against the LGBTQ community. However, the Stonewall Riots in 1969 was when queer as a proud label started its reclamation journey, and a lot of (younger) people prefer to use queer for it's general neutrality and inclusivity. Some people are always going to have a problem using the word queer, and that's fine - but if someone wants to call themselves queer, then it's not anyone else's business to tell them why they can't use the word to describe themselves that they feel the most comfortable using. For what it's worth, there's a serious debate in the community about whether the Q in LGBTQ is meant to stand for "Questioning" or "Queer", but more people are opting for queer these days, so. You can learn more about the use of queer at:
tolerance dot org
and
the safe zone project dot com
I think that's everything. As always, be brutally honest, I can take it. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay vigilant.
~Rae