Queer Bastards

"Life has an impact on art and vice versa - in the wake of the 'Twilight' saga, more children were named Edward or Bella; hordes of tourists have littered the filming locations of both 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Star Wars'; not to mention that films have influenced both legislation and career choices. ""Representation matters!"" say the culture warriors. The issue of representation is at the heart of a lot of debates, with shared space requiring constant negotiation. Historically, gender and sexual minorities have been given screen time as scary monsters, murderers and other such villains. To counter this, there have been the occasional queer characters who are pathetically tragic or sometimes just too well off. It seems to me however that we have come full circle with representation. Back to a place where audiences can once again understand and enjoy queer heroes who play the darker - and therefore more amusing - notes of humanity. Heinrich Sepp"