(How) Have LGBTQ Film & Literature Shaped You?
A Prism & Pen writers prompt
When I was a little kid, I hated the yearly televised version of MGM’s The Wizard of Oz. No, that’s not fair. It scared the snot out of me, quite literally. Dad would make popcorn, Mom would get us kids settled in our pajamas, and we’d all wait for the magic to start. When the Wicked Witch of the West appeared, I’d hold my breath and peek through my fingers, but I wouldn’t start to cry until those damn monkeys flew in. Then …
Every year I’d hope this year would be different, but every year until I was about 11, I’d end up running to my bedroom and covering my head with blankets, praying the nightmares would not come. (They always came.)
I had no idea Wizard had taken on great metaphorical meaning for queer people. I didn’t know what gay or queer meant! I just knew I wasn’t “boy” enough for my parents. They were careful to be kind. They were less careful to hide that I disappointed them, that something was “wrong” with my masculinity.
But I could tell.
I had no idea my adult life would take on the metaphoric arc of fleeing Kansas to discover queer fulfillment in Oz.
But it did.
Is that a weird way to start a writing prompt about LGBTQ+ literature and film? I hope so…
