By Hana Ingram – 20154838
Recently, I had the privilege of attending “Reelout – Kingston’s Queer Film + Video Festival”. The film I attended was titled “Sex, Sin, and 69” which was produced and directed by SandBay Entertainment. The movie focused on the historical aspects of the decriminalization, through legislation in 1969, of queerness (mostly homosexuality at this time) in Canada. The film bridged the history of the criminalization of queerness with many modern issues through discussing issues such as Indigenous two spirited people and the impacts of colonialism, intersex and transgender experience throughout history, and normativity of these such things in media. Through this blog post, I will assess the nature of representation and perspectives in the film as well as critically analyze it.
Representation and Intersectionality
Their representation in the film was excellent and included a wide range of perspectives from a large group of individuals. The film took an intersectional approach by including many different perspectives throughout the plot. Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the theory of intersectionality by describing it as “a metaphor for understanding the ways that multiple forms of inequality or disadvantage sometimes compound themselves and they create obstacles that often are not understood within conventional ways of thinking about anti-racism or feminism or whatever social justice advocacy structures we have” (Crenshaw). The first section of the film in large focused on the colonial impacts of European heteronormativity on Indigenous two spirited people. The discourse of “Christianity being what is pure and right” actively and continually strips the authentic way of life for all two spirited peoples. This notion is an imperative part of moving towards reconciliation as it is often forgotten. Another great representation found in the film was those of intersex people in Canada. The largely debated issue of parents and surgeons deciding an intersex infant’s sex when they are born is one that has only more recently come to light. In the video lecture by Dr. Meg Barker, entitled “Non-Binary Genders”, Dr. Barker says we need to “undo the privileged status of the two-and-only-two that are currently treated as normal and natural” (Barker), this notion was carried through the film as well. The thought of trying to assert this gender binary from the second the child is born is a systematic issue in Canada. Next, the film connected the lives of trans people in Canada and how the internet is largely used as a tool to connect and build communities for those who can often feel isolated. This was reinforced when Helen Kennedy, the executive director of Egale Canada, brought up the fact that even today, young trans and queer people are still turned on by their families and often kicked out of the house. These representations of people were crucial to the overall impact of the film.
Personal Perspective
In this course we define normativity as a “concept denoting judgements that act as prescriptions of what ought and ought not to be the case”, and that, “the norms it articulates become naturalized so that it is difficult to question them” (Baba). One speaker expanded my knowledge of normativity by breaking apart the age old saying of “treat others how you would like to be treated”. This motto was something that my mother had instilled in me from a young age. What is interesting about this saying is that it sets yourself as what is “normal”, and although this might be a great thing to teach a child, we should focus more on asking others how they would like to be treated. As setting myself as what is “normal” I only see things through my personal lens, instead of empathizing with the experiences of others. The film worked hard to dismantle these binary and normative ways of thinking to open one’s eyes to the different possibilities in gender and sexuality expression.
Critical Analysis
Although I enjoyed the film, I still have some criticizations through the governmental support it received and the avoidance of current issues to reinforce discourses about Canada. At the bottom of the website for “Sex, Sin, and 69”, there is a quote that says “This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada”, having this, along with the government logo, indicates that they received some financial support for making their documentary. This, in and of itself, is great for the film, but I question if it influenced the discourse around the government throughout the movie. Two examples that stood out to me of perhaps showing governmental bias was the first gay marriage being in Canada, the priest minimally mentioned how difficult it was, instead he only focussed on the celebratory aspects of it. Secondly, when mentioning the Stonewall Riots, the speaker discussed the neglect of representation of trans women in the media coverage to this day, there was minimal mentioning of the horrific police brutality at this event. Throughout the movie, the general attitude was that of, “We are so awesome! Look how far Canada has come!”, because of this, many issues were ignored. When comparing Canada to other countries where homosexuality is still criminalized, the film reinforced the discourse of “Canada is nicer than other countries in the world” which often makes our own oppressive behaviour excusable. I have no critical points for the film regarding their representation but did question the aspects surrounding the government.
Final Thoughts
Overall, my time attending the “Reelout – Kingston’s Queer Film + Video Festival” to watch “Sex, Sin, and 69” was excellent. Although the film largely focussed on the history of the decriminalization of homosexuality through legislation in 1969, the producers still largely work to dismantle present day issues. These issues included the impacts of colonialism for Indigenous two spirited people, the experiences of intersex and transgender people throughout history, and normativity of these such things in media.
Works Cited
“Kimberlé Crenshaw: What is Intersectionality?” Youtube, uploaded by National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), June 22, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViDtnfQ9FHc
Dr. Meg Barker PhD. “Non-Binary Genders.” Youtube, uploaded by Dominic Davies, June 4, 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu7aRvhM-Ng&feature=youtu.be&t=3
Normativity. By Dr. Habibe Burcu Baba, Week Two Terms, https://onq.queensu.ca/d2l/le/content/377345/viewContent/2174087/View
Reelout 2020 Review 