THE DIVINE COMEDY!
𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓠𝓾𝓮𝓮𝓻 𝓒𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓮.
Content warning: Queerphobia, transphobia, queer fear mongering, mentions of sexual assault, and slurs.
I would like, if I may, to take you on a Queer journey.
For more than a few years the Joker has been portrayed as exhibiting traits stereotypically associated with Queerness, among these are; dressing flamboyantly, in some instances even full on crossdressing, wearing makeup, flirting with other men and of course, being infatuated with Batman. This has been collectively referred to as Queercoding. This is not up for discussion. The Joker is Queercoded.
However, more often than not, until at least 2017, these traits have been used to frame this character in an entirely negative, predatory light. It was the intention, for the most part, for the audience to see Queercoding in this villain and reach the conclusion that Queerness itself is inherently depraved or evil. It's been done with a ton of other villains, from 50s movies to Disney. But to illustrate this point further, we need to take a look at a queer villain that has amassed an LGBTQ fanbase just as big, if not bigger, than the Joker's, and who, like him, is seen as a Queer icon, one of the biggest in history; Dr. Frank N. Furter.
Yes. That one. You know Tim Curry almost got the part of the Batman Animated Series' Joker? Huh. Anyway, The Rocky Horror Show, and by extension, Picture Show, is one of the most divisive pieces of theater or film I've ever seen. Some people adore it for its inclusion of an explicitly (in all senses of the word) queer character as far back as 1973 when it was first performed on stage, and others despise it for portraying that character as a predatory homicidal weirdo who assimilates and "turns" the heteronormative protagonists of the show, and who has to die so that, in Dr. Von Scott's words, "Society must be protected." And some people (like me) just like it for the vibes. It's easy to see where both the praise and the criticism come from. While it is true that this show and the film that came after it are an important piece of LGBTQ history that should not be forgotten, it's just as important to remember that they are far from flawless. But on topic, let's get back to Frank specifically. Like Joker, his mannerisms are meant to get across his villainy and depravity, with both Brad and Janet being pretty much raped (by deception) and then coerced into sex by him. This is a horrible light for the only explicitly bisexual character to be cast in, and while more modern performances have attempted to re-portray the character and story in a more forgiving way, the original text and what it says about the LGBTQ community as a whole cannot be denied.
The same can be said for the Joker, who in all important respects has been meant to be perceived in the same way. A predatory, homicidal, society destroying faggot who needs to die. And yet, as time went on and DC unsurprisingly didn't permanently kill off one of their most profitable characters, more writers (such as Frank Miller and Sean Murphy) were given enough of a chance to reinterpret the character how they wanted, and the public began to perceive him differently. Times were changing. But before we get into that, we need to talk philosophy, just for a sec, I promise.
It is very common to assume that the Joker is a nihilist, that is the popular approach taken by many interpretations, including killing joke (bleh), but it seems to me that the ways some modern creators portray his beliefs are beginning to lean more towards absurdism. The belief that the universe is random, irrational and has no inherent meaning, and that we should each create our own individual meaning of life. You'll see where I'm going with this. Whatever Joker's meaning is often depends on the writer at the time but the underlying constant is that it's all just a big joke. This is in line with the Joker's inherent camp-ness. The whole point of camp is, after all, to dethrone the serious. It is a comic vision of the world. And it's a viewpoint that more and more people are taking a liking to. But why?
As the political landscape has changed, more and more people have become disillusioned with the state of our old friend society. Sure there was that brief wave of self-proclamed "stoic sigma males" who made all those stupid memes featuring Joker, but I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about people who wanted the world they lived in to be better, and who saw rebellious attitudes in pop culture and applauded. And this included LGBTQ people.
I would be remiss if I were to write this entire Queer Jokerfied manifesto without once mentioning Gaylienz's video "Queercoding the Joker". It's an impressive deep dive and while I personally think it comes off as biased here and there, it has a good reason to be so, and is still worth a watch. I didn't get into the specific history of Joker's Queerness throughout the comics but if you want a presentation that does, I can't recommend it enough. All this to say that Gaylienz's interpretation of Joker's more violent crimes as an expression of Queer rage is not unfounded, and an appealing interpretation in the face of bigoted persecution, even if DC didn't intend for it to be interpreted that way. But how to incorporate that violence with a Queer Joker? As much as I love Lego Batman's Joker, and as much as I've bemoaned DC's reliance on shock value, there is a third direction to go. Just because the Joker should be Queer doesn't necessarily mean he can't be violent at all. Sure, the idea of balancing Joker's violence with Queerness that is supposed to make him sympathetic is daunting, but it is possible to let Joker be queer again without having to make him completely sanitized or completely irredeemable, and I can prove it. You know who Queer-Icon-Joker™ really reminds me of.
Kill everyone now! Condone first degree murder! Advocate cannibalism! Eat shit!
If Divine had ever been offered a film roll which involved her cutting her own face off for giggles, she'd probably be thrilled. Harris Glenn Milstead, better known as his famous and infamous drag persona Divine, is one of the most charmingly shocking icons in all of LGBTQ herstory. She could be funny, disgusting, glamorous, compelling and all four at the same time. But more than anything else, she was shameless. She wore exactly who she was on her sleeve and never apologized for it. At all times she was proud of who she was, and that kind of self-loving pride is what eventually came to redefine LGBTQ culture as we know it. This is already an attitude that we've seen the Joker display on multiple occasions, and it would be easy to tie that shameless pride and joy to Queerness, but wait! There's more!
In my opinion, the closest thing we can get to Divine gone Jokerfied, would have to be the second film in the Trinity of Trash and arguably the best movie out of the three, Female Trouble. Dawn Davenport, played by Divine, runs away from home after she doesn't get the cha-cha heels she wanted for christmas, and it all goes off the rails from there. She has a kid, meets some similarly strange strangers at a prestigious salon, becomes a criminal model, gets in a fight and burned by acid (Wow, small world.) and this only makes her even more beautiful, before putting on her own stage show and killing her audience, admitting to her crimes and going to the electric chair with grace. She couldn't be happier in the end because she got exactly what she wanted. Dawn Davenport is dirty, depraved and delightfully devilish, and yet here we are cheering her on even as she's strapped in for her demise.
Similarly, as I said, the Joker is often written as being completely shameless in what he does, be that crossdressing, trademarking fish, sabotaging innocent vending machines, hunting the rich, or flirting with a goth furry in need of therapy, and even if he's a violent vaudevillian villain, the best versions of him manage to be funny while doing it, and there we are laughing along with him. I couldn't say how many times I've listened to Divine's song "I'm so beautiful" and imagined those words from Joker's point of view. "Can't you see! Look at me!" Even if they're not the most overt example, many of the other films like Pink Flamingos and Multiple Maniacs give off joker vibes in spades. It's all in the pride, baby. It can be argued that DC is already heading in this direction, with Joker getting some more of his own solo stories and more focus being put on his Queerness as a redeeming trait. You know where this is going!
As the LGBTQ spectrum became more and more understood and less villainized, characters written as LGBTQ became more normalized, and queer villains were becoming more loved than feared. Quite a lot of LGBTQ people take a look at the less depraved more silly jokers with their queer traits and find the character endearing, lovable, even relatable. This is of course where Lego Batman comes in, which brings as much to the forefront as it can without explicitly spelling it out for everybody. In most cases, I'd consider coding this recent to be a cop out, but dealing with an odd couple with as much history as Batman and the Joker, it's almost necessary to take smaller steps in the right direction, instead of a full 180, especially after the overabundance of violence. I agree with Gaylienz's claim that the Lego Batman Movie marks a cultural shift in how these characters are portrayed. From Telltale's Batman whose Joker won the hearts of LGBTQ fans everywhere, to the Harley Quinn show whose Joker wasn't afraid to take a step away from gorey shock value. At this point, I'm convinced that a positively Queer Clown Prince of Crime is written in the stars. It's inevitable now. It's only a matter of time until DC has no other alternative but to do what many fans already have. And there is a lot of great fanmade Queer Joker stuff out there, but I want to showcase one in particular as a good sign of things to come, and proof that we can make the inevitable happen sooner.
Loonies, Germs and Non-binary worms, I give you: THE PEOPLE'S JOKER! Born from the beautifully twisted vision of Vera Drew and Bri LeRose, this unofficial parody that defied copyright death invites us into the campy comedic cranium of a trans woman trying to make her way in a fascistic straight and narrow world, eventually deciding that if Gotham won't let her achieve her dreams, then she'll get out there and take them for herself. Refusing to accept the meaning of life that the society she lives in has prescribed for her, she creates her own. I am ashamed to admit that I have not seen this movie yet, but I swear before you people of Tumblr, I will buy it, I will own it, and I will review it in full. Point is, this film is a step in the right direction for Joker. It's a positive LGBTQ message, it's not a meaningless shocking gore-fest like what we've had to put up with, and most importantly IT'S FUNNY! After 84 years if DC won't be brave enough to make the Joker queer and fun again, the people will.
The three things that have been used to portray the Joker as an irredeemable monster are, violence, mental illness and Queerness. As I said in my last Joker post, we've already been subjected to so much violence that the joke has worn out and it's high time we had a break. Mental illness is plenty stigmatized already and should be portrayed with accuracy and respect. Duh. And as for Queerness, this trait is a golden opportunity to portray the Joker as something he's always been, but something that DC seems to forget. A human being. A person who is not broken beyond repair, capable of empathy and love. Still a villain, but as Phyllis said, one with vulnerabilities.
That progress, the cultural shift that Gaylienz was referring to, that long hard road from shock value to genuine, mentally ill, Queer, humanity, from Queer fear to Queer fun, is what I like to call The Divine Comedy. And for Batman to finally return the love that's been given to him all this time, that is its greatest punchline.
So my pretties, what did we learn from all this? Well, what I hope you take from these insane ramblings is this; I firmly believe that this is the face of the Joker of the future, and that we have the power to make that dream a reality. Vera Drew has done it, she wasn't the first, I'm willing to bet she won't be the last. We need more parodies, more fan-made media, more people who aren't afraid to make what we want. Make the change you want to see! Make it as weird, as crazy and as Queer as you like! Make the Joker Queer and fun again! Long live The Divine Comedy.
𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓥𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼 𝓓𝓪𝔂.
🎪🃏🎭
