How's life going?...and also the actual assignment

Mission Log #10, I guess: I haven't posted in almost two weeks now. It's almost the end of my second week at my mom's house in Morgantown, WV, and I'm struggling. Not with classes, if you could believe it-honestly, I feel just as good about them now as I did at the beginning of the semester. Actually, it's the whole "being stuck at home" thing that's got me in a tizzy. I'm a little confused as to how this is supposed to work. I thought that living at my mom's meant I had free reign to do what I normally did, which was not much, really...I mean, not counting the countless extracurriculars that I engaged in, which are all now cancelled, postponed, or meeting over Zoom (shoutout to Delta Zeta and Rotaract for using this wonderful service!).  I suppose my family is also a little confounded as to how the arrangement is supposed to go: I'm supposed to be anti-social and not helpful because I'm upset about leaving campus, and everyone else is supposed to just...adapt, I guess? 

Anyway, I guess everything is fine here. I've downloaded Animal Crossing on my phone. My brother told me the superior version is on the Nintendo Switch, which I don't have. It turns out they are almost $300 and out of stock at every store that sells them. I'm a bit bummed about that, but the less money I owe to Tom Nook, the better. I also finished watching the "Tournament of Champions" on Food Network. I won't spoil who won, but boy, was it wacky! I've never been more hungry and anxious for no reason in all my life!

I'm sitting outside while writing this, which was a mistake. It's forty-six degrees outside and the wind keeps blowing out my grapefruit-scented candle, which is annoying. My fingers are cold, although I suppose that's not new-- my hands are always frigid. Maybe I should take iron supplements? 

Ugh, who am I kidding-- isolation is killing me! These mundane thoughts are driving me nuts! Please, get me out of here!

Well, I suppose I should actually start my blog post for the week. Thanks for entertaining my rambling-- I desperately needed that.

We have read plenty of works by women comedy writers who have basically repeated the same overall message: Women shouldn't be afraid to stand up for better treatment. The only reason women before us didn't succeed in achieving equality with men is because we didn't have the right resources at the time. We are gaining traction, but we have to keep working. This isn't a bad message, by any means. It's hopeful, inspiring, and powerful. It describes the feminist movement perfectly. 

This is where Branum and Sedaris' message diverges with their own interpretation of a movement that is more personal for them: the gay rights movement. They say that gay men have been afraid to demand more rights because they were already in danger. They wanted to survive in a world that already didn’t accept them and asking for more rights was not the way to do it. Now, they have rights, but what does that really mean? Are they actually able to express themselves? Or are they still confined to hiding spaces and very few locations of freedom like before?

It seems that Branum and Sedaris are slightly pessimistic about how their community is faring overall. Sure, Sedaris was happy about the fourteen year old boy in his parents' neighborhood being openly gay without shame ("Road Trips", 64), and Branum is at peace with his sexuality and his life plan ("The Rules of Enchantment"), but it seems they aren't actually sure what to think about the gay community's future. They both grew up during a time when being gay wasn't only something feared by society, it was illegal. Contracting HIV/AIDS was the end of your life, socially and literally. To be openly gay now is incredibly shocking for anyone who had to live during this time.

But after fighting for rights for decades, what exactly did the gay community get in return? Branum mentions the role of George in the movie My Best Friend's Wedding (“The Rage of Caliban”, 122-124). He says that this role was a significant turning point for gay men in movies because of how the character of a gay man was portrayed. Instead of being a villain or a carrier of disease, he was a friend of a character that he knew was doing the wrong thing, but supported her anyway. Instead of being an antagonist, he was a side character that was...well, good.       

Was this enough for Branum? No. And it shouldn't be. Gay culture shouldn't be summarized by a few side-characters in popular movies (and it certainly shouldn't just be represented in Hollywood by Dear, Simon because let's be honest, here: it doesn't represent the vast majority of gay teens who remained in the closet until well after their eighteenth birthdays). But did he enjoy this movie because of George? Yes. Have I seen this movie to confirm that George stole the show? No, but I will at some point during my quarantine, I can guarantee it.