Arts & Entertainment
Revisiting ‘Shame’
2011 film raises interesting questions about sexual orientation and addiction
Michael Fassbender in ‘Shame.’ (Still courtesy Fox Searchlight)
Sometimes life gets so busy, one doesn’t have time to do even the minor things one wants. For me, the holiday break was a good time to catch up on some movies I’d been wanting to see.
One was the 2011 British drama “Shame,” Steve McQueen’s sobering and brilliant tale of sexual addiction in modern-day New York. I’ll be totally honest — while the buzz the film got during award season in 2012 got my attention, my interest was also piqued by reports of star Michael Fassbender’s full-frontal nude scenes. He’s hot, I’m gay — what can I say?
The film was truly great — if you haven’t seen it, it’s by all means recommended. But a couple things about it bothered me. Now that so much time has passed since it was in theaters, I feel they’re safe (spoiler alert!) to discuss.
First, the film is a textbook example of one of the frustrations of working in LGBT media. A huge part of my job, obviously, is parsing the endless deluge of movies, TV shows, recordings, theatrical productions, books and more that are released with LGBT content. Of course it’s humanly impossible to get to everything (I have a great stable of freelancers who help), but it’s not uncommon for a film like this to come along without any indication it has gay content — zero pitches from publicists, nothing indicating gay content in the trailer and very limited availability (most major theater chains don’t show NC-17-rated films).
Granted, it’s a relatively minor (and fleeting) scene, but it’s enough to warrant the “of LGBT interest” tag, Fassbender’s nude scenes notwithstanding.
The scene itself — in which Fassbender’s ostensibly straight character Brandon gets blown by a guy in a gay sex club — raises a bounty of questions: does Brandon have a few percentage points of bisexuality in his DNA? Is he so horny and desperate (perhaps more likely considering the central theme of the film) that having just been denied admittance in a straight club, he resorts to the gay bathhouse across the street? Or are the filmmakers implying the character is so fucked up, he’ll even resort to gay fellatio, as if that’s the apex of sexual depravity? Placed near the end of the film as Brandon’s sexual addiction reaches fever-pitch intensity, that’s likely at least part of what writers Steve McQueen (who also directed) and Abi Morgan are floating.
It’s impossible to pin them down on it — the film (and this is a big part of its brilliance) leaves just the right amount of information opaque and thus open to interpretation. In stark contrast with the raw sex scenes, thematically “Shame” never hits you over the head.
I’ll leave it to the psychologists to discuss the likelihood of a straight person being so engulfed in the throes of sexual addiction he or she would engage in a sexual act that conflicts with their sexual orientation. I have no idea how often such things happen in the real world.
That McQueen’s highly effective film — the lead performances by Fassbender and a perfectly cast Carey Mulligan alone make it worth seeing — gives us so much to ponder is but one indication of its greatness.
Drag
Pattie Gonia calls out Hegseth’s anti-LGBTQ policies — while doing better pull-ups
Drag queen Pattie Gonia uses a viral instagram video to call out Hegseth’s exclusionary policies while doubling down on activism for LGBTQ rights and the environment.
Drag queen and environmental activist Pattie Gonia has gone viral after posting a video last week calling out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — and doing so while knocking out a set of pull-ups with cleaner form than his own, all while in full drag. The clip is a direct response to a separate viral video Hegseth himself posted days earlier, in which he performed less-than-perfect pull-ups that drew widespread mockery online.
“Hi Pete Hegseth, Pattie Gonia here, while you’re busy trying to take away the rights of queer people, I’m over here advocating for the rights of all people, including my right to do better pull-ups than you all with my balls tucked inside of me,” she declares in the now-viral Instagram clip, delivering the message in full drag garb with the theatricality she’s known for.
The video lands at a moment when Hegseth’s record on LGBTQ rights continues to draw scrutiny. Since being appointed by President Trump to lead the Pentagon, the Defense Secretary has pushed the twice impeached president toward a series of exclusionary shifts inside the department.
Hegseth’s efforts have included pressing for the rollback of DEI measures, pausing all gender-affirming care for service members, and blocking promotions for personnel with “a history of gender dysphoria.” He has also openly stated that transgender people should not serve in the military and drew controversy for formally renaming a ship previously dedicated to Navy veteran and LGBTQ icon Harvey Milk to USNS Oscar V. Peterson. Hegseth has long criticized the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” framing the policy change as harmful to the armed forces. And in October, he courted further backlash after suggesting women could be barred from military service altogether, arguing that the government would hold personnel to the “highest male standard.”
Pattie’s viral moment is only the latest in her growing portfolio of environmental and queer activism. In August, she joined a team of climbers in Yosemite, helping raise a massive 66-foot-wide trans flag across the iconic El Capitan wall — a striking symbol of trans visibility in one of the most storied national parks in the country. Her drag name even riffs on Patagonia, the famed South American mountain range, blending outdoor culture with camp.
Last week, Pattie Gonia also made a bold statement at the Out 100 award celebration in Los Angeles, wearing a dress crafted from the same trans flag flown at El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. She attended the event alongside non-binary NSP agent SJ Joslin who was fired for her role in helping put up the flag.
Since the beginning of her drag career, Pattie has steadily expanded her influence beyond the stage. She co-founded the Outdoorist Oath, a nonprofit dedicated to helping BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ people and femmes build community in the outdoors through education and shared stewardship. She also launched the Queer Outdoor and Environmental Job Board, a free resource that supports queer people seeking work in environmental and nature-based industries, with the aim of diversifying fields where LGBTQ representation remains limited. Her fundraising efforts have generated over $2.7 million for LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and environmental nonprofits, underscoring her ability to mobilize huge audiences toward collective action.
Her recent projects also include a national tour of her environmental drag show, “SAVE HER!”, which blends performance art with climate messaging, and the release of a documentary TV series, “Go Gently,” co-created with Harry Potter’s Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley). The series follows their journey from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon, where they explore sustainable living and meet with communities protecting the Earth in innovative ways.
Photos
PHOTOS: Remove the Regime rally and march
Dropkick Murphys, Earth to Eve perform on steps of Lincoln Memorial
The Remove the Regime rally and march was held on Saturday, Nov. 22.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Transgender Day of Remembrance was observed at the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Nov. 20. The event was emceed by Rayceen Pendarvis and Dwight Venson. Musical selections were provided by Agape Praise and Dynamic Praise. Proclamations from the D.C. Council and the D.C. Office of the Mayor were presented. The Pouring of the Libation was conducted by Rev. Elder Akousa McCray and Rev. Paul Fulton-Woods of Unity Fellowship Church.
Remarks were given by trans survivors of violence. Family members of slain trans woman Dream Johnson were featured speakers. Prayers were given by Rev. Cathy Alexander and Rev. Dwayne Johnson of Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. Yael Shafritz gave a Jewish prayer through a video presentation. Closing remarks were given by community leader, Earline Budd.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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