#queertalk

the translators keep trying to avoid that arashi is a girl!

in the first story where Hajime meets kurone Hajime thinks he might be like arashi though, the translations says he thinks he‘s wondering why he would be wearing a boys uniform if he was a girl! seriously we can’t let them do this

unknowing engstars players might get confused

Enstars is an open place for many people that seem „unordinary“ this is also shown in the characters

it‘s mentioned and hinted at in stories even

those who don’t confirm to societal „norms“ become outcasts enstars addresses this directly the translations though, they try to erase this they erase a lot of the queer talk!

I’d like to preface that I am not an expert in analysis. I do have a degree in filmmaking and visual communication. So my level of education made me a bit more sensitive regarding graphic and literary cues in different media types. I have been a TS fan since around 2009, when Love Story was known worldwide. I’ve heard almost all, if not all, of the songs in all of her albums up to date, and have only been actively researching the queerness in her music, more than a year ago. It is only fair that if there is queerness in TS’s literature that it needs to be studied for the sake of knowing and understanding regardless of the artist’s intent. In this divergence, we can also appreciate art differently, irrespective of our beliefs. And so I think it’s important to talk about TS’s songs from the queer perspective as it is just as important to talk about it in the heteronormative voice. TS didn’t write ME! for nothing, you know.

The artist’s intent is indeed an essential part of art. And the artist’s intent might or might not be apparent to the audience. This is why we have tools to analyze media - from subtexts to media theories. I’m not going to go into more of that, but this is just to say that different lenses help perceive a form of media or situation. They are, to some extent, valid but may not always be accurate. But they may help uncover truths, so to speak, and to look at things a bit more *objectively.

One thing that stands out with TS is not just her songs but also how she talks in her interviews and posts on social media. One reason that I think makes her tick is that everything seems to be consistent. Her songs have a repeating narrative that leaks from album to album.

Taylor Swift takes pride in her “easter eggs.” These are hidden messages, and items that have shared meaning with TS and her fans, that she puts in a lot of her work, and so it has been a widely accepted fact that she does put, well intended, hidden messages in her work. The reason why this is considered queer is that it is. When homosexuality used to be illegal in England and Wales, for example, Polari was used by queers to be able to interact with each other. The use of accessories and gay symbols to signal one’s sexuality was also used during times when it wasn’t as safe to be queer.

I would argue there is queerness in having to hide messages in your art that alludes to the story of your life. And having to do that, as a singer, TS leads us to think that in her works, some things are hidden - yes - in plain sight. Language and coding are a massive part of queer history, so it becomes apparent to us, especially queers, to read and study the language and how TS structures her songs.

One of the things I shall raise here is the repeating theme of being restricted or having the need to hide. Songs that depict a feeling of shame, fear of being found, and anxiety. 

 -I Know Places, TS, 2014

-Dancing With Our Hands Tied, TS, 2017

-Cruel Summer, TS, 2019

-Love Story, TS, 2008

-Out of the Woods, TS, 2014

-Seven, TS,  2020

-Wildest Dreams, TS, 2014

-Our Song, TS, 

-peace, TS, 2020

-Wonderland, 2014, TS

Depicting hiding or anxiety is just scraping the surface of Taylor Swift’s subtexts. There’s much more to discuss, but I’ll end it here. There are also themes of infidelity, affairs, “bad love,” and “friends to lovers,” among others. Many of these songs have a level of homonormativity, deviance, or rebellion. When we discuss these more and create a discussion about understanding TS and her songs, it adds to the enormous pile of knowledge and extends it. I mean, there’s a reason why there’s a Taylor Swift course, amirite? TS got us used to easter eggs, merch, clothing, and jewelry, which could say “say something without saying anything.” And that is probably TS “coding” (pun intended) her personal messages to us.

Sources: https://lithub.com/a-brief-history-of-queer-language-before-queer-identity/ https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180212-polari-the-code-language-gay-men-used-to-survive#:~:text=To%20avoid%20imprisonment%2C%20gay%20men,words%2C%20in%20fact%2C%20derive%20from

I see too many trans and queer folks that lower themselves to a standard that allows them to be convienent and palatable for cishet folks in order to be valid when really we shouldn’t be basing how valid we are in our own identities in a heteronormative way.