Openly ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ Profile picture
Apr 25, 2021 โ€ข 13 tweets โ€ข 6 min read โ€ข Read on X
๐Ÿ“ฝ The #Oscars are tonight!

But with no significant LGBT+ representation, why aren't queer films and actors gaining the recognition they deserve? ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ

Letโ€™s look back at pivotal moments in the long history of LGBT+ representation in cinema ๐ŸŽž๏ธ

Thread ๐Ÿ‘‡
๐Ÿš” Manslaughter (1922)

Although not an LGBT-themed film, Cecil B DeMille's American silent drama broke new ground in gay representation.

During a fantasy orgy scene in ancient Rome, two women can be seen kissing โ€“ the first same-sex romantic kiss in cinema ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ’‹โ€๐Ÿ‘ฉ Image
๐Ÿ‘จโ€โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ‘จ Victim (1961)

Groundbreaking in its own way, Basil Dearden's survey of gay life in '60s London was the first English-language film to use the word 'homosexual'.

Censored at the time, it was later credited with helping to decriminalise gay sex in the UK a few years later ๐Ÿง‘โ€โš–๏ธ Image
๐ŸŒน Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)

Loosely adapted from Sophoclesโ€™ Oedipus Rex, Toshio Matsumoto's trans-centric underground classic examined queer subcultures in '60s Tokyo ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Image
๐Ÿ”ฅ Paris is Burning (1990)

Filmed over seven years, this intimate portrait of New York's voguing scene shone a spotlight on a subculture that influences pop culture to this day

In the midst of the AIDS crisis, the film was a triumphant statement of freedom, love and creativity Image
๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉ Fire (1996)

One of the first mainstream films in Bollywood ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ to explore homosexuality โ€“ and the first with a lesbian relationship โ€“ Deepa Mehta sparked conversations and controversy when she put intimacy between two women front and centre in her landmark film Image
๐Ÿง‘โ€โš–๏ธ Philadelphia (1993)

@tomhanks won the first of his two #Oscars for his portrayal of a gay lawyer fired for being HIV+, making it the one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to tackle the HIV/AIDS crisis Image
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ Farewell My Concubine (1993)

A Chinese classic, Chen Kaige's epic explored gender, performance and homosexuality in ways unseen before in Chinese film

The first Chinese movie to win the Palme d'Or in Cannes, it helped bring China's contemporary cinema to the world stage Image
โšง๏ธ Boys Donโ€™t Cry (1999)

Based on the real life, and tragic death, of Brandon Teena, Kimberly Peirce's film was the first mainstream film to focus on a trans man

Recently, it has faced criticism for casting cisgender actors, sparking a debate over trans representation in cinema Image
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ท XXY (2007)

A rare depiction of intersex life in cinema ๐Ÿ“ฝ๏ธ, Lucia Puenzo's Spanish-language film tells the story of the challenges and decisions facing a teenager navigating gender binaries Image
๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ’‹โ€๐Ÿ‘ฉ Rafiki (2018)

@wanuri Kahiu tells the tale of two teenage girls' secret relationship, torn between love and the fear of being found out in anti-LGBT+ Kenya ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ช

The film was banned in its native country due to its gay themes and "intent to promote lesbianism" Image
#OscarsSoWhite trended in 2015 after the academy nominated white actors to all 20 acting categories

With no LGBT+ actors nominated and no recognition for films like @Disclosure_Doc, should there be another shake-up to recognise the work of Hollywood's queer community? ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ
There are so many other great LGBT+ ๐ŸŒˆ films that deserve to be mentioned ๐Ÿ“ฝ๏ธ

Which are your favourites?

Tell us below ๐Ÿ‘‡

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More from @Openly

Nov 17, 2022
โ“ Are we facing a trans ageing crisis?

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Around 1 in 200 Americans aged 65 and over are trans.

๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€โšง๏ธ As the first generation of trans people reaches old age, healthcare systems are unprepared.

๐ŸŒˆ For #TransAwarenessWeek, we spoke to trans people about growing old. ๐Ÿงต
๐Ÿ”ด Social isolation
๐Ÿ”ด Housing discrimination
๐Ÿ”ด Lack of safe medical spaces
๐Ÿ”ด ...and much more.

๐Ÿ‘ต The challenges trans elders face are often similar to those faced by trans people of all ages, but exacerbated as they get older, says Kylie Madhav, senior director at @sageusa.
๐Ÿ“ฝ๏ธ Elizabeth Coffey was a star in the early films of cult film-maker John Waters.

๐Ÿฅ While breaking ground for trans representation on screen, she faced rejection when seeking medical care.

๐Ÿ’Š Later in life, hormone replacement therapy has caused issues, she told @Openly.
Read 11 tweets
Nov 16, 2022
๐Ÿ† Nominations for the #GRAMMYs are out!

๐ŸŽ™๏ธ @kimpetras, @ladygaga and @RandyRainbow are among the many #LGBTQ+ artists nominated for the 2023 Awards.

๐ŸŽถ Let's take a look at some of this year's queer nominations. ๐Ÿงต Grammy Awards trophies
๐ŸŽต @brandicarlile is one of the most nominated artists this year โ€“ coming in just behind @Beyonce and @kendricklamar, and being tied with @Adele on seven nominations.

๐Ÿ’ฟ For the second time, she might snap up the coveted 'Album of the Year'. Brandi Carlile arrives at t...
๐ŸŒˆ @RandyRainbow has been nominated for his first-ever Grammy.

๐Ÿง  The comedian and songwriter is up for the 'Best Comedy Album' award for 'A Little Brains, a Little Talent'.
Read 9 tweets
Oct 19, 2022
๐Ÿ’ญ Do you know how to use gender-neutral pronouns in your native tongue?

๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ On #InternationalPronounsDay, we're taking a deep-dive into non-binary pronouns in a range of languages.

๐ŸŒ Join us on a linguistic trip around the world.
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spanish

Pronouns, nouns and adjectives are gendered in Spanish.

The suffixes -o and -a are the most common gender markers, but many non-binary people now replace them with an -e instead.

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง English

Although not entirely genderless, the English language is more inclusive than many.

While you've probably heard of the increasingly popular 'they/them' as alternative pronouns, others are also becoming popular.

Many use neo-pronouns, including 'xe', 'ze' and 'co'. People protesting for trans and non-binary rights
Read 12 tweets
Oct 8, 2022
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท Welcome to Lesbos, Greece.

๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉ The Greek island is inhabited by 115,000 Lesbians, but has also given its name to women loving women worldwide.

๐ŸŒˆ For #InternationalLesbianDay, let's take a look at the history of the word "lesbian". ๐Ÿงต Photo of harbour on LesbosPainting of Sappho
๐Ÿ›๏ธ From the Iliad to the Odyssey, Lesbos has had a central part in Ancient Greek history.

โœ’๏ธ One of its most famous inhabitants was the 6th century B.C. poet Sappho, whose lyrical poems explored her love of women and their beauty โ€“ sometimes even venturing into the erotic. Fresco of Sappho
๐Ÿ‘ฉ Sappho was regarded as one of the greatest poets of her time.

๐Ÿ“œ Today, not much is known about her life, and much of her work has been lost over the centuries.

๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ’‹โ€๐Ÿ‘ฉ But Sappho's homoerotic writing โ€“ and possible personal life โ€“ has been discussed since Hellenistic times. Drawing of Sappho
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Oct 7, 2022
โœŠ๐Ÿฟ Black, British and queer โ€“ but often overlooked.

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง It's #BlackHistoryMonth in the UK and we're looking at those who shaped Black British queer history - and those still changing the world today.

๐ŸŒˆ Here are some of the Black #LGBTQ+ pioneers you should know. ๐Ÿงต Reginald Foresythe plays the piano Photo portrait of Claude McKay Ken "Snakehips" Johnson performing Photo portrait of Rotimi Fani-Kayode
Ken "Snakehips" Johnson (1914-1941)

๐ŸŽท A jazz bandleader and dancer, Johnson was a leading figure in Black British music in the '30s and '40s.

๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Part of the first Black British band in residency at the infamous Cafรฉ de Paris, he died when the club got bombed during the Blitz. Ken "Snakehips" Johnson performing
Demi Stokes (b.1991)

โšฝ๏ธ The @ManCity and England player was part of the Euro 2022 winning team, which has been credited with spiking interest in women's football.

๐Ÿ† Stokes came out publicly last year by announcing she was expecting a child with her partner Katie. Demi Stokes holds up a trophy
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Sep 30, 2022
๐Ÿšจ America's most frequently banned books are LGBTQ+.

๐Ÿ“š U.S. schools banned more than 674 titles in the past year featuring LGBTQ+ themes or characters, @PENamerica found.

๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€โšง๏ธ 9% of these had trans storylines.

๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ Let's take a look at the most censored queer books. ๐Ÿงต Book cover of Gender QueerBook cover of Beyond MagentaBook cover of All Boys Aren...Book cover of This Book Is Gay
"Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe

โ›”๏ธ Kobabe's 2019 debut graphic memoir is the most banned book in America, having been outlawed by 41 school districts.

โœ’๏ธ The coming-of-age story follows Kobabe's exploration of gender identity while coming out as non-binary. Book cover of Gender Queer
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