We the Animals
Jonah crawls beneath the crowded bed he shares with his brothers, his flashlight suspended between the pages of a journal. His legs splay half into the room as the camera flickers over the scrawl of his pencil beginning to draw. A blank page envelops the screen like a promise.
In We the Animals, a vivid and restless queer coming-of-age film in theaters August 17, the raw feelings that Jonah spills onto the page aren’t the sort he’s able to articulate aloud. In fact, Jonah hardly says much at all as a 10-year-old growing up in a small, volatile home with two older brothers and combative parents. Based on Justin Torres’ semi-autobiographical novel about his childhood in upstate New York, the film plunges into the mind of its young protagonist through his frenetic and expressive drawings.
It’s more than a stunning visual technique; Jonah’s escape into the blank pages of his journal illustrates the particular value of artistic expression for queer youth. “Art assists with identity formation,” says Daniel Blausey, PhD, a practicing art psychotherapist in New York City. “It is a safe place free from social judgement.” Jonah’s empty journal offers freedom from external rules and expectations that attempt to set limits on who he might imagine himself to be. If self-determination outside of social strictures is the basic liberty that all queerness demands, We the Animals demonstrates that sometimes, art can be one’s only means to achieve it.
Austria deems Teenage Boy not gay enough to deserve Asylum
Austrian officials rejected an Afghan gay teenage asylum seeker because aggression isn’t ‘expected from a homosexual’, according to the report written on him by the responsible officials. The official found no grounds for fear of persecution for the 18-year-old, according to the Falter Newspaper. Homosexuality is illegal in Afghanistan and can be punishable by death.
The assessment contained many concerns. It reportedly stated that, because the teenager got into a fight with roommates in his accommodation, he had ‘potential for aggression’. This ‘wouldn’t be expected from a homosexual’.
The report also noted: ‘The way you walk, act or dress does not show even in the slightest that you could be homosexual. Astonishingly, the report used having only a few friends and spending time alone against him. The assessment noted: ‘Aren’t homosexuals rather social?’
The 18-year-old also noted he kissed straight men. The official rejected this, saying that no straight guy would allow this to happen and would have beaten him. The Falter reported that the man came to Austria as a minor and is appealing against the decision.
This comes days after it was revealed an Iranian asylum seeker was rejected because he couldn’t explain what the six colours of the Pride flag stand for.
According to the Federal Office for Aliens and Asylum (BFA), not knowing the meaning behind the global LGBTI flag was reason enough to block his asylum request. Luckily, Austrian LGBTI group ‘Queer Base’ were able to support him through the process, and he has now been given asylum in the country.
Man Enough
Justin Baldoni wants to start a dialogue with men about redefining masculinity — to figure out ways to be not just good men but good humans.
Submitted by hint hunter
High School Girl?
Spoilers ahead, watch the video first ;)
If you watch the ad again, you can appreciate the quiet subtlety with which it shows its hand: It’s less of a reveal than a call to be more attentive. The opening scene, for example, focuses not on the teacher but on what she is holding: An image of a piece of art depicting a woman. This image is flipped at the end to reflect how easily we can be fooled once we’ve looked at something, decided what it is, and moved on.Here’s the making-of video: