WEBVTT - 110: Queer Gaming Revisited 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.400 Hey everyone, it is Danny and Iffy here. We're still 0:00:03.440 --> 0:00:06.360 on hiatus. I hope that everyone out there is being 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:11.440 loud and it's being safe. Um. If you this is 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:13.800 the first time I've seen you across from me in 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:15.920 a in a bit. Yeah, I know, Yeah, it's been 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:20.080 a it's been a time, you know, just trying to 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:25.880 stay active, stay positive, get out. You know. They went 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:29.360 to a protest yesterday. It was great. It's a good 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:33.800 time and still all the while doing super punched stuff. Yeah. So, 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:36.240 so this week we wanted to re air an episode 0:00:36.240 --> 0:00:38.919 we did on queer characters and gaming. As you may 0:00:39.000 --> 0:00:42.000 or may not know, June is Pride month, and we've 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:45.160 actually had some great advancements as far as queer representation 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:48.120 and gaming. On this particular episode that we're re airing, 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:51.599 we had Cannon's Bachman from Sony and our friend comedian 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:54.360 Christopher Smith Bryant, who's the head of the l A 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:58.640 Gaming Society here to talk about iconic gay characters in 0:00:58.680 --> 0:01:02.080 this community. Something that we wanted to remind everyone is 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:06.080 that black and brown trans women are why we have pride. Uh. 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:09.840 They were the ones fighting at Stonewall Um and protesting 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:14.479 against police brutality. It is because of them that people 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:18.160 like me get to come out as openly by They 0:01:18.200 --> 0:01:20.760 have done so much work in this community. So we 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:24.319 just wanted to remember them during Pride. Uh And hopefully 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:28.280 you guys are all tweeting and posting and showing up 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:33.360 and stuff for this community. Yeah, definitely that, well do you. 0:01:33.680 --> 0:01:38.720 I'd second all of those things, But I also wanna 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:44.040 also wanna do uh say a resounding yeah you can't 0:01:44.080 --> 0:01:47.800 all black lives matter, which is always a scary phrase 0:01:47.840 --> 0:01:49.400 to say because it seems like you're about to say 0:01:49.400 --> 0:01:53.240 all lives matter, but no, just me, all black lives matter. 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:57.360 If you didn't know, Uh, twenty black men ganged up 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:00.040 on a trans women a couple of days ago, and 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:03.960 we were recording this June fourth at a at a 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:07.520 Black Lives Matter rally, which is disgusting, despicable, and I 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:10.880 hope all twenty of those men get caught and dealt 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:13.880 with because you can't. You can't sit there in a 0:02:14.080 --> 0:02:18.640 Black Lives Matter rally and then attack another Black life. 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:24.720 You get over, get over whatever BS ideals. I have 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:27.480 to remember, we don't curse on this show. Had to 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:30.760 stop myself and and really stand up for one another 0:02:30.800 --> 0:02:34.160 out there, because if if you're not for all black lives, 0:02:34.160 --> 0:02:38.000 then you're not for black lives period. Yes, all black 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:42.280 lives matter, Black trans lives matter. We hope you enjoyed 0:02:42.320 --> 0:02:47.440 this episode on queer Characters and gaming. Stay loud, Stay strong, 0:02:48.720 --> 0:03:04.120 Stay nerdy. Yeah, yes, stay nerdy, Stay nerdy. Hey, everybody, 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:07.920 welcome to another episode of Nerdificent. I'm if you and 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:11.400 sitting in the new corner of the table. I've been 0:03:11.480 --> 0:03:16.160 kicked out. Yeah, it is I your other co host, 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:20.359 Danny Fernandez, and today we are joined up top by 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:24.639 comedian executive producer at Enemies of Dorothy, an event coordinator 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:27.160 at LAGS, which is the l A Gaming Society, Christopher 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:31.800 Smith Bryant. Yeah, this is where I talk. Yes, I 0:03:31.840 --> 0:03:34.880 am sitting in my spot. It feels weird. I feel 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:37.760 weird and I've never been here before. No, I'm a 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:40.760 in incordinator at LAGS, l A Gaming Society, So I'm 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:43.400 super excited to be on your show and talk about 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:46.520 gay stuff. Yes, so we have another I know spoiler. 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:49.880 You already said, what are our episode is? I'm just kidding. 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:51.800 They can see it in the title And sitting next 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:55.000 to him is the technical program manager at PlayStation, A 0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:59.640 gaming enthusiast and lgbt Q activist Cannon's backman. Hey, thanks 0:03:59.680 --> 0:04:01.960 for joe us. Thank you so much for having me. 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:04.640 W how did y'all meet? How do you two know 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:07.360 each other? Oh? My god? We okay, well we did 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:10.880 go on one day. Okay, I'm sorry, I did not 0:04:11.000 --> 0:04:14.240 know this. No, it's it's okay. It didn't go well. Um, 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:17.239 but we're friends now, so it went well enough. Yeah. 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:23.520 I think I think sometimes you meet people, especially being LGBT, 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:25.760 you meet someone that you have an attraction for, but 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:28.479 you're like, I'm not sexually but I'm so attracted to 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:31.160 this person, and you're like, oh, it's just because our 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:35.800 souls are like friends souls. We um. We run the 0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:38.440 l A Gaming Society together, which is one of the 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:42.800 largest gay video game groups in America, where we create 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:46.760 these giant parties and programs for LGBT nerds that live 0:04:46.800 --> 0:04:49.880 in Los Angeles to kind of meet up um, and 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:51.720 it's just been a really cool way. I mean I 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:54.600 met Cannon through that, and we've met multiple friends through 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:57.800 that as well. Yeah. You guys actually had the Dragon 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:01.960 Ball Fighters tournament that I is that that? Yeah? We 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:06.280 had a great time with Funimation, uh doing Dragon Ball 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:08.800 Fighters tournament. It's a really great way because I feel like, 0:05:09.720 --> 0:05:14.200 especially LGBT people who moved to l A, they feel lost, 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:18.320 and especially if they're nerds and they might have, you know, 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:23.120 some sort of social issues like you know, aspergers or whatever, 0:05:23.640 --> 0:05:27.320 it's a great way for them too. I said that, right, right, Okay, 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:29.479 it's a great way for them to meet with other nerds. 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:32.320 I did it to other nerds who can't socialize, like 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:37.760 I can't socialize Christianize. The extent of our friendship is 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:40.279 sending memes to each other like four times a day. 0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:44.839 That's how we communicate. That's all of my friendships. And 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:46.880 then that's it. And I'll see Danny like once every 0:05:46.920 --> 0:05:50.599 six months. But I feel closer to her because of 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:53.640 our memes. That's a millennial friendship. And I need up 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:56.400 our meme game. We send them here and there. Yeah, 0:05:56.320 --> 0:06:01.039 we are meme light usually. It's just it's true. We 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:03.359 spill a lot of tea in our in our chat. 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:06.799 So I wanted to talk about a little bit canon 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:09.560 about you work with WITS. Is that what it's called 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:13.240 Women in Technology? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah, can you tell 0:06:13.279 --> 0:06:16.120 us a little bit about that group. Sure. So one 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:18.480 of the really cool things about being at PlayStation now 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:21.359 is we're experiencing a lot of change for the better. 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:24.359 We've we weren't from two different companies at Sony that 0:06:24.360 --> 0:06:26.560 we're considered kind of the redheaded stepchild. We were the 0:06:26.560 --> 0:06:30.119 gaming division UM and now since the PlayStation four is launched, 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:32.280 we've kind of become the crown jewel of the Sony companies, 0:06:32.680 --> 0:06:34.720 and that's ushered in a lot of really positive change. 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:38.640 So our headquarters moved from Tokyo to san Mateo, and 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:43.480 we're kind of embracing a lot of modern um culture 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:47.559 things and culture changes UM to kind of, I guess, 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:49.479 invite more people to be a part of what it 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.159 is that we do at Sony. So what has come 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:54.240 with that has been a lot of diversity initiatives, and 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:57.880 one of them was making what we call employee resource groups. 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:01.159 And we haven't played resource groups. There's five at Sony currently. 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:03.480 There's Women in Technology at Sony, which is our women's group. 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:07.400 There's Proud at Sony, which is our LGBT group. There's PAN, 0:07:07.640 --> 0:07:11.680 which is PlayStation African American Network at Sony. I think 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:14.320 it's PANS and then there's a fourth and fifth one. 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:16.760 I don't remember what the other ones are. But having 0:07:16.800 --> 0:07:18.440 all those groups that sony has been a really really 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:21.320 good experience because it's been able to bring people I 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:23.840 work with together in a really different way, in a 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:26.280 really interesting way, and it's had a lot of really 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:29.000 interesting effects on our work culture and on the projects 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:31.480 we do and pretty much everything. It's been really great 0:07:31.560 --> 0:07:34.720 well with Cannon and I, especially especially because we're running 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:39.000 events with the l A Gaming Society UM PlayStation let 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:43.520 us hold their first LGBT E three party. Oh that's 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:46.520 so cool, which was really amazing because we we just 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:48.840 like put up an event, like Okay, this will be fine, 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:51.520 and luckily we put up an event on Facebook because 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:54.880 like within a week, I think there are two thousand 0:07:54.880 --> 0:08:00.000 people that clicked interested in it, and we're like, oh, 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.400 are were you having this at your house? Because we 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:05.120 lovely had in an event space for it. But I 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:07.160 remember Cannon's like, I don't know how we're gonna fill this, 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:09.680 and we're like, oh, we're not going to be able 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:11.520 to get everyone in. But it was kind of a 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:16.200 cool moment, especially because I don't think anyone realized how 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:20.600 many LGBT nerds there are and how underrepresented they are 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:23.960 as a group, And it was an amazing way, especially 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:26.200 to get a lot of people who worked for PlayStation 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:28.480 to kind of be like, oh my god, this is 0:08:28.520 --> 0:08:32.640 a huge, huge, huge group. And especially it was awesome 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:38.360 because they had the E three presentation from PlayStation actually 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:43.040 opened up with a lesbian moment, a lesbian kiss between 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:46.520 two characters for the last of us two. Uh So 0:08:46.600 --> 0:08:49.199 it's just a really powerful moment for all of us. Also, 0:08:49.280 --> 0:08:53.880 what it was really cool too, was because Ellie being 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:57.640 lesbian was alluded to in the DLC but not confirmed, 0:08:57.679 --> 0:09:00.120 and I feel like a lot of lgb characters or 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:02.559 has to have to deal with that with the off 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:06.600 screen you know representation where it's like we're supposed to 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:09.960 assume that, or even like you know, uh, to take 0:09:10.000 --> 0:09:12.400 it back to Nickelodeon, Like a few people were wishy 0:09:12.480 --> 0:09:14.960 washy with the end of Legend of Cora because it 0:09:15.000 --> 0:09:18.679 wasn't as strong of it ending to really confirm everything. 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:21.080 So to kind of just have that kiss there and 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:25.080 like yep, we're here, it was I even thought it 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:27.679 was like really cool because you know, I think just 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:31.640 from the perspective of being like a black person and 0:09:31.679 --> 0:09:35.319 wanting to see you know, representation. It's cool, Like it's 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:38.680 it's funny how like we can cheer each other on, 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:41.120 like everyone something. I feel like some people in our 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:44.800 respective like you know, groups, think that it's a contest 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:48.120 when it really is just we want everybody winning. Like 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:51.760 I was hyped to see crazy rich agents do well. 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:54.240 I'm like, yes, get it, get it, you know, and 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:58.240 I feel like, you know, it's just like there's room 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:02.200 for everyone, and it is funny because you know when 0:10:02.200 --> 0:10:05.880 you do have like so many I think white dude 0:10:05.920 --> 0:10:09.400 bros think like, oh man, this is dumb and trying 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:11.439 to you know, s j W and all this when 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:14.679 they don't even know. Like I think it's crazier because 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:18.000 I feel like lgbt Q is a little more invisible, 0:10:18.400 --> 0:10:22.120 Like you can, like someone can be Chris's homeboy and 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:25.199 not know that he is gay and then be like, 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:28.680 what do you think of this lgbt You know s 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:32.080 j W always clogging up trying to ruin my games. 0:10:32.240 --> 0:10:36.839 You know, they would have to be blind to not 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:41.520 know that I'm gay, but you would actually be surprised 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:43.840 though you are, sorry, go ahead, No, they just don't 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:45.960 sometimes they don't think of it, like they just don't 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:48.960 what we're gonna say. You are wearing a sailor moon 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:53.800 necklace with sailor moon nelace another very LGBT pro you know, 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:57.079 I mean all of the sailors I feel like in general, 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:02.240 but specifically Neptune in Urinous are so And I saw 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:04.079 that you were posting that you were watching it this 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:07.040 past weekend. You know what was amazing is for a 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:10.520 show that was in the nineties, there was a character 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:12.720 that said that they had they admitted of having a 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:17.040 crush on Usagi and most animals at the time, the 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:19.640 main character, if it's someone of the same sex, admitted 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:21.200 that they were attracted to him, they would be like 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:23.760 whoa gross, So like try to make a comedic moment 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:27.000 out of it. And the weird thing was Usagi, which 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:30.480 is like she took care of the person's feelings. She said, 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:32.840 I don't have the same you know, emotions that you 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:35.280 feel towards me. But it was just like really sweet 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:37.720 about it. And it was such a progressive show in 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:41.160 that way for its time that it means so much 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:44.160 to you know, ALGBT nerds for that reason. Well, I 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:45.880 wanted to ask you guys, Like, what were some of 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:48.560 the characters and shows that you latched onto as a child, 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:51.199 or when did you first feel like you saw yourself 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:57.200 in media were represented. Oh that's a tough one. Um, 0:11:58.160 --> 0:11:59.679 this is going to be horrible to say, but I 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:04.320 think it started with fan fiction. Yeah. I really started 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:07.960 with like fan web comics, like even just seeing uh 0:12:08.640 --> 0:12:11.280 because I I mean I remember as far as like, 0:12:11.360 --> 0:12:15.920 I'm really into comic books, the as a Marvel fan. 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:18.880 The Young Adventures was kind of like and is it 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:22.120 north Star as well from X Men. Yeah, that were 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:26.120 the first, like big Ones from Marvel and then Batwoman, 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.960 But it kind of started before then, seeing like web 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:33.640 comics on the Internet. Some of them were very racy, 0:12:33.800 --> 0:12:37.880 um of different, like characters that I would ship together 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:41.199 like people you know are like fan fiction and sometimes 0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:44.840 it's just sweet to see people that I like shipped together. 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:47.120 I think that was actually the first thing I had 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:51.600 because there really as a kid, there wasn't there wasn't 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:55.600 really that much representation as someone who's you know, turning 0:12:55.600 --> 0:12:58.319 thirty soon. There really wasn't as a kid any representation, 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:03.880 especially in video games. They're Birdel like that was a 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:11.920 transgender bird from in Sailor Moon. That was in Sailor Moon. 0:13:11.960 --> 0:13:15.520 They changed in the American version they changed the lesbian 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:19.040 scouts to be cousins. And I think all of us 0:13:19.080 --> 0:13:23.160 at the time, we're like, what type of relationship, like 0:13:23.480 --> 0:13:26.240 are you having with your cousin? I mean, my is 0:13:26.280 --> 0:13:28.160 just weird. I don't know if I split my tongue 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:32.240 into my cousin's mouth. But sometimes how people get Cannon? 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:34.679 What about you? Like? What were if not like that 0:13:34.720 --> 0:13:36.400 you felt represented? What were some of the characters and 0:13:36.400 --> 0:13:38.839 shows that you at least latched onto as a as 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:41.760 a kid? Like? What characters did you like? So that's 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:44.360 a good question. I grew up watching He Man, which 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:47.520 I think is why I'm gay. No, I'm just sense 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:51.960 makes sense. Um. I think the earliest video game reference 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:53.720 that I can think it actually comes from Dragon Age. 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:55.680 I don't know if anyone ever played Dragon Age, but 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:58.559 it was the first game I played that had gay 0:13:58.640 --> 0:14:02.760 optional romances, which I played that game every which way 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:04.760 to get all of the gay romances because I wanted 0:14:04.760 --> 0:14:07.120 because it was like my first exposure to that, and 0:14:07.160 --> 0:14:09.000 I was like, holy crap, Like even replayed it as 0:14:09.000 --> 0:14:11.199 a female character in romance all the female characters that 0:14:11.240 --> 0:14:13.880 you can romance and it was just cool to have 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:17.480 that option because I've never had that option before. Yeah, 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:20.480 speaking of that, that actually reminds I now can think 0:14:20.560 --> 0:14:22.880 the very first video game for me was The Sims. 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:27.320 The Sims because I think I remember them adding like 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:30.800 LGBT relationship and there's a huge controversy around it, but 0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:33.880 when you could add when you could woo hoo and 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:39.400 the bed like that was my first gay porn was 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:45.920 pixelated woo hoo. And I was wild too, just just 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:48.640 the pixelated like wo who and then it would have 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:53.560 like almost the fighting smoke, like okay, I'll going crazy 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:57.000 Simsy's I was like, is this what it's supposed to be? 0:14:57.240 --> 0:15:01.440 Right when you see it's not pixelated? Um. I I 0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:05.160 would say fan fiction was how I explored my sexuality 0:15:05.200 --> 0:15:09.360 as well. Um and also just like anime what is it? 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:11.400 I forgot the name of it now when it's not 0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:15.520 the manga, but it's like fan made manga. I can't 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:20.440 remember to um. Anyways, there's a lot of exploration in there. 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:24.640 But I was able to be I guess the best 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:27.760 way to describe it as a passenger in that experience 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:30.280 because my best friend in high school came out to 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:34.600 me in like like the summer between eighth grade and 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:38.080 freshman year, and it was true, Yeah, I'm I'm a 0:15:38.080 --> 0:15:42.840 good guy. Guys, I'm one of the hashtag woke. Yeah no. 0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:46.440 And it's so funny because to me, that's also kind 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:49.880 of been my frustration with bigotry because it was that simple. 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.360 It's just like, you're still the same. Why would I 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:55.800 care like who you love? It was so too for 0:15:55.840 --> 0:15:59.760 me to think back and as a like thirteen year old, 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:03.800 no inhibitions and no like, oh man, this is that 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:08.240 or whatever. It's it's like crazy to see how grown 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:11.960 adults will like go back and forth on this with nothing. 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:15.560 And also I'm like a strong proponent of like my 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:17.800 own business, you know, and if it has nothing to 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:19.560 do with you, why would you even have an opinion 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:23.560 on it? But I'm side tracking a bit, but too, 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:25.960 But like even him growing up, it was the same thing. 0:16:26.000 --> 0:16:30.480 He really kind of gravitated towards uh sailor moon because 0:16:30.680 --> 0:16:32.680 you know, it was that same thing because they're like 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:37.640 the uncut version. They're lesbians. It's tight and beyond that, 0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:39.960 I'm trying to think because we're both hyper nerds, like 0:16:40.000 --> 0:16:42.720 we watched DVZ together. He like DVZ has a lot 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:48.520 of queers characters. I remember we I will bring this back. 0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:54.400 Every is the gay icon. We've talked about this. It's 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:58.800 zarbon so so. Um, I remember that you posted like 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:01.840 a picture. I think it was a dragon ball Z relating. 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:05.200 I think I was in my underwear next to Freezer 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:07.960 and we're both sticking our butts out as you do 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:10.800 as you do on Instagram, and somebody was like, don't 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:13.720 bring your homosexuality into dragon ball Z and i'ld be like, 0:17:13.720 --> 0:17:17.760 have you watched it? Well, my favorite is Danny. Then 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:20.760 went off on this person and she's like, oh, you 0:17:20.960 --> 0:17:24.119 think you know about dragon ball Z? And I was 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:28.280 like this comment, I should say, I thought like I 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:30.879 brought the facts. Yeah. I used to post these like 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:33.600 belfies on Instagram and I just put like, you know, 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:37.040 hashtag butt or whatever. But I think people straight guys 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:39.399 would just see a feminine figure and be turned on 0:17:39.480 --> 0:17:41.720 by it and then like then look at the picture 0:17:41.760 --> 0:17:45.639 and then realize that there's a guy, and um, I 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:49.959 think that's yeah exactly. We've we've all been there, you know. 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:54.280 Easually you're like, oh, I've done that with your post 0:17:54.400 --> 0:17:59.840 because so many booty models that like, I'll Chris come up, 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:01.359 but you know, I'm not reading the screen. I'm like, 0:18:01.400 --> 0:18:03.680 oh nice, but I was like, oh look it's Chris again. 0:18:04.640 --> 0:18:07.679 But you're very supportive. Yeah, yeah, very supportive. But I 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:10.280 think that's what happens is then he got angry and 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:13.439 then try to school me on Dragon ball Z and 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:16.640 Danny was not having it. She was like, no, well, 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:20.000 it's so fascinating to me because anime they don't have 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:27.560 necessarily the same weird religious, extremely structured like homophobia and 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:29.879 stuff that seems to be over here where they made 0:18:30.240 --> 0:18:32.199 where a Cure to Rama made a lot of these 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:34.960 characters kind of gender fluid for a reason and has 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:37.800 commented on this. So it's just frustrating to me that 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.880 people are like, no, it's this, when well, that's what's 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:44.760 so funny is all the like super weeds you know, 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:49.320 who want to copy everything about Japan will just skip 0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:53.520 over that part, which is the Japan's not having their 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:56.800 huge obsession over masculinity where there is that kind of 0:18:56.880 --> 0:19:00.920 gender fluidity. There's so many anime characters that or androgynous 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:03.840 that can go either way. I mean even like double 0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:08.280 Man cry Baby, like you know, spoilers, but I'm gonna 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:10.399 give you thirty seconds to speed past this if you 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:11.800 really want to see it. But at the end, when 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:16.119 Satan has like straight up breast and it's like never addressed, 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:18.520 it's never like a thing. It's like, yeah, no, I 0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:21.080 I am a man, I have breast, I am beautiful, 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:24.479 and this is in let me destroy the world. You know. 0:19:24.960 --> 0:19:29.200 Japan culture is very interesting though, they because they still 0:19:29.240 --> 0:19:33.840 have homophobia, but it's different. And I believe homosexuality is 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:38.359 illegal in Japan for Japanese citizens. Is that correct? Canon Yeah, 0:19:38.400 --> 0:19:41.520 So it's it's an interesting law they have. I I 0:19:41.600 --> 0:19:44.840 go to Japan fairly regularly for work, so I have 0:19:44.880 --> 0:19:47.080 a little bit of experience with Japanese culture and it's 0:19:47.160 --> 0:19:49.560 fascinating and I love going to Japan. But one of 0:19:49.600 --> 0:19:51.640 the really interesting things I learned very early on was 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:56.320 so things like prostitution are illegal between Japanese citizens, but 0:19:56.680 --> 0:19:59.639 prostitution between a Japanese citizen and a non Japanese citizen 0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:01.879 is not legal. And you'll find a lot of things 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:06.000 or I'm sorry, yes, yeah, what about homosexuality in Japan? 0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:09.080 So being gay is not illegal in Japan. But if 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:11.840 you ask any Japanese people like, are they're gay people here? 0:20:11.880 --> 0:20:14.640 They will tell you no, it's a very fascinating thing. 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:16.800 Yet in a lot of their art nor culture, you'll 0:20:16.800 --> 0:20:19.240 see a lot of gender nonconforming people. You'll see a 0:20:19.280 --> 0:20:21.960 lot of queer people. You'll see people that don't fit 0:20:22.080 --> 0:20:25.479 the normal gender spectrum. So they're very comfortable with it 0:20:25.520 --> 0:20:28.360 in their art and in their style and in their culture. 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:30.600 But if you ask them straight up, like what is 0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:32.600 the l g T community here, they'll say, oh, Japan 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:35.879 doesn't have those. That doesn't happen here is bizarre. And 0:20:35.880 --> 0:20:37.680 then they'll say, if you do see it here, it's 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:41.320 because foreigners have come here and they've like and I 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:44.280 wonder if the art is that is like their expression 0:20:44.440 --> 0:20:47.159 of it, because like, yeah, if we're just looking at 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:49.960 anime and like it's so not all of it, but 0:20:50.000 --> 0:20:53.080 a lot of it is sexual and sexual between women 0:20:53.080 --> 0:20:55.480 and women, men and women, man and man, like just 0:20:56.000 --> 0:21:01.680 a large spectrum, and so yeah, I find that fascinating. Yeah, 0:21:01.680 --> 0:21:05.240 it's it is interesting, And that's just a whole another 0:21:05.320 --> 0:21:07.840 deep dive of a whole another culture because that they're 0:21:08.119 --> 0:21:13.000 because there's just so many nuanced levels to it. I 0:21:13.000 --> 0:21:16.080 don't think this is okay at all, because to me, 0:21:16.240 --> 0:21:19.480 the way it sounds on paper is like appropriation. You're 0:21:19.520 --> 0:21:22.840 you're willing to make money off of the imagery and 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:26.000 having it in your media, But when it comes time 0:21:26.040 --> 0:21:29.240 to actually allow it to happen, to allow certain people 0:21:29.240 --> 0:21:31.920 to be free, now we're going to pretend they don't exist. 0:21:32.000 --> 0:21:34.200 That's well, that's their kind of way of dealing with 0:21:34.240 --> 0:21:37.320 anything in Japanese culture is just they if they don't 0:21:37.359 --> 0:21:40.040 like something or if it makes them feel uncomfortable, they 0:21:40.119 --> 0:21:41.679 kind of are just shut it down and like, this 0:21:41.720 --> 0:21:44.360 isn't happening, what are you talking about? I did want 0:21:44.400 --> 0:21:47.800 to talk about sorry to transition, so I wanted to 0:21:47.800 --> 0:21:52.359 talk about some queer characters in Nerdum okay. So some 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:55.960 of the ones that I personally love would be zena 0:21:56.000 --> 0:21:59.360 warrior princess. I don't know if you watched her yeas amazing, 0:21:59.680 --> 0:22:02.359 you would I Chris have talked extensively about wonder Woman, 0:22:03.040 --> 0:22:07.080 so and who is she? She's officially bisexual, right, which 0:22:07.080 --> 0:22:10.080 I mean it's basically been hinted forever but and was 0:22:10.240 --> 0:22:13.960 then openly confirmed. But for me it was it was 0:22:14.040 --> 0:22:16.719 frustrating to see people upset about this when it was like, 0:22:16.800 --> 0:22:21.359 she lives on an island of all women. Women know 0:22:21.520 --> 0:22:24.720 how to pleasure other women. There's no way that these 0:22:24.760 --> 0:22:28.879 goddesses are just sleeping alone every night by themselves. I 0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:32.040 don't think anyone that's read a Wonder Woman comic was 0:22:32.119 --> 0:22:33.880 upset by it. I think it was like a lot 0:22:33.920 --> 0:22:39.760 of people were like, Linda Carter, no, but it's so true. 0:22:39.800 --> 0:22:42.720 And another thing I would have to say before I 0:22:42.760 --> 0:22:45.480 move off of her is that in the movie with 0:22:45.520 --> 0:22:48.320 her being with Steve Trevor, and people were like, well, 0:22:48.320 --> 0:22:51.880 clearly she's not by I'm like, no, it's just the 0:22:51.920 --> 0:22:55.040 clock struck straight this time, might not next time. But 0:22:55.160 --> 0:22:58.320 that's like, you know, it's she can still be a 0:22:58.320 --> 0:23:01.280 bisexual woman and have reallys with a man. That's actually 0:23:01.280 --> 0:23:03.520 how that works. That's a problem with bise I mean 0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:07.200 people's opinions on bisexuality in general, as they don't understand 0:23:07.280 --> 0:23:09.400 that you can be with someone that's the opposite sex 0:23:09.400 --> 0:23:12.399 and still be bisexual. Yeah, so many people take that 0:23:12.440 --> 0:23:15.399 away from bisexual people. It's sad to see that oh yeah, no, 0:23:16.520 --> 0:23:20.679 even to go even a little further into it, it 0:23:20.800 --> 0:23:24.959 is funny that type of nerd, which is basically, you know, 0:23:25.080 --> 0:23:29.399 for lack of a better term, just really just only 0:23:29.600 --> 0:23:32.760 trying to protect their sexual desires around the character. Like 0:23:32.840 --> 0:23:35.280 the same thing with the outrage of Shira. You know, 0:23:35.640 --> 0:23:37.560 some people are like, oh, it's just because it's done with. 0:23:37.600 --> 0:23:39.359 There is a camp of people who are like, this 0:23:39.440 --> 0:23:41.840 isn't the Shira I remember who you know, it was 0:23:41.960 --> 0:23:45.359 very sexy, or whenever they make a character more modest 0:23:45.400 --> 0:23:48.840 than they get mad. It's like, you're not even, in 0:23:48.960 --> 0:23:51.960 my eyes, a real fan of this character. You only 0:23:52.000 --> 0:23:55.159 like this character for your sexual pleasure and think that 0:23:55.240 --> 0:23:58.520 no one should touch it to make you happy in 0:23:58.560 --> 0:24:02.000 a way that the character wasn't even built for in 0:24:02.000 --> 0:24:04.720 the first place, Like you know, go to Rule thirty 0:24:04.760 --> 0:24:08.520 four and get your rocks off, believe like the actual 0:24:08.640 --> 0:24:11.320 art and the people, actual fans of the character, like 0:24:11.440 --> 0:24:13.840 let them have the things they want, which is good 0:24:13.880 --> 0:24:18.879 story progressive styte storytelling, like leave leave your like weird. 0:24:19.080 --> 0:24:21.280 You know, I'm not going to kink shame you, but 0:24:21.359 --> 0:24:24.000 leave it out of it. You know. The really funny 0:24:24.000 --> 0:24:25.879 thing just about wonder Woman, real quick, they're really funny 0:24:25.920 --> 0:24:29.120 about wonder Woman. So she has a totally queer origin story. 0:24:29.119 --> 0:24:31.840 There's actually a movie about her three creators, and it's 0:24:31.880 --> 0:24:34.400 a man and two women that we're in a relationship 0:24:34.440 --> 0:24:37.320 at the time that we're super into bondage, and that's 0:24:37.320 --> 0:24:40.520 why Wonder Woman's power is the lasso of truth and 0:24:40.520 --> 0:24:42.679 she would tipe people off, make sense. So there's this 0:24:42.760 --> 0:24:45.359 whole like all of the queer undertones of Wonder Woman 0:24:45.359 --> 0:24:49.720 are absolutely intentional. Yeah, well, do you remember even in 0:24:49.760 --> 0:24:52.399 the film in the boat scene when she was like, 0:24:52.440 --> 0:24:55.240 oh no, I read about, you know, pleasures or whatever 0:24:55.280 --> 0:24:56.760 with a man and a woman and he was like, 0:24:56.920 --> 0:24:58.960 what did you find out that we don't really need you? 0:25:00.520 --> 0:25:03.560 That is a queer like moment of being like, yeah, no, 0:25:03.640 --> 0:25:06.160 we've no how to pleasure each other. We don't actually 0:25:06.160 --> 0:25:08.880 need you unless we want to have children. So, like 0:25:08.920 --> 0:25:11.680 you said, the undertones, but like if you it's there, 0:25:11.880 --> 0:25:13.680 it's there. But I wanted to know some of your 0:25:13.720 --> 0:25:18.240 favorite queer characters in gaming or in television and film, 0:25:18.359 --> 0:25:22.040 or some of the fandoms that you are into. That's 0:25:22.040 --> 0:25:25.680 a great question. Um, I'm trying to think of it's 0:25:25.720 --> 0:25:29.080 so weird even thinking about like gay characters in video games, 0:25:29.080 --> 0:25:34.359 for instance, there's really uh so many like who who 0:25:34.440 --> 0:25:37.359 can you think of who's gay? I was gonna say, Chris, 0:25:37.359 --> 0:25:41.280 you actually introduced me to America. Chaves, Yeah, the one 0:25:41.320 --> 0:25:45.800 that did. And she's a Marvel character. Yeah, is great. 0:25:46.000 --> 0:25:49.960 Batwoman's great. Um, there needs to be a little bit 0:25:50.000 --> 0:25:53.399 more representation in video games because I think, besides like 0:25:53.440 --> 0:25:56.000 the Last of Us there, I'm trying to think of 0:25:56.000 --> 0:25:58.159 a triple A title right now that has like a 0:25:58.320 --> 0:26:01.200 main character that is I'll bt, and I can't think 0:26:01.200 --> 0:26:03.240 of one on the top of my head. There are 0:26:03.400 --> 0:26:06.920 very many UM comic books that's slowly turning around. But 0:26:06.960 --> 0:26:08.600 I mean, we're even just fighting to get a woman. 0:26:08.640 --> 0:26:11.160 I mean it's like we're finally getting a Captain Marvel movie. 0:26:11.240 --> 0:26:14.480 Like it's finally just even getting a woman on screen, 0:26:14.560 --> 0:26:17.919 or finally getting black panther on screen. It's it's a 0:26:18.080 --> 0:26:21.480 it's a it's a long uphill battle. I would say 0:26:21.520 --> 0:26:23.640 a character that I've always enjoyed who I think has 0:26:23.680 --> 0:26:28.400 some serious like fizzazz and queer overtones is Bayonetta. Yeah. 0:26:28.520 --> 0:26:31.600 All of the Bayonetta games are just super gay. I 0:26:31.640 --> 0:26:35.760 don't care what anyone says. She's a drag queen. Character almostly. 0:26:36.119 --> 0:26:38.040 And I don't mean that meaning that she's a man 0:26:38.119 --> 0:26:39.679 posing as well. I mean as as far as like 0:26:39.760 --> 0:26:41.840 the culture goes and as far as how she uses 0:26:41.840 --> 0:26:45.479 her sexuality, it is very and the way that she 0:26:45.600 --> 0:26:47.879 jokes in the undertones, it's a lot of almost like 0:26:48.000 --> 0:26:51.280 drag sona type of stuff. Actually, the more that you 0:26:51.320 --> 0:26:53.359 say that, when you when you ask queer nerds, who 0:26:53.520 --> 0:26:56.080 do they find that represents them, it's usually a lot 0:26:56.119 --> 0:26:59.640 of female characters because there aren't they're not many gay 0:26:59.680 --> 0:27:01.720 character is, especially in video games. I think there was 0:27:01.760 --> 0:27:04.920 like the Ballad of Gay Tony GRANTSUFT Auto four. That's 0:27:04.920 --> 0:27:08.840 another big one. It's been very lacking obviously in in 0:27:08.960 --> 0:27:12.080 video games and nerd culture. Yeah, and it's kind of 0:27:12.119 --> 0:27:15.399 sometimes that way where it is once again like that 0:27:15.520 --> 0:27:19.120 off screen type of stuff where it's like, oh, that 0:27:19.160 --> 0:27:23.720 person is gay. But the division had a lesbian a 0:27:24.080 --> 0:27:26.640 kind of like your lead point person, which was fay Lal, 0:27:27.080 --> 0:27:29.439 But once again that was an off screen stuff you 0:27:29.680 --> 0:27:32.119 But that one was a little tricky because that's one 0:27:32.160 --> 0:27:34.680 of those games where you get story notes through like 0:27:34.880 --> 0:27:37.040 pickups and stuff. But I don't think there was anything 0:27:37.080 --> 0:27:39.800 that leaned heavily, heavily on it. But I know she 0:27:40.440 --> 0:27:42.960 and that I mean that game as a whole because 0:27:43.000 --> 0:27:45.800 it took place in New York, had a lot of uh, 0:27:46.760 --> 0:27:48.840 a lot of like gay characters in it, like the 0:27:48.880 --> 0:27:52.280 first doctor you help references her wife who died in 0:27:52.280 --> 0:27:55.840 this and so. But like, it would be nice to 0:27:55.880 --> 0:27:58.080 have like something like The Last of Us where it's 0:27:58.119 --> 0:28:00.199 like someone that people can look at and be like 0:28:00.760 --> 0:28:04.280 there there, you go right there and not have their sexuality. 0:28:04.520 --> 0:28:06.320 It's it's hard because you don't want it as a 0:28:06.320 --> 0:28:09.000 plot device. And since that it's like, we're a liberal company, 0:28:09.080 --> 0:28:10.960 look at us like that. I think that's why The 0:28:11.040 --> 0:28:13.280 Last of Us was so perfect. It's a part of 0:28:13.280 --> 0:28:15.399 her character. It affects who you are, it affects how 0:28:15.440 --> 0:28:19.000 you Your sexuality does affect so much about your personality. 0:28:19.040 --> 0:28:21.040 But it's it's hard to get that where it affects 0:28:21.040 --> 0:28:23.359 your personality. But it's not a stereotype and the company 0:28:23.440 --> 0:28:25.320 is not using it to make a statement there like 0:28:25.320 --> 0:28:27.640 this is just the character and this kisses because it's 0:28:27.640 --> 0:28:30.399 it's not a political statement. It's just we're showing a 0:28:30.520 --> 0:28:34.639 story and she romance is part of the story. I 0:28:34.720 --> 0:28:37.240 do feel like some of them can be a little 0:28:37.240 --> 0:28:39.000 bit of a cop out. I agree with that, I 0:28:39.320 --> 0:28:42.640 in a different type of way. In the Latin X community, 0:28:42.920 --> 0:28:45.720 they recently had Hernandez that was named as Magnum p 0:28:45.880 --> 0:28:48.440 I and then people were like, Okay, well he's a 0:28:48.440 --> 0:28:50.280 Mexican man, so are you going to like address that 0:28:50.400 --> 0:28:52.920 at all, and they were like, not really no, and 0:28:52.960 --> 0:28:56.440 it's like, okay, but his America just by definition, it's 0:28:56.440 --> 0:28:59.000 going to be a little bit different than the last guy. 0:28:59.160 --> 0:29:01.160 Like his experience is, like you said, it's gonna inform, 0:29:01.160 --> 0:29:04.560 it's gonna shape his experience. And so for me, it's 0:29:04.640 --> 0:29:07.440 kind of like a cop out to just make someone 0:29:07.480 --> 0:29:10.000 brown or make someone queer and then not address it 0:29:10.040 --> 0:29:12.320 at all. And so that kind of happened a little bit. 0:29:12.400 --> 0:29:15.720 I felt like in two thousand seven with J. K. 0:29:15.880 --> 0:29:18.880 Rowling and Harry Potter when she was attended to the 0:29:18.960 --> 0:29:20.680 Q and A at Carnegie Hall and she revealed that 0:29:20.760 --> 0:29:23.560 Dumbledore was gay, and it's like, this is great, that's awesome, 0:29:23.800 --> 0:29:25.800 And then we thought, like in Fantastic Beasts or like 0:29:25.840 --> 0:29:27.320 and other stuff, that it was going to be addressed 0:29:27.320 --> 0:29:30.880 and it's not. And so I kind of just like okay, 0:29:30.920 --> 0:29:32.360 And you know, I feel like they did that a 0:29:32.400 --> 0:29:35.280 little bit in Deadpool too, where it's just like you 0:29:35.360 --> 0:29:37.840 kind of say, like, oh no, they're like explore their sexuality. 0:29:37.920 --> 0:29:39.480 It was like, great, are we going to actually see 0:29:39.520 --> 0:29:41.640 them with another man? Like are we gonna actually see 0:29:41.640 --> 0:29:43.560 them be physical or something? And then they're not, And 0:29:43.560 --> 0:29:45.480 then I'm like, so it feels like you're just using 0:29:45.480 --> 0:29:48.040 this to say it. I don't know how you guys 0:29:48.080 --> 0:29:50.440 feel about that. They're using it to kind of get 0:29:50.480 --> 0:29:52.520 the game market on board, on like Twitter, like they're 0:29:52.520 --> 0:29:54.480 getting the Twitter gaze on, you know, like that type 0:29:54.480 --> 0:29:56.720 of audience, like people on the Internet on board, but 0:29:56.840 --> 0:29:59.560 not enough for the casual movie goers watching it to 0:29:59.600 --> 0:30:02.280 be a ended. And I feel like that's kind of 0:30:02.800 --> 0:30:05.840 like with Dumbledore, that's a huge part of his story 0:30:05.920 --> 0:30:08.880 and I don't get I mean, I'm hoping it will be, 0:30:09.240 --> 0:30:11.840 you know, eventually explored, but I don't want to judge 0:30:11.840 --> 0:30:13.840 because I haven't seen the movie and I understand what 0:30:13.880 --> 0:30:16.240 we're saying, like no, that's not his whole entire identity, 0:30:16.280 --> 0:30:18.280 but like it does feel a little bit like if 0:30:18.280 --> 0:30:21.480 you don't include it, there's a way to you don't 0:30:21.480 --> 0:30:23.640 want it to be like where it's shoved down people, 0:30:23.640 --> 0:30:27.560 no one wants anything show it's obviously uh speak for yourself, 0:30:29.000 --> 0:30:30.840 but there's a way to include it where it's still 0:30:31.360 --> 0:30:34.280 your sexuality is always genuine maybe yeah, And it's always 0:30:34.280 --> 0:30:38.120 going to affect some of your your character decisions, It 0:30:38.160 --> 0:30:40.840 always will. I think it's it's a really difficult line 0:30:40.880 --> 0:30:44.400 to walk, right because you want you want to portray 0:30:44.680 --> 0:30:46.920 queer and diverse characters in a way that is that 0:30:47.000 --> 0:30:49.960 his heartfelt and that is real, and you also don't 0:30:50.000 --> 0:30:52.520 want to lose your core audience that is Middle America. 0:30:52.720 --> 0:30:55.720 So it's tough. Yeah, I think it's my kind of 0:30:55.760 --> 0:30:58.320 thoughts on it. Yeah, I know. And that's such an 0:30:58.320 --> 0:31:03.200 interesting kind of stance and walk because are we helping 0:31:03.320 --> 0:31:07.960 or hurting by hiding you know this from Middle America? 0:31:08.040 --> 0:31:11.360 Because lots of times they in Middle America. You know, 0:31:12.360 --> 0:31:15.080 I feel like at times can be cop outs because 0:31:15.120 --> 0:31:18.240 I feel like Middle America is the excuse that kept 0:31:18.440 --> 0:31:21.760 a movie like Black Panther from being made for so long, 0:31:21.800 --> 0:31:24.160 and then we saw how that did move like crazy 0:31:24.280 --> 0:31:26.560 rich Asians come up for so long we thought how 0:31:26.600 --> 0:31:31.480 that did? And you know, I think Moonlight did well 0:31:31.560 --> 0:31:33.280 and I'm sure it didn't make that much money, but 0:31:33.320 --> 0:31:36.600 I think that's less because it tackled black gay issues 0:31:36.920 --> 0:31:39.360 and more because it was an art house film, you know. 0:31:39.440 --> 0:31:42.200 And though there, I think if you were to love Simon, 0:31:42.280 --> 0:31:45.920 this year did really actually fantastic speaking of like I mean, 0:31:46.160 --> 0:31:48.440 big budget you know movies, I think it. Yeah, it 0:31:48.480 --> 0:31:51.080 did fantastic. And so many people watch us and we're like, 0:31:51.560 --> 0:31:54.280 I mean, they're so happy that it was an lgp 0:31:54.360 --> 0:31:56.960 BT film where it wasn't another person dying from the 0:31:56.960 --> 0:31:59.960 AIDS epidemic, where it was like just like it was 0:32:00.040 --> 0:32:03.680 is a happy story and it was just a silly 0:32:03.800 --> 0:32:06.720 nineteen eighties style like romance comedy that just featured a 0:32:06.720 --> 0:32:09.800 guy looking for another guy, and it was just amazingly 0:32:09.840 --> 0:32:11.520 well done that people are like, oh, thank god, it 0:32:12.200 --> 0:32:15.800 wasn't someone homosexuality. It was part of the movie. They 0:32:15.840 --> 0:32:18.280 tackled parts of it, but it wasn't like in a 0:32:18.400 --> 0:32:20.560 in a way where it was just a part of 0:32:20.600 --> 0:32:22.120 it was just a segment of it, and it was 0:32:22.160 --> 0:32:23.920 just part of his character. Yeah, I mean, I think 0:32:23.920 --> 0:32:25.480 that's a big part of it too, is we're finally 0:32:25.480 --> 0:32:28.520 in the part where we can justify getting better movies 0:32:28.680 --> 0:32:31.880 made for those that are not straight and white and 0:32:31.920 --> 0:32:34.360 says gender right, Like in the past, all the game 0:32:34.360 --> 0:32:37.560 movies were really stupid, and Love Simon is like a 0:32:37.600 --> 0:32:39.920 really really good movie. Like the production value is good, 0:32:39.960 --> 0:32:41.640 the acting is good, the script is good. All of 0:32:41.640 --> 0:32:44.040 it's really good. Black Panther another really good example, Like 0:32:44.560 --> 0:32:47.360 everything about Black Panther was like triple A quality, Like 0:32:47.400 --> 0:32:49.880 it was brilliant. And I think we're finally getting to 0:32:49.920 --> 0:32:52.320 that point where it's like, yeah, we can't tell these 0:32:52.320 --> 0:32:54.480 stories and they will be interesting. We just have to 0:32:54.480 --> 0:32:58.720 do it right. We are going to take a quick 0:32:58.920 --> 0:33:00.880 break and then come back can talk a little bit 0:33:00.880 --> 0:33:10.960 more about more of our favorite queer characters, and we 0:33:11.040 --> 0:33:14.080 are bad. I wanted to touch on the c w 0:33:14.280 --> 0:33:16.720 C there superhero shows, well several of their shows, but 0:33:16.720 --> 0:33:19.560 definitely their superhero shows seem to be really taking initiative 0:33:19.600 --> 0:33:22.920 as far as including more queer characters. I know, there's 0:33:23.160 --> 0:33:26.600 Thunder and Black Lightning, there's Curtis Holt on Arrow, There's 0:33:26.600 --> 0:33:30.960 the Flashes, Captain sing, there's Alex Danvers and Supergirl Sarah 0:33:31.040 --> 0:33:33.320 Lance and Legends of Tomorrow gave a sharp and Ledgends 0:33:33.320 --> 0:33:35.200 of Tomorrow and now we have Ruby Rose as Batwoman. 0:33:35.200 --> 0:33:36.960 I don't know if you saw that was announced. Yeah, 0:33:37.360 --> 0:33:42.760 that's very exciting. The main character too. You know, bat Woman, 0:33:43.560 --> 0:33:46.239 here's one of the most fascinating characters. And you know, 0:33:46.360 --> 0:33:50.120 if it was a few years ago and you told 0:33:50.120 --> 0:33:53.280 me that they would announce Ruby Rose as Batwoman and 0:33:53.360 --> 0:33:55.520 she would be getting tons of hate, I'd be like, oh, 0:33:55.760 --> 0:33:58.320 is it because it's a lesbian character? No, because nerds 0:33:58.360 --> 0:34:02.080 are bad? Yeah. And and if if they think you don't, 0:34:02.120 --> 0:34:04.720 because you know, all nerds are the perfect casting director. 0:34:04.880 --> 0:34:09.120 All these great fan casting picks that we see. By 0:34:09.160 --> 0:34:12.480 the way, that's what's so funny. It's every time fans 0:34:12.560 --> 0:34:16.680 cast something, it's always trash, or the budget would be insane, 0:34:17.040 --> 0:34:20.120 or that person would not dedicate, like it's like get 0:34:20.120 --> 0:34:22.800 out of here, like they were upset with Was it 0:34:22.880 --> 0:34:25.920 Heath Ledger when he was originally Yes, that's so true. 0:34:25.960 --> 0:34:32.280 Fantastic um. Yeah, and there's also isn't Voltron have characters? 0:34:32.400 --> 0:34:35.719 They just confirmed it at Comic conto. Oh and uh, 0:34:35.920 --> 0:34:38.960 thinking of even video games because I forgot this reference. 0:34:39.280 --> 0:34:42.200 Tracer from Overwatch, the one of the main faces of 0:34:42.239 --> 0:34:45.680 over Watching a lesbians. So yeah, I would be remiss 0:34:45.719 --> 0:34:50.480 if I didn't mention Stephen Universe, which is brilliant, beautiful, 0:34:50.600 --> 0:34:54.319 such a positive bright I mean even they though if 0:34:54.360 --> 0:34:58.160 he even their fans are bad bad you want to 0:34:58.200 --> 0:35:00.600 like hit I want to like roll up a newspaper 0:35:00.680 --> 0:35:03.520 slash like spray them. But I also think it's the issue. 0:35:03.840 --> 0:35:07.480 I mean, Cannon sometimes deals with this. Working at PlayStation. 0:35:08.040 --> 0:35:11.160 There is sometimes a huge amount It seems like it's 0:35:11.160 --> 0:35:13.839 a large number of people on Twitter, but it's because 0:35:14.160 --> 0:35:17.000 it makes people's voices sound bigger than it actually is. 0:35:17.640 --> 0:35:20.399 And a lot of times the Internet will freak out 0:35:20.440 --> 0:35:24.680 about something. It doesn't necessarily reflect the majority. It doesn't 0:35:24.719 --> 0:35:28.800 reflect sales, it doesn't reflect the majority of a fan base. 0:35:29.360 --> 0:35:32.080 It doesn't really reflect anything except for Internet. You know, 0:35:32.160 --> 0:35:37.520 Twitter height, which sometimes means absolutely nothing. It's it's bizarre. Yeah, no, 0:35:37.680 --> 0:35:39.960 that's that's true. I know that you're good friends with 0:35:40.040 --> 0:35:43.640 Kelly Marie Tran and she experienced like so much hate 0:35:43.680 --> 0:35:46.000 that she got off social media. But the thing is 0:35:46.000 --> 0:35:48.520 is that when I was at Comic Con, there were 0:35:48.680 --> 0:35:51.520 so many people dressed like Rose Tico that it was 0:35:51.600 --> 0:35:53.880 just I mean, what it like, people just love her 0:35:53.960 --> 0:35:57.280 so much, But it's hard when like all you've seen 0:35:57.840 --> 0:36:03.959 it's a small minority of Star Wars obsessive harassment. Yeah, 0:36:04.000 --> 0:36:06.800 and the majority of Star Wars fans are super lovely, 0:36:07.000 --> 0:36:09.560 nice people. I think a lot of it has to 0:36:09.600 --> 0:36:11.960 do with two with people will have multiple accounts that 0:36:12.040 --> 0:36:15.000 the log into it makes if you you you can 0:36:15.040 --> 0:36:19.200 have represents so many different people on Twitter that it 0:36:19.640 --> 0:36:22.160 allows to for a falsehood of what actually is. But 0:36:22.239 --> 0:36:24.520 it's also I mean, it's why you know Kelly's not 0:36:24.600 --> 0:36:27.919 on you know, Instagram. It's because sometimes you don't need 0:36:27.960 --> 0:36:31.600 to read everything all the negativity. Yeah, and also it's 0:36:31.840 --> 0:36:34.080 one thing that's important to know. It may seem like 0:36:34.120 --> 0:36:36.600 when you're getting all the notifications and all the people 0:36:37.120 --> 0:36:40.120 in your mentions, you know, it may seem like, damn, 0:36:40.200 --> 0:36:43.640 this is a huge amount of people who think this, 0:36:44.040 --> 0:36:47.719 but only seven percent of Americans are using Twitter. That's 0:36:47.800 --> 0:36:53.400 seven percent of Americans are using Twitter a fake account. 0:36:53.600 --> 0:36:55.560 That's a lot of fake accounts, and that's a lot 0:36:55.640 --> 0:36:59.080 of like, that's not a lot of people. So so 0:36:59.200 --> 0:37:01.479 that and and you know what it is. I find 0:37:01.520 --> 0:37:04.799 that to be true because whenever something big happens on 0:37:04.840 --> 0:37:07.120 Twitter and you do kind of step out to the 0:37:07.160 --> 0:37:08.759 real world and you're like, have you heard of this? 0:37:08.840 --> 0:37:11.520 And someone hasn't. You're like how, But like when you 0:37:11.520 --> 0:37:15.560 see a number like that seven percent, you're like, I guess, 0:37:15.600 --> 0:37:18.160 I guess not. You know, I guess I guess it 0:37:18.239 --> 0:37:21.840 isn't as as big a big a world as we 0:37:21.880 --> 0:37:23.680 think it is. It just feels that way. It is 0:37:23.719 --> 0:37:27.440 people from other countries and smaller areas as well. I 0:37:27.480 --> 0:37:29.600 was also going to say, talking on the thing of 0:37:29.719 --> 0:37:32.600 online harassment, I mean it's something that Cannon has had 0:37:32.640 --> 0:37:36.360 to deal with working with PlayStation and everything. I don't know, 0:37:36.400 --> 0:37:39.000 if you can talk at all, you get like death 0:37:39.040 --> 0:37:43.160 threats from LinkedIn. They used to be really common, so 0:37:43.480 --> 0:37:46.279 back when the PlayStation that was a little bit less 0:37:46.280 --> 0:37:48.840 reliable than it is now. Any time we have an outage, 0:37:48.840 --> 0:37:51.839 it's totally common for people that have PlayStation and they're 0:37:51.840 --> 0:37:54.760 linked to profile to get death threats in your in box. Wow, 0:37:54.840 --> 0:37:58.640 it's fairly common, and it's it's it's not it's endemic 0:37:58.680 --> 0:38:00.919 to the whole gaming industry. Like female friends that work 0:38:00.960 --> 0:38:03.319 at studios and a lot of them won't even put 0:38:03.320 --> 0:38:05.480 what the name of the studio they're working at because 0:38:06.080 --> 0:38:07.960 the game will get released, and then someone will be like, well, 0:38:08.120 --> 0:38:11.759 this level, this thing was misdesigned, So I'll go and 0:38:11.800 --> 0:38:14.360 find a female graphic artists and just start sending her 0:38:14.400 --> 0:38:16.480 death threats and hate mail, and then everyone just bandwagons. 0:38:16.480 --> 0:38:18.680 And I remember that was a huge thing that happened 0:38:18.680 --> 0:38:22.839 with I Believe Mass Effect, where they were blaming this 0:38:23.000 --> 0:38:25.920 one woman for ruining the game, and someone had to 0:38:25.960 --> 0:38:28.239 come in and be like, well, she didn't even have 0:38:28.360 --> 0:38:30.480 that huge a part of it. There's actually these men, 0:38:30.560 --> 0:38:34.319 but you guys are targeting her, and it is interesting, 0:38:34.520 --> 0:38:37.719 and you know, does PlayStation do anything to protect y'all? 0:38:37.800 --> 0:38:40.480 Like can you report these people and you know, get 0:38:40.480 --> 0:38:43.440 their accounts yanked or anything. I mean, it depends on 0:38:43.440 --> 0:38:45.480 the social media using. I mean, Lincoln has a pretty 0:38:45.600 --> 0:38:48.600 robust reporting system for offensive material, so it's not so bad. 0:38:48.640 --> 0:38:52.080 But eventually saying that LinkedIn is like the not the 0:38:52.120 --> 0:38:54.080 thing that you should be doing. Like LinkedIn, you can 0:38:54.120 --> 0:38:57.400 see where they work and who that person is that 0:38:57.440 --> 0:38:59.440 doesn't like Twitter, I understand because you're like a random 0:38:59.480 --> 0:39:02.920 anime guitars, but like linked In, the fact that someone 0:39:03.040 --> 0:39:05.560 is oh man, I mean, but the craziest thing is 0:39:05.600 --> 0:39:08.400 you would think that Twitter would have a more robust 0:39:08.520 --> 0:39:12.080 reporting system than linked In, because LinkedIn at least you're 0:39:12.200 --> 0:39:15.200 a level of professionals where Twitter should be doing everything 0:39:15.200 --> 0:39:18.799 it can. But we're learning more and more every day, 0:39:19.160 --> 0:39:20.920 and I'm gonna just leave it at that, and you know, 0:39:21.239 --> 0:39:24.600 just leave it at that. Yeah, I think um one thing, 0:39:24.719 --> 0:39:26.640 and this probably may sound crass, but you just sort 0:39:26.680 --> 0:39:29.320 of learned to rise above it and ignore it because 0:39:29.320 --> 0:39:31.080 it used to really bother me. And then I just 0:39:31.080 --> 0:39:34.879 started saying, you know, none of this matters, like they're 0:39:34.880 --> 0:39:37.279 not going to do anything. These people are hiding behind 0:39:37.280 --> 0:39:39.359 a keyboard. And all the people that I went into, 0:39:39.400 --> 0:39:41.440 like I have a When we launched the PS four, 0:39:41.480 --> 0:39:44.200 everyone got jackets that said PS four Launch Team, and 0:39:44.239 --> 0:39:46.120 I would just sometimes wear that out, not thinking, and 0:39:46.120 --> 0:39:48.239 I would have people come up in grocery stores and 0:39:48.320 --> 0:39:51.239 in malls and just randomly and they'd be like, oh 0:39:51.280 --> 0:39:53.440 my god, you worked on the PS four. Can I 0:39:53.480 --> 0:39:55.680 shake your hand? And they just like the fans are 0:39:55.680 --> 0:39:57.680 like the best part, right, And it's I think it's 0:39:57.719 --> 0:40:00.719 important to remember the good experiences more than the bad ones, 0:40:00.800 --> 0:40:03.120 because if we let the bad ones kind of occupy 0:40:03.239 --> 0:40:06.560 our mind space, then everything's gonna just it's so difficult. 0:40:06.680 --> 0:40:08.719 I feel like for me, I look at it as 0:40:08.719 --> 0:40:11.080 a glass of water with the amount of sexual harassment 0:40:11.080 --> 0:40:12.680 that I deal with, and I send it Chris, I 0:40:12.680 --> 0:40:15.319 feel like you have been such a positive I just 0:40:15.320 --> 0:40:18.280 want to take this moment. You're just you and Iffy 0:40:18.520 --> 0:40:21.560 have seen so much of the the harassment that I've 0:40:21.560 --> 0:40:23.640 dealt with trying to be in this space, and I 0:40:23.680 --> 0:40:27.160 just both are very supportive men in my life. But 0:40:27.239 --> 0:40:28.799 I wanted to say, I look at it as like 0:40:28.800 --> 0:40:30.680 a glass of water, and it fills up, fills up, 0:40:30.719 --> 0:40:32.600 fills up, fills up, and then eventually I can't take 0:40:32.640 --> 0:40:36.200 it anymore and overflows, and then I kind of spiral 0:40:36.480 --> 0:40:38.560 from the harassment and I might take a break, I 0:40:38.640 --> 0:40:41.200 might step back, and and it sucks. I agree, because 0:40:41.200 --> 0:40:42.840 I want to read all my comments. I want to 0:40:42.880 --> 0:40:45.000 answer the messages, but that means I have to see 0:40:45.040 --> 0:40:49.040 all the really bad ones, and it's very hard mentally 0:40:49.160 --> 0:40:51.680 to handle that. I think the scary thing is how 0:40:51.760 --> 0:40:55.880 Twitter is like the new KKK hood. I mean, I 0:40:55.920 --> 0:40:58.839 do mean that though, because I mean people. It's so 0:40:58.920 --> 0:41:03.040 crazy how people who are hateful, spiteful individuals, they do 0:41:03.080 --> 0:41:04.799 it in a way where they can still go to 0:41:04.880 --> 0:41:08.160 their day jobs. Like you must morally know deep down 0:41:08.200 --> 0:41:11.640 inside that you're doing something wrong and hateful if you're 0:41:11.680 --> 0:41:14.120 acting that way, but I think you're It's a lot 0:41:14.120 --> 0:41:16.200 of people who are on the Internet, and I think 0:41:16.200 --> 0:41:19.200 the biggest way that I've used to combat hatred is 0:41:19.280 --> 0:41:25.280 with our group meeting nerds who are positive, whether it's queer, 0:41:25.280 --> 0:41:28.960 people of color or just people who are loving, you know, 0:41:29.040 --> 0:41:31.120 people who are doing something for the better good, whatever 0:41:31.200 --> 0:41:34.040 your group is, it's finding people in person to talk to, 0:41:34.480 --> 0:41:36.840 because I think the best way to combat the internet 0:41:36.840 --> 0:41:41.759 hate is making a present outside. In person is the 0:41:41.760 --> 0:41:44.440 best way to combat that. I was just gonna and 0:41:44.520 --> 0:41:46.080 I want to get too political, but you know, a 0:41:46.120 --> 0:41:50.040 big part of the Trump election for me was processing 0:41:50.160 --> 0:41:52.319 how kind of awful it made me feel and how 0:41:52.400 --> 0:41:55.560 terrible I thought everything was. And what I eventually decided 0:41:55.560 --> 0:41:57.480 after kind of coming out of that fog, was that, 0:41:58.040 --> 0:42:00.520 you know, I can't change anyone's mind, I can't fight 0:42:00.640 --> 0:42:03.000 the hate directly, but what I can do is I 0:42:03.000 --> 0:42:06.080 can spend my time, my energy, and my money on 0:42:06.200 --> 0:42:09.239 helping the people in my community and then building that up. 0:42:09.280 --> 0:42:11.040 And that's kind of what made me get into activism. 0:42:11.080 --> 0:42:13.000 It's why I volunteer at the center. That's why the 0:42:13.040 --> 0:42:15.880 Ely Gaming Society is starting to have fundraisers for the 0:42:15.960 --> 0:42:18.440 queer youth of Los Angeles, so that we can get people, 0:42:18.840 --> 0:42:20.680 you know, onto a better track, so that they're not 0:42:20.719 --> 0:42:24.640 homeless or not alone, or they don't feel so depressed 0:42:24.680 --> 0:42:26.600 all the time by all this negativity. And I can 0:42:26.600 --> 0:42:29.320 say that by putting my focus towards those kinds of things, 0:42:29.800 --> 0:42:33.360 my outlook has approved exponentially, even though the news on 0:42:33.440 --> 0:42:38.280 a fairly consistent negative is crazy. Like having a positive 0:42:38.280 --> 0:42:40.920 outlet where I can take kind of that nervous negative 0:42:41.000 --> 0:42:43.760 energy and work it into something has made a world 0:42:43.840 --> 0:42:46.120 difference for me. Well, I mean you saw, like you 0:42:46.160 --> 0:42:49.200 see negative homophobic like Kitako would have like a negative 0:42:49.280 --> 0:42:52.120 you know, this homophobic thing happened today. They didn't write 0:42:52.160 --> 0:42:54.640 about like our E three party, how we raised so 0:42:54.719 --> 0:42:57.440 much money for the we I think we raised I 0:42:57.480 --> 0:43:01.200 don't even know how many, Like five is over five 0:43:01.239 --> 0:43:05.120 thousand dollars just for video games for LGBT, you know, 0:43:05.320 --> 0:43:08.520 youth to play at the Center, um, so that they 0:43:08.520 --> 0:43:11.000 can have an outlet, which is amazingly enough, by the way, 0:43:11.080 --> 0:43:14.640 video games is such a healthy outlet that brings people together. 0:43:15.360 --> 0:43:18.640 And and then seeing people being brought together who are 0:43:18.680 --> 0:43:21.279 queer nerds who are thirty to forty years old, you know, 0:43:21.440 --> 0:43:24.160 who never had that outlet and in an adult space. 0:43:24.520 --> 0:43:26.880 I think they're positive things that are happening by us 0:43:26.920 --> 0:43:31.240 focusing on our community. I'm hoping that maybe the news 0:43:31.480 --> 0:43:34.840 can eventually pick up on some of those positive articles. 0:43:34.920 --> 0:43:38.719 To quote a great movie by the name of Nightcrawler. 0:43:38.920 --> 0:43:41.440 If it leads, it leads, you know, and that's the 0:43:41.640 --> 0:43:44.640 that's what the news is in the business of the 0:43:44.680 --> 0:43:47.600 moment the news became the business. It's less about you know, 0:43:47.719 --> 0:43:50.279 sharing the news and more so what can we do 0:43:50.400 --> 0:43:54.920 that's going to you know, activate people and get a 0:43:55.000 --> 0:43:57.680 reaction out of them and get them sharing our stuff. 0:43:57.920 --> 0:44:01.640 So yeah, it does. I find in multiple communities and 0:44:01.840 --> 0:44:07.600 multiple things throughout the new scope, everything positive kind of 0:44:07.600 --> 0:44:10.160 gets swept under the rug because they'd rather get someone 0:44:10.280 --> 0:44:13.080 mad who's going to retweet it and then say something 0:44:13.120 --> 0:44:16.320 snark and then someone's gonna add their snark. Me usually 0:44:16.360 --> 0:44:22.600 I'm involved in that. But yeah, so it is. And 0:44:22.640 --> 0:44:25.719 I think that is a great advice to anyone in 0:44:25.760 --> 0:44:30.160 their communities is if you are feeling hopeless, are feeling like, 0:44:30.200 --> 0:44:32.480 how do I make a change? Everyone thinks that, you know, 0:44:32.960 --> 0:44:34.960 I find that a lot of people believe that you 0:44:35.000 --> 0:44:39.120 need a million dollars to make meaningful change, and that's 0:44:39.280 --> 0:44:42.319 just not the case. You know, meaningful change could just 0:44:42.440 --> 0:44:46.120 be as simple as mentoring you know, someone who is 0:44:46.360 --> 0:44:49.080 you know, just like you, or someone who you think 0:44:49.160 --> 0:44:51.640 needs it. You know. Like I was thinking about the 0:44:51.680 --> 0:44:55.680 whole Middle America excuse that we were talking about earlier. 0:44:55.880 --> 0:45:00.520 I was like, to say that you'd don't think this 0:45:00.560 --> 0:45:03.080 movie will do well because of Middle America is to 0:45:03.160 --> 0:45:05.680 say that you don't believe that there's a young gay 0:45:05.719 --> 0:45:08.520 kid in Middle America, that there isn't a young Asian 0:45:08.640 --> 0:45:11.239 kid in Middle America. There there isn't a young black 0:45:11.640 --> 0:45:13.600 kid in Middle America, or that there's no one in 0:45:13.600 --> 0:45:17.840 Middle America that has the empathy to take in this 0:45:18.000 --> 0:45:21.800 story and and enjoy it and understand it and like it, because, 0:45:22.040 --> 0:45:25.320 like Chris said, it's you know, Simon being gay is 0:45:25.360 --> 0:45:26.920 a part of the story, but in the end, it's 0:45:26.920 --> 0:45:31.600 still a great story. And I feel like it's unfair 0:45:31.640 --> 0:45:35.080 to kind of scapegoat Middle America. We often based on 0:45:35.120 --> 0:45:38.160 the excuse that Hollywood likes to get away with this 0:45:38.200 --> 0:45:41.200 Middle America. You're saying they are dumb, that they are 0:45:41.239 --> 0:45:44.880 all bigoted. It's all white and it's all white males 0:45:45.160 --> 0:45:48.080 in Middle America and that's why you can never do it. 0:45:48.520 --> 0:45:53.959 When I wouldn't care if only one little black kid 0:45:54.000 --> 0:45:57.360 in Oklahoma got to see Black Panther, that would have 0:45:57.400 --> 0:46:00.960 made it work there. Or one gay kid in you know, 0:46:01.040 --> 0:46:03.799 Oklahoma who got to see love Simon like that, that 0:46:03.840 --> 0:46:06.880 to me is more powerful than you know, a thousand 0:46:07.560 --> 0:46:11.080 kids who who are in a coastal city that you know, 0:46:11.560 --> 0:46:15.000 can eventually hopefully find a community. You know. But I 0:46:15.000 --> 0:46:18.160 think the problem is I think people just want good stories. 0:46:18.680 --> 0:46:20.800 And the problem is like there will be a movie 0:46:21.239 --> 0:46:24.000 with a black superhero or a woman superhero that, for 0:46:24.080 --> 0:46:27.400 whatever reason the development cycle someone doesn't believe in. They're like, 0:46:27.440 --> 0:46:30.600 they won't like this, they don't put the right resources 0:46:30.640 --> 0:46:34.480 into it. The actual movie, video game, whatever media format 0:46:34.520 --> 0:46:37.200 it is isn't good because they didn't believe in it, 0:46:37.680 --> 0:46:39.480 and then it fails in like, see, I told you 0:46:39.480 --> 0:46:41.520 it wouldn't do well because people don't want women as 0:46:41.520 --> 0:46:45.720 superheroes and they're like, no, it's because Catwoman was an awful, awful, 0:46:45.920 --> 0:46:49.359 like it just wasn't a good movie. But then you can, 0:46:50.440 --> 0:46:53.399 I know, for the wrong reasons. But then you see 0:46:53.400 --> 0:46:56.680 wonder Woman, which was a well written, you know movie 0:46:56.760 --> 0:46:58.759 with the right cast and everything. It's like, as long 0:46:58.800 --> 0:47:02.160 as something is well written, people will watch it. People 0:47:02.400 --> 0:47:05.400 will by the Last of Us too, because it's a 0:47:05.440 --> 0:47:07.640 well written video game. They don't care that, you know 0:47:07.640 --> 0:47:11.680 what I mean whatnot? So yeah, I did want to 0:47:11.719 --> 0:47:14.680 go over a couple of more queer characters before we 0:47:14.719 --> 0:47:18.879 moved on. One of them Valkyrie Tessa Thompson real life 0:47:18.920 --> 0:47:23.600 couple Tessa Thompson and Janelle Monet. I'm so glad they 0:47:23.600 --> 0:47:26.920 found each other because no one else deserves them. I 0:47:26.920 --> 0:47:29.840 don't know if you guys watched Luke Cage this season, 0:47:29.880 --> 0:47:33.960 but Shades, that was very exciting to have them openly 0:47:34.680 --> 0:47:36.880 I guess, kind of openly confirmed at least I think 0:47:36.880 --> 0:47:39.319 the show runner did confirmed that that he's queer, and 0:47:39.320 --> 0:47:42.320 they actually had a moment of development for his character, 0:47:42.400 --> 0:47:44.640 so that was really nice. The Walking Dead, my friend 0:47:44.880 --> 0:47:48.000 Ross Markwan plays Aaron on there um and I believe 0:47:48.040 --> 0:47:53.400 that they also have Tara and very lgbtwo. Yeah, TVs. 0:47:53.520 --> 0:47:56.720 I think TV is the first format that's enough power. 0:47:56.760 --> 0:48:00.799 Gays have gone and involved with TV ad you know, 0:48:01.000 --> 0:48:03.440 but we have shown that, like like with anything, all 0:48:03.480 --> 0:48:05.800 that matters is a good is good writing, good story, 0:48:06.000 --> 0:48:09.480 good you know, direction and it and everything else, that 0:48:09.760 --> 0:48:14.560 it should be different characters and yeah, oh uh, Negasonic 0:48:14.560 --> 0:48:18.680 teenage Warhead, she's so badass. I mean I wish that 0:48:18.719 --> 0:48:21.279 they had done more to develop their like her relationship 0:48:21.320 --> 0:48:23.600 and Deadpool to like even she kind of was pretty 0:48:23.680 --> 0:48:26.200 much just a side character, which again we see we 0:48:26.280 --> 0:48:29.480 keep seeing, but I do think she's so cool. She 0:48:29.600 --> 0:48:36.000 actually sorry for it, but she actually requested that is 0:48:36.040 --> 0:48:39.040 I believe pan sexual or bisexual, and she was like, 0:48:39.280 --> 0:48:40.960 you could make my character lesbian, but I don't want 0:48:41.000 --> 0:48:42.839 it to be a thing in the movie. Yeah, and 0:48:42.840 --> 0:48:44.799 again I get that, like we keep going back and 0:48:44.800 --> 0:48:47.640 forth of like I wish that they would address it more. 0:48:47.680 --> 0:48:50.239 But then and maybe it's not necessarily that it needs 0:48:50.239 --> 0:48:52.080 to be addressed with her, but just because it's not 0:48:52.120 --> 0:48:54.959 addressed enough, well, I think they actually addressed it pretty 0:48:55.000 --> 0:48:57.080 well because it's like here's me and my girlfriend. That's it. 0:48:57.480 --> 0:48:59.080 That's it, and that's all they had to do as 0:48:59.080 --> 0:49:01.680 long as it's not like some like the Deadpool Too 0:49:01.760 --> 0:49:05.239 director two years later coming out saying that she was 0:49:05.280 --> 0:49:07.640 a lesbian the whole time. And then there's Are It's like, okay, 0:49:07.760 --> 0:49:09.080 you know what I mean, like they dress as long 0:49:09.120 --> 0:49:11.359 as I mean, I mean, not that necessarily, I mean 0:49:11.400 --> 0:49:14.400 having character development, like being able to have a character 0:49:14.440 --> 0:49:16.680 growth with your romantic part. I mean I just missed 0:49:16.719 --> 0:49:18.440 her in the movie in general, like I just wanted 0:49:18.440 --> 0:49:21.719 more of her. Yeah. Yeah. And then two other just 0:49:21.760 --> 0:49:23.480 main points that I want to say. Stephen Universe had 0:49:23.480 --> 0:49:29.799 the first cartoon lesbian wedding. Um yeah, that's really cool, Like, 0:49:30.000 --> 0:49:32.000 you know, it's not something that they'd probably be able 0:49:32.040 --> 0:49:34.800 to do even five years ago, I don't know Cartoon Network. 0:49:35.280 --> 0:49:37.480 And then Batgirl in the comics had the first transgender 0:49:37.520 --> 0:49:39.560 wedding in the comics. I believe that was when GAYL 0:49:39.600 --> 0:49:43.440 Simone was still writing. Yeah, and North I think The 0:49:43.480 --> 0:49:46.359 North Star had a wedding issue as well. Well. There's 0:49:46.600 --> 0:49:48.719 um Sinna Grace, who I got to meet on a 0:49:48.800 --> 0:49:51.480 DC shoot that I did. He is doing Iceman. I 0:49:51.480 --> 0:49:53.160 don't know if you follow that at all, but that 0:49:53.320 --> 0:49:56.840 is he had a coming out moment in the comics, 0:49:56.840 --> 0:49:59.600 and then it's kind of his development as a superhero, 0:49:59.640 --> 0:50:02.560 but also having to deal with with coming out, which 0:50:02.600 --> 0:50:05.680 is great because especially as if nerds are from you know, 0:50:05.719 --> 0:50:08.680 a community where their parents are you know, probably homophobic 0:50:08.760 --> 0:50:11.360 or whatever, they can just like sneak in an iceman 0:50:12.840 --> 0:50:16.399 and their parents are gonna say it's a comic book, 0:50:16.440 --> 0:50:18.000 and their parents are gonna they're like, oh, it's this 0:50:18.080 --> 0:50:21.080 masculine looking character. They're not gonna say anything. So they're 0:50:21.120 --> 0:50:24.600 writing something I think more than what's needed, more than 0:50:24.640 --> 0:50:28.640 they probably know by doing that. Yeah, I think we 0:50:28.719 --> 0:50:30.640 need to take a quick break, but when you get back, 0:50:30.640 --> 0:50:33.400 we're going to jump into the rest of this and 0:50:33.560 --> 0:50:46.720 keep it spicy. Oh right, what's up is your boy? 0:50:46.880 --> 0:50:48.840 You know who it is, if he's still here with 0:50:48.920 --> 0:50:53.319 Danny and our wonderful guests Christopher and Cannon, and we're 0:50:53.320 --> 0:50:56.239 talking about I feel like it's a real open discussion 0:50:56.239 --> 0:50:59.320 about you know, lgbt Q and nerd um and I 0:50:59.320 --> 0:51:02.160 think it's really thank you for joining us and letting 0:51:02.239 --> 0:51:05.520 us Yeah, thank you for having fun. I will say, 0:51:05.560 --> 0:51:09.759 I'm really excited too for the nerd fam that's going 0:51:09.840 --> 0:51:12.120 to check this out because I've seen nerd fam tweed 0:51:12.239 --> 0:51:14.920 net of me and they'll have the rainbow flag in 0:51:14.960 --> 0:51:16.960 their screen name, and you know that's how we know. 0:51:17.520 --> 0:51:22.400 I'd like that We've have made our for lack of 0:51:22.400 --> 0:51:25.560 a better description, planted our flags and our Twitter where 0:51:25.600 --> 0:51:28.080 it's like, you know, Nigerians will throw the Nigerian fat. 0:51:28.640 --> 0:51:31.920 Dominicans love putting that Dominican flag in their joint. You know, 0:51:32.920 --> 0:51:35.839 the LGBTQ community has the rainbow flag. We all know 0:51:35.880 --> 0:51:38.239 where we at, just so you know who you're talking to. Well, 0:51:38.239 --> 0:51:41.080 it's cool because even like PlayStation changed their icon during 0:51:41.120 --> 0:51:47.680 Pride Month, symbol Nation did too. And it's funny because 0:51:47.719 --> 0:51:50.400 you had like a lot of bitter people and sometimes 0:51:50.480 --> 0:51:51.799 a few of them were straight. So I was like 0:51:51.960 --> 0:51:55.399 chilled that were like, oh the consumerism of the Da 0:51:55.520 --> 0:51:58.080 da da and this, and Guy Brandham did a real 0:51:58.160 --> 0:52:01.239 funny joke of being like, oh, I'm sorry that for once, 0:52:01.320 --> 0:52:03.840 we're being accepted and not burned at the stake, and 0:52:04.480 --> 0:52:07.960 can you feel bitter? Like it was really great. Of 0:52:08.040 --> 0:52:10.520 course I'm not doing it as great as Guy, because well, 0:52:10.560 --> 0:52:13.000 people would tweet aut Funimation and they would just reply 0:52:13.120 --> 0:52:16.040 with gay anime gifts and I loved it so much 0:52:17.560 --> 0:52:19.759 because they have they also owned that like volleyball, the 0:52:19.880 --> 0:52:25.560 volleyball boys one oh yeah, and the swim team at 0:52:25.560 --> 0:52:27.839 that event right where they just had like a bunch 0:52:27.840 --> 0:52:31.200 of boys and petoes and then girls were young, I 0:52:31.280 --> 0:52:34.719 was like, what is Oh yeah, it was my family. 0:52:34.880 --> 0:52:38.360 I love them so much. I remember one and something 0:52:38.640 --> 0:52:41.080 you can get in there. I remember once um I 0:52:41.120 --> 0:52:43.200 was announced as like a host on something and someone like, 0:52:43.440 --> 0:52:45.759 I'm sorry, but do you even know anything about dragon Ball? 0:52:46.120 --> 0:52:48.279 And someone one of the Funimation people want on the 0:52:48.320 --> 0:52:50.920 account and was like, oh, she knows, and like tweeted 0:52:50.920 --> 0:52:52.960 it out to everybody. I also have to say they've 0:52:52.960 --> 0:52:56.040 been very supportive because Danny has put us in contact 0:52:56.040 --> 0:52:59.520 with Funimation and just as a gay video game you 0:52:59.560 --> 0:53:04.799 know group, Funimation is donated so so much, especially when 0:53:04.800 --> 0:53:08.799 we had our E three after party just to shout out. 0:53:08.800 --> 0:53:12.040 Fundimation gave us stuff, Square Enix gave us a ton 0:53:12.040 --> 0:53:14.759 of stuff, and of course PlayStation you know, gave us 0:53:14.800 --> 0:53:17.040 all of these free PlayStations to give out. So it's 0:53:17.080 --> 0:53:21.520 great that you know they've been PlayStations. Huh. The weird 0:53:21.560 --> 0:53:23.480 thing is we still get like we had like Nintendo 0:53:23.560 --> 0:53:27.279 nerds show up and they're like, where's our switch and 0:53:27.280 --> 0:53:30.840 we're like, I mean, yeah, it's a PlayStation of it's past, 0:53:31.480 --> 0:53:34.920 and yeah, good luck with getting Nintendo to yea sponsor 0:53:35.160 --> 0:53:41.000 anything LGBT. Alright, well, speaking of speaking of finding your space, 0:53:42.160 --> 0:53:44.480 let's talk about the first gay space on the Internet. 0:53:44.840 --> 0:53:48.160 It was called s oc dot M O T S 0:53:48.160 --> 0:53:55.360 S Yeah, and basically anticipated how we use social networks today. 0:53:55.520 --> 0:53:59.799 Right in programmers, Steve Dire started a discussion for him 0:53:59.840 --> 0:54:04.520 called net Moths later sock Moths on the used net 0:54:04.520 --> 0:54:09.160 news group system. Fun fact, So I had this super 0:54:09.239 --> 0:54:12.120 hyper nerd who I went to high school with. I 0:54:12.200 --> 0:54:14.880 forget his name, but I remember he was very practical 0:54:15.440 --> 0:54:18.319 and he told me, and it's so funny because I'm mad. 0:54:18.440 --> 0:54:20.719 I was mad then and now I'm even more mad 0:54:20.760 --> 0:54:23.160 because he was right because I used to do art, 0:54:23.880 --> 0:54:26.600 and uh, I would like, do the art, and then 0:54:26.640 --> 0:54:29.000 I would tell him, like the whole story behind, like 0:54:29.120 --> 0:54:31.680 the comic I was trying to make and all this stuff, 0:54:31.719 --> 0:54:35.319 and he straight up to my face was like, yeah, 0:54:35.400 --> 0:54:37.480 your art is not good, but you'll probably be an 0:54:37.520 --> 0:54:43.960 amazing writer. And I remember being like this dude, and 0:54:44.040 --> 0:54:49.520 like I'm a professional writer now kind of yeah, I'm 0:54:49.719 --> 0:54:51.719 mad about that. Is that your gay friend that told 0:54:51.719 --> 0:55:01.160 you that you'll be a great writer? He? Uh, he 0:55:01.320 --> 0:55:04.279 was this other dude. He was like almost stops. He 0:55:04.360 --> 0:55:11.680 was like a Jehovah's witness, and I like, so maybe, 0:55:12.680 --> 0:55:15.960 but he was really into building computers. And this was 0:55:16.000 --> 0:55:18.040 like back when I was a freshman, so this was 0:55:18.400 --> 0:55:21.759 hella new to me. And he had this guy who 0:55:21.880 --> 0:55:24.080 was like his kind of mentor and was teaching him 0:55:24.080 --> 0:55:26.520 about building computers. And he was like, you gotta check 0:55:26.560 --> 0:55:29.319 out this thing called newsgroups, newsgroups or where it's at. 0:55:29.360 --> 0:55:32.560 You gotta go on newsgroups. Uh, And he kind of 0:55:33.040 --> 0:55:34.680 told me how to do it, but I never figured 0:55:34.719 --> 0:55:36.360 out how to work. I had like the client to 0:55:36.480 --> 0:55:39.320 launch into newsgroups, but like, it's crazy reading about his 0:55:39.440 --> 0:55:45.080 news groups was like early internet stuff. But anyway, we'll suck. 0:55:45.320 --> 0:55:48.120 So suck is it suck? MOTS just we're gonna just 0:55:48.480 --> 0:55:51.239 someone will correct us, probably, I want to say. MOTS 0:55:51.280 --> 0:55:54.000 stood for members of the same sex, and so it 0:55:54.080 --> 0:55:56.320 was a way for it was essentially had threads and 0:55:56.520 --> 0:55:58.680 it was a way for people to to talk and 0:55:58.960 --> 0:56:01.279 members to talk. And it was actually one of the 0:56:01.320 --> 0:56:05.719 biggest membership communities of the early Internet. And it's really 0:56:05.760 --> 0:56:09.080 interesting because you can still go uh search on sock 0:56:09.160 --> 0:56:12.560 mats and see all of these forums from the eighties 0:56:13.719 --> 0:56:16.200 and see the first almost like the first time of 0:56:16.239 --> 0:56:19.319 like gay communication then and especially during a you know, 0:56:19.400 --> 0:56:23.319 troublesome time of the AIDS epidemic and everything it was 0:56:23.480 --> 0:56:26.719 as a gay person. It's it's really hard because it's 0:56:26.800 --> 0:56:28.879 not like, you know, when you have a Latino family 0:56:29.000 --> 0:56:30.800 or a black family behind you, you have people to 0:56:30.880 --> 0:56:33.759 kind of give your your culture, not just do are 0:56:33.760 --> 0:56:37.000 we not born from obviously gay parents, but a lot 0:56:37.080 --> 0:56:38.840 of people from the eighties died and a lot of 0:56:38.880 --> 0:56:42.640 these amazing innovative LGBT people are dead now and we 0:56:42.719 --> 0:56:46.120 will never really will get their stories told to us. 0:56:47.040 --> 0:56:51.000 It's great to see the conversation still there in print 0:56:51.560 --> 0:56:53.840 talking about dealing with some of the same things that 0:56:53.840 --> 0:56:58.240 our community still faces, and and seeing that in print 0:56:58.360 --> 0:57:01.040 just made me feel like just I got really emotional 0:57:01.080 --> 0:57:03.040 reading some of it because I was like, wow, this 0:57:03.160 --> 0:57:07.040 is what and also how little things have changed. You 0:57:07.080 --> 0:57:09.760 can kind of see how the early development of Internet 0:57:09.760 --> 0:57:13.000 talked like it was very much like reading a gay reddit. 0:57:13.080 --> 0:57:16.200 Threat of people just back and forth just talking about 0:57:16.760 --> 0:57:18.960 I think there was even just like a huge debate 0:57:19.360 --> 0:57:23.320 on speedos or something. It was like a weird like 0:57:23.360 --> 0:57:25.280 Speedo colors, and I was like, this is something that 0:57:25.320 --> 0:57:28.440 would still just be on my Facebook feed. Now. I 0:57:28.520 --> 0:57:31.680 know that is wild because it is because there's one 0:57:31.720 --> 0:57:34.720 thing when you look at movies that portray a time 0:57:34.840 --> 0:57:38.160 and like, you know, especially like if you for lack 0:57:38.200 --> 0:57:40.720 of a better movie, even though this movie it was 0:57:41.000 --> 0:57:47.200 problematic a f but like, um, it was about the riots, um, 0:57:47.360 --> 0:57:51.240 but like you had all weight, all white gay cast 0:57:52.000 --> 0:57:56.400 uh no, which I mean black trans women are what 0:57:57.320 --> 0:58:02.080 They've really laid the groundwork for the LGBT movement. They 0:58:02.120 --> 0:58:05.040 did so much for us, and to see them just 0:58:05.120 --> 0:58:08.480 being completely underrepresented when they did so much work, and 0:58:08.480 --> 0:58:11.160 then just to see white gay men in the front 0:58:11.200 --> 0:58:13.320 of this movie was It's so sad, man, I mean 0:58:13.360 --> 0:58:16.600 they still do. It's we're finally getting I mean, we're 0:58:16.600 --> 0:58:24.400 getting what's the show, Pope finally giving black trans women, 0:58:24.440 --> 0:58:27.920 I mean just trans women in general, the most underrepresented 0:58:27.960 --> 0:58:30.520 group in this country, just a voice that they need. 0:58:30.800 --> 0:58:32.760 I think that's so cool about members of the same 0:58:32.760 --> 0:58:35.840 sex as um, this this group is that Like, also, 0:58:36.680 --> 0:58:39.600 you hear movies, there's so many movies about the AIDS epidemic, 0:58:39.720 --> 0:58:42.840 and to finally actually see what the conversations were just 0:58:42.920 --> 0:58:47.200 like there's no, it wasn't a published article. It wasn't 0:58:47.240 --> 0:58:51.000 It was just like people conversing about AIDS, a lot 0:58:51.080 --> 0:58:54.400 of misinformation, a lot of people that just had no 0:58:54.480 --> 0:58:57.720 idea what it was happening. And just see those conversations 0:58:57.760 --> 0:59:00.720 just typed up. It's something that it wasn't for this, 0:59:00.800 --> 0:59:03.240 we would not be able to experience anything like And 0:59:03.280 --> 0:59:05.320 that's what That's what the point I was making is 0:59:05.360 --> 0:59:07.760 like when you see that portrayed in movies, you're getting 0:59:07.800 --> 0:59:12.440 this kind of dramatized, kind of assumed idea of what's 0:59:12.440 --> 0:59:15.000 going on, and this is just cold hard facts. These 0:59:15.040 --> 0:59:17.520 are what the people at the time we're talking about. 0:59:17.600 --> 0:59:20.040 Like imagine if you can go back to like the 0:59:20.120 --> 0:59:22.880 civil rights movement and see, like you know, the sneak 0:59:22.920 --> 0:59:26.160 shots that Malcolm Max and Martin Luther King were shooting 0:59:26.160 --> 0:59:28.040 at each other on the forums, Like you're getting a 0:59:28.200 --> 0:59:33.000 very real representation and that, I think is something that's 0:59:33.040 --> 0:59:36.360 going to be cool about the future. Is like when 0:59:36.400 --> 0:59:38.520 we move from now, people are going to be able 0:59:38.520 --> 0:59:40.560 to pull the things that we've said and it's not 0:59:40.600 --> 0:59:43.400 going to be a question of you know, this is 0:59:43.480 --> 0:59:46.480 kind of like what the general idea was it you 0:59:46.520 --> 0:59:49.960 have it right there. It's also I think the it's 0:59:50.040 --> 0:59:53.920 why there are so many LGBT nerds is because most people, 0:59:54.400 --> 0:59:58.160 I mean, Cannon and I came from both very homophobic backgrounds, 0:59:58.560 --> 1:00:00.960 and I think we both latched onto video games and 1:00:01.080 --> 1:00:04.840 nerd culture because that was our safe space. That was 1:00:04.880 --> 1:00:08.400 our favor space for figuring out what being gay is. 1:00:08.960 --> 1:00:11.560 That my first the first person I ever told that 1:00:11.680 --> 1:00:14.000 I was gay too was an internet friend that I've 1:00:14.040 --> 1:00:16.640 still did this day. I've never you know, met, but 1:00:16.720 --> 1:00:19.160 someone that I would That was the first part because 1:00:19.200 --> 1:00:21.680 that was safe to me, was telling someone on the 1:00:21.880 --> 1:00:23.880 on the internet when I was you know, you know, 1:00:24.000 --> 1:00:26.480 young enough. That was the only safe space for us. 1:00:26.760 --> 1:00:28.800 That's the only way to find information, that was the 1:00:28.840 --> 1:00:31.800 only way, especially in small rural towns. That that's it. 1:00:32.080 --> 1:00:34.800 I mean, that's so interesting to me, if you don't 1:00:34.800 --> 1:00:38.640 mind elaborating, what was that experience, like, how how what 1:00:38.720 --> 1:00:41.560 was the reaction? You know, when I first came out 1:00:41.600 --> 1:00:44.479 to my parents was one of the most difficult times. Ever, 1:00:44.680 --> 1:00:47.200 I I didn't talk to my mom for like months afterwards, 1:00:47.400 --> 1:00:50.360 and um, it kind of makes me feel sad and 1:00:50.400 --> 1:00:54.560 a little empty that the only loving and supporting um 1:00:54.680 --> 1:00:57.320 relationship that I could have to tell someone was someone 1:00:57.360 --> 1:01:00.800 on the internet that I would never get that comfort from. 1:01:00.920 --> 1:01:02.600 Is a straight guy on the internet that I played 1:01:02.640 --> 1:01:05.560 an online game with, But that was the only person 1:01:05.680 --> 1:01:08.200 I felt comfortable with and the only person that I 1:01:08.280 --> 1:01:12.040 had And it's kind of why I mean, Cannon and 1:01:12.080 --> 1:01:15.080 I both gravitated towards finding this. You know, l A 1:01:15.160 --> 1:01:18.840 Gaming Society is so that we could get people who 1:01:19.200 --> 1:01:22.400 are queer nerds to actually be able to meet up 1:01:22.840 --> 1:01:25.280 and actually feel like they have a support group because 1:01:25.320 --> 1:01:28.560 even especially in even though la is very liberal, there's 1:01:28.600 --> 1:01:31.240 so many places outside of l A, California that are 1:01:31.360 --> 1:01:35.440 very very homophobic. People that don't have homes, and it's 1:01:35.480 --> 1:01:38.439 hard enough for someone that's young and charismatic to move 1:01:38.480 --> 1:01:40.440 to I mean that to move to l A and 1:01:40.480 --> 1:01:43.960 be beautiful for people who it's difficult for them to 1:01:43.960 --> 1:01:46.040 talk to, we have we have to give them a 1:01:46.040 --> 1:01:48.479 safe space because I feel like no one's fighting for them, 1:01:49.080 --> 1:01:51.400 and no one really fought for us. So we kind 1:01:51.400 --> 1:01:54.160 of had to do something to kind of create a space. 1:01:54.200 --> 1:01:57.360 And that's why I mean Cannon's family to me, you know, 1:01:57.480 --> 1:02:01.160 because we had to create our own family, and I 1:02:01.160 --> 1:02:03.200 don't know the internet. The Internet, we would have never 1:02:03.280 --> 1:02:05.840 had lags if it wasn't for Reddit, for you know, 1:02:05.880 --> 1:02:08.320 the gay forms. I mean, you can talk about that 1:02:08.360 --> 1:02:11.440 a little bit. Yeah, I mean that there's there's a 1:02:11.440 --> 1:02:14.919 lot there, but I think, um, you're exactly right. I think, 1:02:15.080 --> 1:02:18.320 you know, gaming for so many people is their outlet 1:02:18.800 --> 1:02:21.280 because a lot of people live in a situation or 1:02:21.320 --> 1:02:24.880 in a circumstance that is dire, or is frustrating or 1:02:24.960 --> 1:02:28.080 is sad. So the nice thing about gaming is you 1:02:28.120 --> 1:02:30.280 know that that can be an outlet and escape for everyone. 1:02:30.400 --> 1:02:32.520 The downside of that is a lot of people take 1:02:32.560 --> 1:02:35.640 that negativity with them from whatever suffering it is that 1:02:35.680 --> 1:02:38.040 they have and they bring it into that space. And 1:02:38.080 --> 1:02:40.920 that's why you have the homophobia and the misogyny and 1:02:40.960 --> 1:02:44.040 the racism and all the ugly parts, right, And a 1:02:44.040 --> 1:02:47.400 lot of people I think don't realize that that they're 1:02:47.400 --> 1:02:51.200 bringing that with them. So when you're when you're queer 1:02:51.280 --> 1:02:53.840 like we are, and you you want to have you 1:02:53.880 --> 1:02:55.320 want to have your outlet, right, you wanta have that 1:02:55.320 --> 1:02:57.400 thing you grew up with where you bonded, and you 1:02:57.440 --> 1:02:59.080 want to have that safe space where you can play 1:02:59.120 --> 1:03:03.960 those games and just enjoy yourself. Right. So, to kind 1:03:03.960 --> 1:03:05.800 of bounce off with you said, I'm a big proponent 1:03:05.840 --> 1:03:07.920 of creating your own family. It's something that a lot 1:03:07.920 --> 1:03:09.960 of queer people have to do because we don't have 1:03:10.520 --> 1:03:13.680 we we don't really have another option. So creating that 1:03:13.760 --> 1:03:17.640 queer family around something like gaming has been a really, 1:03:17.680 --> 1:03:19.720 really great experience, and I think it is something we 1:03:19.800 --> 1:03:23.160 fought really hard for over the past few years, but 1:03:23.800 --> 1:03:26.440 it's it's worth it. Like we we just had a 1:03:26.520 --> 1:03:29.400 meet up last weekend on right, We just took a 1:03:29.400 --> 1:03:31.000 bunch of nerds to the beach. And it's like every 1:03:31.000 --> 1:03:32.440 time we have a new meet up, we always meet 1:03:32.440 --> 1:03:36.800 new people from different countries and different counties in different places, 1:03:36.840 --> 1:03:39.680 like from all over and they're just like, yeah, my 1:03:39.760 --> 1:03:41.640 friend you know told me about this group because I 1:03:41.680 --> 1:03:43.160 didn't have any friends when I moved here, and my 1:03:43.200 --> 1:03:45.040 family doesn't talk to me when I came out, and 1:03:45.560 --> 1:03:47.320 this is really cool, Like I've never met this many 1:03:47.320 --> 1:03:50.120 gay people before. And most of the time they're connected 1:03:50.400 --> 1:03:54.040 from meeting someone from the Internet. And that's why nerd 1:03:54.080 --> 1:03:56.960 curl culture is so important and why internet culture is 1:03:56.960 --> 1:04:00.960 so important for us, because I mean, I can't imagine 1:04:01.000 --> 1:04:02.760 what it would be like our where I would be 1:04:02.800 --> 1:04:05.400 without the Internet and being able to meet people and 1:04:05.480 --> 1:04:09.480 find people that were like me. You know, I think 1:04:09.520 --> 1:04:12.280 a lot of people can relate to their internet friends 1:04:12.320 --> 1:04:16.000 almost being closer than in real life people that they know. 1:04:16.200 --> 1:04:18.960 I know, I see that a lot in discord if 1:04:19.000 --> 1:04:20.840 you and I used to host at a channel called 1:04:20.920 --> 1:04:24.440 hyper RPG, which is a very positive channel, but they 1:04:24.440 --> 1:04:27.439 had a very positive discord of people that could talk 1:04:27.480 --> 1:04:29.320 about their problems and issues in a way that they 1:04:29.320 --> 1:04:31.480 wouldn't be able to around their family. And I found that. 1:04:31.640 --> 1:04:34.400 So I would pop in there and and be talking 1:04:34.440 --> 1:04:36.480 about things and and harassment and stuff that I was 1:04:36.520 --> 1:04:38.160 dealing with, and they would all come to my aid. 1:04:38.200 --> 1:04:41.400 But it was just so nice to see the positive 1:04:41.520 --> 1:04:44.240 parts of of nerd um like you were saying, and 1:04:44.280 --> 1:04:47.200 to remind ourselves of that, yeah, that it's not all 1:04:47.240 --> 1:04:52.960 gamer gait and crazy, just death threats toward that's a 1:04:53.000 --> 1:04:55.720 small and there. And at the same time they're trying 1:04:55.760 --> 1:05:00.080 to find a movement that they can latch onto you 1:05:00.200 --> 1:05:02.240 that makes them feel like they're a part of something 1:05:02.520 --> 1:05:06.160 and they're angry about other things besides just that that 1:05:06.280 --> 1:05:08.760 is just being projected the wrong way. All we can 1:05:08.800 --> 1:05:13.640 do is create positive movements and hopefully get people that 1:05:13.640 --> 1:05:15.120 that might be a part of this. You know, there 1:05:15.120 --> 1:05:16.600 are a lot of people, for instance, that are in 1:05:16.640 --> 1:05:18.960 gamer Gate that are really really great people that are 1:05:19.040 --> 1:05:21.720 just have a lot of misinformation, that just want to 1:05:21.760 --> 1:05:23.640 be a part of something and they want to change 1:05:23.680 --> 1:05:26.240 the gaming industry and they wanted things to be positive, 1:05:26.400 --> 1:05:29.440 but they have a lot of mislead information and they 1:05:29.480 --> 1:05:33.320 start taking out um or they might not even take 1:05:33.360 --> 1:05:35.840 things out on women, but they support other people that do. 1:05:36.360 --> 1:05:39.000 And I think all we can do is create positive 1:05:39.040 --> 1:05:41.880 groups where they feel like people who feel like they 1:05:41.880 --> 1:05:43.520 need to be a part of something can latch onto 1:05:43.560 --> 1:05:48.200 those positive groups and create something positive. If you was 1:05:48.240 --> 1:05:49.760 going to say, I think that we might have to 1:05:50.360 --> 1:05:52.880 take in landing, I know I wanted to touch on 1:05:52.920 --> 1:05:55.520 Star Trek, but I think that Danny was like, I'm 1:05:55.560 --> 1:05:57.640 scared someone's gonna, you know, be mad that we didn't 1:05:57.640 --> 1:06:00.280 talk about all things. Because Star Trek was a huge 1:06:00.280 --> 1:06:02.080 part of what I'm gonna say is I wanted to 1:06:02.240 --> 1:06:04.400 I did want to address it, but I'll address it 1:06:04.480 --> 1:06:08.600 on us our Star Trek episode. Actually, um so, Kenny 1:06:08.720 --> 1:06:10.640 might have to have you back for that because that's 1:06:10.680 --> 1:06:14.160 something that you would love that. Yes, you talk about 1:06:14.240 --> 1:06:17.680 gay Star Trek exactly, well, we need to talk about 1:06:17.720 --> 1:06:20.160 the lack of it for a huge part and then 1:06:20.320 --> 1:06:23.520 how it just kind of came in. But anyways, um, 1:06:23.560 --> 1:06:26.360 where can everyone find you? And if people want to 1:06:26.480 --> 1:06:29.479 join any of your organizations, if you could let us know. Yeah, 1:06:29.520 --> 1:06:33.480 you can type up LAGS that's LAGS, l A Gaming Society, 1:06:33.640 --> 1:06:38.400 g A y Gaming uh Society on Facebook. We have 1:06:38.440 --> 1:06:40.720 a Facebook group. Would love to add you on their 1:06:41.320 --> 1:06:45.400 h My name is at Tinder Chris on Instagram and Twitter. 1:06:46.120 --> 1:06:49.320 Also just as a plug, check out Cooking on High 1:06:49.400 --> 1:06:52.160 on Netflix. That's a show I'm on. We need a 1:06:52.160 --> 1:06:57.080 season two so I needed money, So please watch Clicking 1:06:57.080 --> 1:07:00.600 on High on Netflix and get me a job. Um 1:07:00.680 --> 1:07:02.840 Canon h Yeah, I feel free to add me on 1:07:02.840 --> 1:07:05.440 Facebook if you're so inclined. If you're into more nerdy 1:07:05.440 --> 1:07:09.480 fun stuff and video games. I love expanding my online family. 1:07:09.760 --> 1:07:13.080 Also fund my Instagram at Canon dot gift. Yeah, reach 1:07:13.120 --> 1:07:16.920 out to Yeah Tinder Chris and Cannon dot gift on Instagram. 1:07:17.120 --> 1:07:19.320 We love helping out, Like, by the way, is there 1:07:19.360 --> 1:07:22.200 any young queer listeners or anyone that needs help or 1:07:22.200 --> 1:07:24.080 any advice. You can reach out to us and we 1:07:24.080 --> 1:07:27.000 would love to give you advice and help you guys out. Yes, 1:07:27.760 --> 1:07:30.040 and I also love the anime post that you have 1:07:30.120 --> 1:07:34.440 the funniest Instagram stories, Chris. I go through all of them. 1:07:34.560 --> 1:07:41.080 It's all Sailor Moon and Yeah in there too. I 1:07:41.120 --> 1:07:46.280 am at ms Danny Fernandez. Um, yeah, what what? Please 1:07:46.520 --> 1:07:48.880 check out our tea public. Everyone's been loving those shirts. 1:07:48.880 --> 1:07:51.520 We did a get away, will probably do one again 1:07:51.560 --> 1:07:53.720 in the future, but in the meantime, go grab some shirts. 1:07:53.760 --> 1:07:56.040 I'm going to get the Batman one. I'm really excited, 1:07:56.640 --> 1:07:59.000 dope as hell. Oh, I will be at New York 1:07:59.040 --> 1:08:02.520 Comic Con, so I get to announce my Yes, I'm 1:08:02.640 --> 1:08:05.960 so excited to share some news with y'all. But yes, 1:08:06.000 --> 1:08:07.440 if you're going to be at New York Comic Con, 1:08:07.520 --> 1:08:09.840 I will also be there. This is my first time, 1:08:09.960 --> 1:08:14.200 so tell me what to do and and uh yeah, 1:08:14.280 --> 1:08:15.800 and and I have a panel on Friday that I 1:08:15.800 --> 1:08:18.160 get to announce in a little bit. So okay, I 1:08:18.200 --> 1:08:19.679 was waiting for you to announce it and you didn't 1:08:19.680 --> 1:08:22.840 say anything. I have a pass. I'll probably be hanging out. 1:08:23.640 --> 1:08:25.760 You know, you might see me there, you might not 1:08:27.000 --> 1:08:32.080 pay attention. Catch me at F Y n W A 1:08:32.160 --> 1:08:35.800 D I D E on Twitter and Instagram. If these 1:08:35.880 --> 1:08:38.240 on Twitch, Thank you all the nerd fan coming through 1:08:38.439 --> 1:08:41.479 dropping those Twitch prime subs. And here is your regular 1:08:41.520 --> 1:08:44.640 reminder that if you twitch prime sub you gotta do 1:08:44.680 --> 1:08:47.479 what every month it doesn't auto renew. I need them bucks. Maybe. 1:08:47.760 --> 1:08:50.800 Thank you so much. I love y'all, and as always, wait, 1:08:50.840 --> 1:08:53.120 I wanted to say, um, please tweet at us your 1:08:53.160 --> 1:08:56.160 favorite queer characters are like when you first filmed yourself 1:08:56.160 --> 1:08:59.280 representing anything that we might have missed. We'd need any 1:08:59.280 --> 1:09:02.360 references that we probably missed a lot, so help us out. 1:09:02.520 --> 1:09:05.960 Definitely do that tweet it. We're gonna retweet you, share 1:09:06.000 --> 1:09:09.559 the love. Really want y'all feeling nice and represented, because, 1:09:09.640 --> 1:09:14.360 like our motto says, it's a nerdy deep dive for everyone. Uh, 1:09:14.640 --> 1:09:18.800 don't make me. Don't make me do the tweet where 1:09:18.840 --> 1:09:23.320 I retweet you, then I drag you. Then I go 1:09:23.439 --> 1:09:25.320 to the part where it says a nerdy deep dive 1:09:25.360 --> 1:09:29.559 for everyone, and zoom in on everyone. You know what 1:09:29.640 --> 1:09:31.960 I'm talking about, and you know what I'm asking you 1:09:32.000 --> 1:09:36.040 not to do, so don't do it. But on that note, 1:09:36.880 --> 1:09:38.960 stay nerdy everyone,