Queer Media Club

Queer Media Club is a virtual peer-led group for LGBTQIA+ folks to discuss queer representation and tropes in media!

Have you ever wanted to talk about queer films without a pretentious straight dude butting in? What about video games? TV shows? Welcome to the club! Join us for a group discussion of Queer Media Club’s topic of the month. We’ll be exploring different types of media, with an emphasis on TV, film, and video games.

We’ll let you know the suggested pieces of media to watch/play ahead of time to prepare for the meeting. Attendance is not mandatory – come as you are whenever you want! This group meets on 1st Wednesdays at 7-8:30PM EST.

This group is co-facilitated by Malik (they/them) and R. Nicole (she/they), two queer nerds passionate about queer representation in media!

This group is for anyone within the LGBTQIA+ community. We love our allies, but this space is not an ally space. This group will stay closed to its identity-specific patrons only.

You must email us to receive the link to join us at this meeting. Even if you register/RSVP for this meeting, you must still email us to receive the link if you have not previously attended. Please send an email to beck@basicallywonderful.online with the subject line “Queer Media Club Zoom Link”.

If you are unable to financially access a piece of media, please contact Beck DeTrempe to discuss scholarship opportunities. Limited scholarships are available and are first-come, however, we set money aside for this and really want money to not be a barrier. Please let Beck know if you could use help renting media.

ASL Interpreters are available by request. Please email us at beck@basicallywonderful.online to request ASL Interpretation at least two weeks prior to the meeting date. If you make a request under two weeks, we will do our best to accommodate you, but can not guarantee an interpreter will be available.

For questions or accessibility needs please contact Beck DeTrempe at beck@basicallywonderful.online

This space was made possible through a partnership between Peer Support Space and Basically Wonderful.

Learn more about Peer Support Space at peersupportspace.org

Learn more about Basically Wonderful at basicallywonderful.online

Topic Schedule:

December 6th: Found Family

Movie to Watch: Tokyo Godfather (2003)

Synopsis: Middle-aged alcoholic Gin, teenage runaway Miyuki and want to be mother Hana are a trio of homeless people surviving as a makeshift family on the streets of Tokyo. While rummaging in the trash for food on Christmas Eve, they stumble upon an abandoned newborn baby in a trash bin. With only a handful of clues to the baby's identity, the three misfits search the streets of Tokyo for help in returning the baby to its parents.

Note:  First release of Tokyo Godfather 2003 has transphobic language, Recommend The Remaster Tokyo Godfathers (Sub or Dub) where they don’t have transphobic language and cast a trans voice actress for the dub.

CW: Sexual content, alcohol and drug use, violence, + transphobia in the 1st version of this movie released in 2003.

Where to Watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/tokyo-godfathers

January 3rd: Intersectionality of being Queer, Out, 1st Gen, and Brown

Movie to Watch: Chutney Popcorn (1999)

Synopsis: When Sarita discovers she can't have children, Reena finds that for the first time in their lives, she, Reena, can do something her perfect sister Sarita can't: get pregnant! Obsessed with helping her sister and winning her mom's approval to go ahead with her plan, Reena decides she'll have the baby and then give it to her sister and brother-in-law. Now she just needs to convince her commitment-phobic girlfriend to go along with the idea.

CW: Familial homophobia

February 7th: Retrospectively Queer

Movie to Watch: The Matrix (1999)

Synopsis: Neo believes that Morpheus, an elusive figure considered to be the most dangerous man alive, can answer his question -- What is the Matrix? Neo is contacted by Trinity, a beautiful stranger who leads him into an underworld where he meets Morpheus. They fight a brutal battle for their lives against a cadre of viciously intelligent secret agents. It is a truth that could cost Neo something more precious than his life.

CW: Body horror (needles), general violence (fight sequences with guns/knives)

Optional Additional Watch: Lily Wachowski on why the Matrix is Trans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adXm2sDzGkQ