Sexuality in Expression

Expression is a performance of an individual's identity. It portrays how much or how little someone intends to show about themself, either through clothing, personality, or more. My zine discusses how public expression may not match personal identity and how for celebrities, that can either lead to a private livelihood or a miscommunication with fans. For example, with Billie Eilish and Kit Connor both had public issues with coming out. If it was right to come out or if fans should respect a celebrity's privacy even if they have good intentions and want better representation in media. Meanwhile, I use Dorian Electra (a smaller music artist who has a very flamboyant image) as my relation to expression and performance because, despite coming from Texas, they have a very bold, sexual, and queer expression that dares to define their space in media.

References

Gloria Anzaldúa

The quotes I used from Borderlands/La Frontera in my zine, I felt like they encompassed the message of my zine well. Expressing that there are a lot of different factors that go into queer expression, such as language, visual expression, and interaction.

Brenda Selena Lara

I used ideas and concepts from Brenda Selena Lara's reading of Ciguanabas, Refugees, and Other Hauntings to highlight the importance of knowing history in order to not repeat it and to learn from it. Especially in queer history which does not get taught as much as any other history in the U.S., so it's important to be curious.

What is wrong with queerbait-ing in real life?

What is Queerbaiting?

As defined by Oxford Dictionary and Wikipedia, queerbaiting is a marketing tactic for fiction and entertainment corporations to imply a sex-sex or queer relationship/character in a film, show, etc without actually confirming or making it to garner a queer audience. People online typically mistake this as any person "faking" or "acting" queer to gain a queer audience without actually being queer. This has resulted in a handful of celebrities being "canceled" or demonized for being in or around queer media while being "straight." But how is that wrong?

Well, for starters, real people can't.

Simply because real people are either queer or they are not. Just because a celebrity or popular name in media isn't out does not mean that they aren't queer or that they are! In recent years it has become normalized for online fans to accuse a person they are a fan of to be queerbaiting because they have interacted with a queer medium while seemingly not supporting the community. Which makes sense, representation is important. BUT, a small amount of these fans will demand that the celebrity to come out and prove that they deserve a queer audience whether they want to come out or not. This happened with Kit Connor after the success of Heartstopper, as a result he has gone offline and doesn't really interact with fans because they lost his trust. Similarly, Billie Eilish casually came out on a podcast, but people barely believed her and her brother commented on a TikTok saying that her fans forced her to come out. On the other hand, Harry Styles has done several queer things while never confirming his sexuality, but this has caused a mixed reaction from fans and more. Because he does a lot of things to garner a queer audience but has never seemingly done anything to support the community besides waving a flag on stage.

In conclusion, and a slight summary of my zine, people do not owe their identity to you, no matter how they may express it. Queerness and sexuality are confusing and convoluted. It is ever-changing and that's okay. Identity can be private, but it can also be public. It may not match the expression, but that is not for other people to dictate. Queerbaiting in corporations is not okay and is a hurtful tactic to an underrepresented audience, but queerbaiting a real person just because they are a name in the media does not make them a corporation and is harmful to the overall movement for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Furthermore, identity is a boundless field of opportunity to express who you are and what you represent. Everyone you know knows a different version of you, even you know a different version than everyone around you. Identity encompasses so many aspects of the world into one person that is barely seen or heard. Identity and expression is your race, ethnicity, class, education, sexuality, gender, the way you talk, how you dress, and so much more. They are diverse and multifaceted. Identity and expression can be so fun to mess around and play with to make your own, so many people know you for by a small aspect of your identity or a large part of your expression. The whole point is to be yourself because even if you try to copy someone else, you're still known for your version.

Why Dorian Electra?

Dorian Electra (they/them) is a pop/hyper-pop musical artist who blends a lot of different music types together to create an eclectic and experimental sound. A lot of their songs have sexual, religious, gender-ambiguous, and overall queer themes. Despite being raised Jewish, Dorian includes many Christian themes and imagery in their songs, they also created their high school philosophy club and went on to get a degree in philosophy.

After many years of doing other fun musical projects, Dorian Electra began a music video series with Refinery29 that focused on the histories of intersectional feminist and queer issues from 2016-17. These issues include "Ode to the Clitoris," "Mind Body Problem," "The History of Vibrators," "Dark History of High Heels," and "2000 Years of Drag." I found Dorian through their Flamboyant (2019) song called "Guyliner," though I did swiftly find the Refinery29 series and became very in love with the storytelling of their music. By now, Dorian has been featured on songs with Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, 100 Gecs, Village People, Pussy Riot, and more.

It is very strange and almost too sexual of a music taste, but if you like how 100 Gecs sounds and sexualized lyrics most of the time, then you may like Dorian Electra. They are the type of non-binary I wish to be. They have such a bold queer identity and expression that you CANNOT miss, and it's very admirable. I felt that they encapsulated what I envision as maximizing expression to express their identity.

I have the "Clitopia" music video and their three albums linked below if you are curious.

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