We are now into the first week of 2015. Congratulations, you survived 2014! Your extended family have gone home, not to be seen again for twelve months. Your decorations are slowly being taken down, and you are wondering what the consequences will be if you even try to put another piece of ham into your body.
You have probably even moved on to a juice cleanse by now. So now that the New Year is upon us, it is a good time to reflect on the year that has just passed.
We’ve all seen the usual lists of movies, television shows, and news events that happen around this time of year. This one however, is my special 2014: A Queer in Review.
It features a select few of my favourite people, and the most positive LGBTI moments that transpired in entertainment and sport throughout 2014, in my queerpinion.
There is no rhyme or reason – they are just the moments that I remembered without prompting, the ones that stayed with me for the whole year, had an effect on me, and were therefore significant.
First, there is the entirely wonderful 2014 experienced by actress and activist, Laverne Cox.
Not only did Cox have another great season as Sophia on the TV show Orange is the New Black, she also became the first transgender person nominated for an Emmy for her work.
If that wasn’t enough, she then became the first transgender person to appear on the cover of TIME Magazine. This was all in ADDITION to winning awards for her advocacy work, conducting speaking tours, producing a documentary, AND being so stylish and gorgeous that she was named Glamour Magazine’s ‘Woman of the Year’. This is a good place to point out that the alternate title for this list is People Who Made Me Feel Inferior in 2014.
There are generally a handful of notable people who come out in any given year. I am always pleased, hoping that it will have a positive impact for the wider community.
However, I also believe it should be up to the individual in question when, how and even if they want to have a public coming out (although I’m less sympathetic if it’s an anti-gay public figure).
It is easy to say that in this day and age people shouldn’t have to announce their sexuality, but even as non-celebrities (which I sadly am), there is endless speculation and rumour about defining your sexuality.
This is exceedingly so for celebrities. This has been demonstrated with perfect clarity through the career of swimmer Ian Thorpe, who faced unceasing conjecture from the time he was a teenager. In July this year, after more than a decade of this speculation, he came out in a televised interview.
I felt a great sense of relief and happiness for Thorpe, particularly as someone of almost the exact same age who had been through similar emotions, but with far less public scrutiny and much less swimming.
Coming out is a scary moment for most people, and must be exceptionally so when done publicly, as was evident not only with Thorpe’s interview, but also in actress Ellen Page’s nervous and lovely coming out speech at a 2014 HRC (Human Rights Campaign) conference.
Like Thorpe, she had faced constant speculation, and used the speech as an opportunity to end it by coming out. It was a beautiful moment to bear witness to; as was Michael Sam’s televised celebratory kiss with his boyfriend after learning he was to be drafted by the St Louis Rams in the NFL.
Even though he was ultimately let go, it was the first of many steps that must be taken to change the attitude of homophobia in sport, and it was incredibly touching.
On a bigger scale, and sneaking in just before the end of the year, same-sex weddings commenced in Scotland last week. This is a big moment on the list because I assume this will be the beginning of all other countries legalising same-sex marriage, after the images of two men in kilts getting married melts even the coldest homophobic hearts.
Finally, but vitally, the last of my favourite queer moments of 2014 is this image of Natalie Dormer’s haircut in The Hunger Games.
Happy New Queer!
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