What stands out for me when tracing a string connecting all the films we have watched and discussed over course are politics of representation. By this I mean the visibility of queer sexuality, gender, queer families and kinships, relationships, and bodies. Questions were raised regarding the purpose: Was it personal? Was it political? Was it authentic? In what ways is queerness deployed in film, by whom and for whom?
My favorite film(s) that we watched over the course were But I'm A Cheerleader (an old favorite), and By Hook or By Crook (which I had not seen until our viewing last Wednesday). I am pleased with the deployment of camp within But I'm a Cheerleader, both for the affect of humor, but also for the spaces and contexts in which more serious conversations can occur. When showing this film to friends, questions would come up about medicalization of LGBTQ folk and approaches of psychological violence through cognitive behavorial therapy and electroshock therapy. "Is this real?," folks would ask.
In By Hook or By Crook, I love how the possibility of queerness as central, rather than on the periphery, allows for the recognition of a queerness that is not read in comparison (or in opposition to) heteronormativity. The depiction is not utopic. This isn't because there is something less desirable about queerness, but because life in general can be incredibly complicated, trying, and messy at times. I believe it presents an aspect of realness.
I think what was important about But I'm a Cheerleader was that medicalization of LGBTQ people that you mentioned. Viewers who might already feel that an ex-gay camp is stupid, unrealistic, or harmful can still get something out of the film because it shows, mostly through humor and camp, that the notion of queerness as a problem is still an incorrect one. I think it's easy to forget, especially in our gay-friendly city and University bubble, that people might not necessarily harbor ill will or violent thoughts toward LGBTQ folks, but there is still a commonly-held belief that there is "something wrong" with people who identify these ways. But I'm a Cheerleader was very good at exposing how ridiculous that attitude is.