But I'm a Cheerleader

Released in 1999, But I’m  a cheerleader is comedy satire that tackles the very sensitive topics of heteronormativity, gender roles, and sexuality. Directed by Jamie Babbit and starting Natasha Lyonne, this film was panned by critics but it still made a modest amount at the box office and has since developed a cult following. This movie is a perfect material to discuss the elements of queer theory.

Queer cinema isn’t something new, it has been existing as a form of avant-garde cinema for years before it was introduced at the Toronto Film Festival 1991 as a concept. This concept t re-examined and reviewed the image of homosexuality. The proliferation of Queer Cinema can be traced to the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS. Gay people were wrongfully accused and stigmatized as the primary cause of the spread of this disease. Due to this queer cinema had become a more marketable commodity. New queer cinema isn’t a single motif or aesthetic but a collection of such that takes pride in their diversity. Be that as it may lesbianism and women don’t get as much representation as their male counterparts. Queer is a blanket term that is used to categorise people who aren’t cis-gendered  or heterosexual.  Although, its partly true, queer theory is much more than that. Queer Theory, creates and understanding and promotes debates on gender and sexuality, branching on the work done by Feminist Theory, and as a critical response to the numerous discourses surrounding AIDS & homosexuality. It also challenges us to think about the labels and stereotypes we have set for the world and question why it is so. Queer theory is totally against arbitrary and heteronormative practices that discriminate and oppress queer people. There are four main approaches when it comes to queer cinema. The first is audience reception. These are queer films made for queer audiences. They are very relatable to queer issues and problems faced by the queer community. The second approach is traditional straight media that appeal to the queer community. Classic movies which display strong female characters and their dominance usually attract queer audiences. The third is when producers and film makers are concerned with representing non-stereotypical queerness. This is a way of them to say that queerness doesn’t have labels. Queerness is not restricted to the archetypes and assumptions that have existed. Lastly the 4^th approach is when movies speak on a much larger scale than mere queerness and sexuality. It questions the reason why we do things in a certain way and what sort of barriers and norms society has placed on us. It challenges heteronormativity and places the question why we don’t allow thing due to arbitrary conventions set by man.

But I’m a cheerleader is the story of Megan a high school cheerleader who is lesbian but doesn’t know it yet. Her friends and family find out and send her to a conversion camp called True Directions that aims to “cure” homosexuality. In here she finds other gays like her in which some are actively trying to “change” and other are there merely to please their parents. This camp teaches the kids that being gay is wrong and enforces gender roles through practice gender activities such as cleaning in an attempt to turn them straight. The movie is about the journey of Megan as she falls in love and comes to accept her sexuality and eventually gets her parents support as well.

This movie actually uses a combination of approaches. Namely approach number 3 and approach number 4, We can see that Megan is portrayed as a stereotypical  blonde cheerleader who is in a  relationship with a boy. In actuality she’s actually a lesbian and this representation is meant to shed light on the fact the queer people exist in all shapes and forms. This point is further emphasized at the conversion camp where you had the stereotypical representation of gay people and also the non-stereotypical ones, further driving the point that gays can exists without labels.  These aspects are in line with approach 3 as in it challenges heteronormativity. The other part that this films bring in to question is the assigned gender roles and how men and women should be in society. This is frequently brought up as the adults in this movie keep reinforcing gender stereotypes ion the queer kids. For example, the girls at the True Directions camp are forced to undergo seemingly womanly activities such as cleaning and cooking. This enforces and unnecessary stereotype that all women are good for is housework and tending to men which is obviously far from the truth. Another thing this movie brings to light is the seemingly unprecedented taboo of being queer. Megan’s entire community started to shun her and took it upon their hands to set her on a straight path as if her being herself is somewhat of a crime. The concept that people can love someone of the same gender is so taboo and out of place they feel the need to impose their backward and outdated views on them. This was shown with the number of enrolled kids at the conversion camp.  This film advocates that people can be themselves and should be truthful to what they are and this is illustrated in the final scene where Graham ditched the graduation to be with Megan. This is what approach 4 is all about. Challenging so called societal norms and stigmas that have been ludicrously put in by arbitrary conventions.

Queer Theory is a very important aspect of life as it helps us understands oppression and look at the world beyond ourselves. This seeping of reality into film produced new queer cinema which brings light upon these under represented issues because what better way to make a statement than through film.