The Escapist Goes Gay With Fruit Brute And Issue 222: Queer Eye For The Gamer Guy
The Escapist has dedicated their latest Issue 222 to everything gay. There are several terriffic features up including Dude Looks Like a Lady by Brendan Main, Straight and Narrow by Alice Bonasio, Too Gay for the U.S.A. by Andrew Webster and Not That There's Anything Wrong With That by Robert Yang (which VorpalBunny will go further into in the next post!). It's quite interesting to read things like this from a mainstream site and have the subject treated with such thoughtfulness and respect.
As an added extra bonus, The Escapist has decided to add a new feature to their site, the Guest Editor's Note. Here they ask editors from other websites to give their thoughts on the subject at hand and seeing as this issue about all things gay, the guest editor is none other than yours truly. I must say I was very honored to be asked to write this piece as, in my opinion, The Escapist is the most intelligently written gaming site on the web. Due to the fact that I was on hiatus last week, I didn't get the invitation email until yesterday leaving me a very short time to write the piece but I absolutely refused to miss a chance to write for such a great site. You can read my article concerning the state of gays in games by following this link.
The key to acceptance is visibility and a big thanks goes out to The Escapist for tackling this subject and putting it out there for everyone to see and think about.
Fruit Brute
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 6 October 2009
· Comments (10)
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Congratulations Fruit Brute!
Great article! and Zangief! I had no idea...he never said a word when I threw such hints!
(I also wrote to their editor to correct your name on their site. Although, Flynn DeMacro does sound like a gamer, too...)
This is amazing news! Great job on the article! It's informative, well-written and looks like it's already generating discussion.
And that is one kick-ass photo! Now I want a pair of purple bongos. Or a pink drum kit. I'm sure there's a market for that.
Oh btw Fruit, foxy photo on that article. Woof!
I don't get it. Why is there a picture of a Birdo on the front page? Are LGBT humans too threatening to display?
I only have 2 problems with the "Dude Looks Like a Lady" article. First the horrible pink background behind Sheik definitely does not leave question to hiser gender. 2nd the article claims that Sheik is trans, which I see no evidence for. They just need to remove that stupid 3 word sentence from the article.
Other than that all the authors seem pretty well informed.
Resurgam:
It's a part of this article:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_222/6610-Too-Gay-for-the-U-S-A
I thought it was cute, personally.
I saw this and was wondering where on the forum to mention it. But bam! :D
Awesome articles, and some interesting comment discussion about them over on their forums too.
Congrats on the showcased article FB!
mixvio: I know its part of one of their articles. I just don't think a sexless feminine creature is the best representation of our community. I understand perfectly that it is the most non-threatening choice for them and it pisses me off. And I didn't even mention the title of the issue... "Queer Eye for the Gamer Guy"... I don't want Gamer Guys thinking they can rely on us to be their gayngels, who come to the rescue when they need help decorating their apartment or picking their wardrobe.
@Resurgam: The thing is, tho, that we're not relying on this Escapist article or its image designers for representation. Many of the images fading in from the background of articles on that site are abstractions, photoshops, or offset views of games or people. I've been reading The Escapist for years now, and their slightly artsy use of images is one of the things that keeps me coming back (but I swear I only read it for the articles).
The use of Birdo and some hot pink and lavender is less a blind stereotype and more a welcome mat to straight gamers; it blends gamer iconography with "gay" iconography. The open-minded straight gamer can see the pretty colors and effeminate character and say, 'This is something which I recognize but have yet to explore; perhaps I will read!' And then the text of the articles actually presents a picture of queer gaming that shies away from or vilifies stereotypes and presents discrimination in a way that's relatable. The combination draws them in with the flamboyancy they're used to seeing on TV, then actually makes them think.
It does, as my friend Atlas once told me, "hit 'em with the one-two punch!"
As for Sheik - it's definitely arguable whether he (his preferred pronoun) could be considered trans, but that's not anything to do with Nintendo or with Brendan's article - it's to do with the nature of the transgender movement and how, sadly, it doesn't have a unifying body or voice. 'Trans' means different things to different people, but one of the definitions that almost never fits is the exclusive one of describing folks who want to be the 'opposite' sex full-time and usually seek SRS for the purpose. For that we have the more medical word of 'transsexual.' Transgender can be considered a more inclusive umbrella term which refers to anyone whose gender identity or presentation doesn't match the usual roles society assigns them by being born the sex they are.
It's also true that Sheik never verbally expresses a transgender identity. But one of the frustrating things about examining games is also one of the most rewarding: reading into them and drawing conclusions by how they parallel our own society. The world of Hyrule does have strict gender roles, as can be evidenced by nearly every single female staying at home or petting the horses, either in a dress or an apron. Sheik chooses to abandon that and take on male pronouns, which by its very definition is breaking--or transcending--gender boundaries.