AvidBards
Reflections

Why I Want to See More Intersectional Queer Representation in Media

Visibility matters. It’s a simple enough concept, one we’ve heard time and time again. And yet, there is still a huge gap in mainstream TV and film media that needs to be filled. While I fully acknowledge that it has taken a long time for LGBTQIA+ stories to make their way to small and big screens, we are now at a point where we need to work harder to normalize intersectional queerness. As such, I expect those in storytelling industries to prioritize underrepresented queer voices, because there is simply no excuse not to make queer people of colour, people with…

View Post
Books

Pride Month Reading List

One of our earliest posts that we had on the blog was a Reading List for Black History Month and it is still one of our most popular posts, gaining praise for giving a starting point for people wanting to diversify their reading. This year’s Pride Month seemed like a great opportunity to do the same for books featuring, or exclusively dealing with, LGBTQ+ themes. A lot of my academic career has been focused on the topic of gender and sexuality, which is one of the main reasons I was able to discover so many amazing books within the genre.…

View Post
Reflections

Pride Playlist

Pride Month is one of my favourite times of the year. I live in Toronto, which is one of the most diverse and queer-friendly cities. Pride Month is a time where the weather is finally getting warmer, the city becomes adorned with colour and liveliness, and though major corporations love to adopt Pride month as part of their marketing strategies (which I don’t really agree with), people are reminded of why there is so much to celebrate in the queer community. That being said, it’s extremely important for us to remember what the origins of the Pride Parade and Pride…

View Post
Movies

“The Greatest Showman” Unveiled

The Real History Behind P. T. Barnum and The Circus The Greatest Showman has quickly become a favourite amongst new releases in the last six months and I am in no way and exception to that. I absolutely adored the movie! How could you not? Everything from the characters, the music, the society defying love story were utterly lovable. However, despite all the feel-good feelings I got out watching it and listening to “This is Me” on repeat, I could not shake the discomfort I felt at the blatant re-writing of history going on in this movie. For any of…

View Post
TV Shows

Why “Queer as Folk” was Revolutionary

Happy Pride Month, everyone! Today’s post will be our first pride-related post in celebration. Remember to take this month to reflect on being more mindful, accepting, and open-minded in regards to the LGBTQIA+ community, no matter your own sexual orientation and gender preference. We can always learn from and grow with each other, regardless of how much we think we already know! About ten years ago, just as I was entering high school, I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about anything outside the realm of heteronormativity. Part of the blame goes to heteronormative dominance in schools (particularly in sex…

View Post