Growing up with very one-dimensional media, I struggled to find myself in books that represented the many sides to being both sapphic and Asian. There were barely any popular portrayals of Asian women, let alone queer Asian women. I wanted to recognize myself in stories — the hardship of mixing my culture with queerness or the joy people felt when they succeeded in pulling together disparate identities.
Welcome to our moon-synced movie review show, hosted by Saira Barbaric and NEVE. This duo of South Seattle creatives make multidisciplinary work together and individually. For this show, they’re ecstatic to join their love of astrology, ritual, and pop culture.
Stream this month’s podcast at the New Moon Movie Review official podcast website.
Whenever I watch But I’m a Cheerleader, I viscerally experience being a teenager again — all of the yearning and shame; the sparkle ache of finding out what you like and wondering if you’re likable; the desire to fit in any box you can. But I’m a Cheerleader is a 1999 romantic satire directed by Jamie Babbit and starring Natasha Lyonne. Long before she was serving up iconic performances in shows like Orange is the New Black and Russian Doll, she was baby-facing it in a gay cult classic. In the film, Natasha plays high school student Megan who really loves cheerleading and really doesn’t love making out with her boyfriend. Due to this, the fact that she’s a vegetarian and enjoys Georgia O’Keefe paintings, she is subject to an intervention from her family and friends, who tell her she’s a lesbian and cart her off to gay conversion camp. Now, it would be very easy for this to not be a funny storyline. The Miseducation of Cameron Post,another movie I like, tells a similar story, while leaning more on drama and pathos. They/Them, a movie so terrible I almost regret mentioning it, is also set at a gay conversion camp and is supposedly a satire. It is not funny. But I’m a Cheerleader is very funny, and this is because it commits to the height of its camp, allowing things to be so absurd that they are grotesque, balanced with a disarming sincerity where a character’s feelings are concerned.
From “The They Them Yas Queen of Burlesque” Mx. Pucks A’Plenty comes Fatlesque Fest NW (FFNW), a unique show that provides art and entertainment through an inclusive body-positive space. The event includes burlesque shows, workshops, and a themed brunch. FFNW will be held at The Triple Door Jan. 6–7, with a finale event at Madame Lou’s on Jan. 8.
Two plays from Black, queer playwrights are as relevant now as ever before
by Victor Simoes
The Williams Project, a Beacon Hill-based theater company that challenges the classic economic model of theater, prepares to open the 2022–2023 season centered around Black, queer writers with the first-ever production of James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner in Seattle.
This Friday, Oct. 14, acclaimed poet Pamela Sneed will be in conversation with Shin Yu Pai at the Central Library’s Microsoft Auditorium to discuss Sneed’s memoir, Funeral Diva. The event is free and one of a series guest-curated by Pai, an award-winning writer, poet, and the producer and host of KUOW’s podcast The Blue Suit.
988 has been touted as a way to help reduce harmful police interventions in mental health emergencies, but emergency medical services and law enforcement will be called if someone indicates that they are a danger to themselves and/or others. While some people argue that this is necessary to prevent a potential crime from occurring, others argue that it adds fuel to the fire, as EMS and police are not trained in properly addressing mental health crises. Instead, mental health advocates are encouraging the use of task forces and peer support models for suicide prevention and intervention as alternatives to the hotline.
Trans Pride Seattle returns in person after a two-year hiatus, celebrating and centering transgender, nonbinary, Two Spirit, and gender-diverse communities. The event is presented by Gender Justice League (GJL), an organization focused on “Elevating Human Rights for Trans & Gender Diverse People.” Trans Pride Seattle will take place at Volunteer Park Friday, Sept. 2, 5:30–9 p.m.
Since 2017, Indigenize Productions has been showcasing queer and trans Indigenous joy in different ways, from hosting variety shows to dance parties. Indigenize was founded after a group of Indigenous talents met through a burlesque and variety show called “Dear White People” with an all-BIPOC cast at the University of Washington Ethnic Cultural Theatre.
A shining confirmation that Pride doesn’t end on June 30, the fifth annual Pacific Northwest Black Pride festival, which takes place Aug. 18–21, centers the Black LGBTQIA+ community during a four-day festival with panel discussions, parties, activism, and more. The festival will be held at various locations and culminate with a Pride in the Park event at Jimi Hendrix Park on Sunday, Aug. 21, 12 p.m.–6 p.m.
Converge Media, the largest producer of Black media in the Pacific Northwest, has seen several major milestones in the last month alone. Since its founding in 2017, Converge has operated out of its Black Media Matters Studio in downtown Seattle and has been working to uplift Black voices in ways that have been incredibly radical and influential throughout the media industry. Co-founder Omari Salisbury has notably gained recognition for his work covering Seattle’s response to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, and through their show, The Morning Update. Now, Converge is both saying goodbye to some of its past work and looking forward to exciting new coverage on the horizon.
