From the dedicated, warrior top, to the Tokugawa twinks of Edo, these character archetypes enjoyed wide public knowledge and appreciation, which was unheard of in contemporary areas of the Western world. The literature produced in this time reflected a world where love and sex between men could be accepted and celebrated.
1. Inigo Montoya When I was a kid, the movie I insisted on watching way too often was The Princess Bride. I was obsessed. I can do all the best quotes -- yes, with the voices too. I recently re-watched it for the first time in many years and was struck with two realizations: the … Continue reading Five Influential Mustaches That, In Retrospect, Should Have Made Me Realize I’m Trans
As a trans woman, I find it disconcerting that I can’t remember a single trans character from my childhood except for Alexis Meade from Ugly Betty. As a barely-out-of-the-closet queer 18-year-old, I watched the series with a feral intensity. I felt drawn to Marc’s unashamed flamboyance, his playful and loving friendship with Amanda, Betty’s ambition … Continue reading Wilhelmina Slater is the True Trans Woman of Ugly Betty
Hey, The Niche! I've got a question for your career advice columnist, and I'm hoping you can help me! See, I'm a mediocre writer with no academic qualifications or professional experience beyond a degree in gender studies -- you may already see the problem here -- and gosh, I'm just trying to make a living … Continue reading Meghan Murphy, the Toronto Public Library, and the Easiest Grift in the Universe
Yesterday, in what still feels like a targeted effort by scientists in a government laboratory to make me, personally, weep myself into blindness, Warner Brothers released the second trailer for The Goldfinch. If you're not familiar, I'll catch you up in just a second -- but have a look, first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAfCD9MVq_c Yes, as if it wasn't enough … Continue reading What Does “Queerbait” Even Mean Anymore?
It's often said that the first Pride was a riot. And that's true, insofar as modern Pride commemorates the uprising at Stonewall and the throwing, en masse, of bricks at cops. But perhaps more importantly, the first Pride was a fun, casual night on the town that went up in flames because straight people didn't … Continue reading The Top Ten Worst Things About the Worst Pride Month Ever
As you may have gleaned from the title of this article, I am not a classicist. One time, in college, I signed up for an Intro to Latin class, but I dropped out three weeks into the course after pulling an all nighter in Robarts making vocab flash cards right before our first quiz and … Continue reading Virgil Had A Pussy and I’ll Prove It
In the near present you, dear Nichers, will likely be seeing a lot about the BBC/Amazon mini-series of Good Omens. You probably already have—it's actually a little scary how many non-internet people I know who've asked me if I've heard about "this new show" like I don't have every page of the novel inscribed in … Continue reading These Man-Shaped Beings Are Gay and There’s Nothing Neil Gaiman Can Do About It (A Good Omens Primer)
GAY RODENT RIGHTS
https://twitter.com/silkspectres/status/1101936274754162688 Illustration by Fiona Ostby. This debate contains spoilers for "A Little Life," as well as discussion of suicide, sexual abuse, pedophilia, domestic violence, disordered eating, and self-harm, which may be triggering to some readers. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity, and to get rid of all our little verbal tics, because … Continue reading A Little Life: The Best Book, or the Worst?
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