As I’ve mentioned before, I rarely write about single pop culture issues. However, sometimes the stars align and I find something that both entertains and compels me to say something. Last time, it was The Real World: Washington, D.C. This time, it’s a bit different…
Around this time last Monday, as I sat at my computer, desperately trying to write a final paper, I saw that I had several new updates on my Twitter account. Never being one to avoid procrastination, I clicked open the window to see what wonders laid in store for me in the Tweetverse. My friend is moving. That cute girl I know is waxing philosophical. Neil Patrick Harris is funny. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then, right up top, I saw the update I had been waiting for:
AnyoneButMe
“Date Night” episode 7 @AnyoneButMe midnight EST
I’m expecting to see a few hands raised right about now. Who is “AnyoneButMe“? Why would you get excited over a tweet? You have a twitter account? Well, dear readers, “Anyone But Me” is my favorite web series (with queer friendly Felicia Day’s “The Guild” running a close second), and that tweet ended my wait for the next new episode (and yes, I do have a twitter account). I have since watched it five times.
I am a fan. I like being a fan of things. I don’t say that in the “oh, everybody likes something” kind of way, or the “click a button on Facebook” kind of way. No, I mean an actual fan, can tell you all the episode titles and guest stars, knows which teams that player played for, could cast a spell on you if Hogwarts was real. I enjoy enjoying things. It’s fun to get all excited about something that brings you joy and connects you to others. Even more fun? Getting others to join in. So, allow me to talk to you about the lesbian sensation sweeping the internet nation!
“Anyone But Me” revolves around Vivian, a sweet high schooler who has been transplanted from New York City to Westchester because of her dad’s health (he was a firefighter during 9/11 and now has breathing problems). Her new universe is one with awkward yet well-meaning aunts, adorably straight(?) neighbors, and best friends with some killer comic skills. Her old universe, the one that struggles to keep up with the new one, is filled with Aster, Viv’s bold and beautiful girlfriend who longs for the day when the distance isn’t so hard (or even an issue). Issues of sex, race, secrets, lies, peer pressure, sexual orientation, drugs, you name it are all discussed, but, most importantly, the show is one about love. Father/daughter, significant others, friends, crushes-at the end of the road, it all comes down to love.
Okay, so yeah, I’m a fan. A big fan (if you want ‘em, I’ve got stories). So what? This isn’t a review site or ad space. This is a blog about ideals! Yeah! Right! Let’s talk about some ideals! First, how about acceptance? Every teen show from Degrassi (the old one) to 90210 (the new one) has covered this in one way or another. Some character, let’s call them Mo, is teh gay. Mo denies it…or shouts it all over the school. Someone bashes them…or someone helps them in their time of homosexual need. They get a significant other…and everybody worries that it’ll be weird, including Mo. There’s some big deal about Mo’s parents finding out, and either Mo gets welcomed with rainbow arms or kicked out faster than an NFL football. Then, you have ABM. Vivian is gay. I know it, you know it. Aster certainly knows it. Vivian’s dad knows it. Guess how he reacts? He doesn’t. He barely mentions it, and not in a “I’m denying who my daughter is” kind of way. Think about it, how much time did/do YOUR parents spend thinking/talking about who you’re dating, assuming they like them? My guess? They have better things to think about. In the first episode, Aster gives Viv a goodbye kiss in plain sight of her dad; no reaction. Aster comes to visit and sleeps in Viv’s room (which is something I can’t imagine most parents of teenagers doing regardless of the kid’s sexuality, but hey! Good for him). The issue is that it’s a nonissue, which is a true testimony of acceptance. Allies, take note.
Let’s continue on that whole “nonissue” train. When I watch television, guess how many opposite sex couples I see making out? Ok, sure, good guess. Now, guess how many same-sex couples I see making out? If your answer is “fewer than the opposite sex couples,” then congratulations. Your prize will arrive in 2-6 business days (seriously, though, not counting reruns of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” the answer is probably 2). Oh, and once a character does participate in that homosexy smooch, one of two things happens: 1) they panic, find a way to accept what happened as a fluke and never do it again (this usually happens during sweeps), or 2) their sexuality becomes the whole point of their character. Everyone else gets real problems, good ol’ Mo gets to figure out if that new kid is gay or not. Viv and Aster are gay, and a lot of what happens on the show revolves around it, but it’s certainly not their only trait. Viv is a writer, not happy about having a mother figure again (her mom bailed, the aunt is her sister), a future writer with exactly two friends who wants to bust out. Aster constantly copes with parental issues of neglect, has a hard time being honest about the hardships of her life, and is a shopaholic. This is not a lesbian teen couple; it is a teen couple who happens to be lesbian. They have enough depth and character to hold their own, just like real people do.
Lastly, I’d like to talk about the person who has grown to be my least favorite character: Sophie. Sophie is Viv’s new next door neighbor, and as she now lives in her aunt’s house, she’s known Sophie for quite some time. She’s sweet in an adorable sort of way, but she’s not a pushover. When the show begins, she has a football player boyfriend who she doesn’t want to sleep with (not because she hasn’t before, but because she doesn’t want to, which, hello, personal choices FTW). They break up over it, thus beginning the storyline that I both love and hate. Now that she’s single, viewers are wondering whether or not she likes girls. Aster’s wondering this, too. Viv is wondering, but would rather assume she doesn’t for reasons that will become apparent if you watch the show. I hate this because it seems as if it could be a threat to the main couple (because I treat them like they’re real, of course), but I love it because we honestly don’t know. Right now, everything is clues, subtext, assumptions. It’s just like real life. You don’t always know who is and who isn’t, and trying to figure it out can be frustrating. What’s more, I’m not even sure if she (Sophie) knows at this point, which, if this is the case, makes this story hit pretty close to home. Being queer, not being queer, figuring all that out, that stuff is DIFFICULT, but not always in an obvious “I might be gay!” panic. Sometimes, it’s subtle, it’s quiet, it’s calm on the outside and a storm on the inside.
If television media tells us who we’re supposed to be like (and quite often, it does), then web media gives us the opportunity to show who we really are. The story of Viv and Aster wouldn’t survive the current television market and its concerns about (melo)dramatic storylines, prime time appropriateness, and product placement. That’s the beauty of it being online: it’s a pure story, influenced by truth, representing those who don’t always get a fair representation (and that’ not just in regards to sexuality; while I haven’t talked about it much, the connection between being a racial minority and a sexual minority has proven an important part of the show). It is honest, it is positive, and that is why I write about it. Not because I enjoy being a fan, not because the leads are gorgeous (which they are), but because seeing ourselves matters. It matters so much. I teach kids, some of them in high school, some of them rainbow, some of them probably closeted. Knowing that those kids can watch something that will show them that being queer is not an issue of the week or some kind of fluke to the norm is big. Knowing that the straight kids can watch this and see an example of the struggles couples go through, with the added secrecy of being gay, helps make for empathetic human beings. Parents can learn from it, teachers can learn from it. All can enjoy it. So, as I check Twitter once again to see if that cute girl has updated at all, I keep an eye out for something that represents me. I invite you to do the same.
