ANIMAFEST PRO | ANIMAFEST SCANNER XII | PANEL 4: NASILJE U ANIMIRANOM FILMU

Queer Bashing: From Violence to Reclamation - ESTHER BLEY

PANEL 4 - NASILJE U ANIMIRANOM FILMU
04/06 SRI 14:00-14:30 KIC

This presentation will provide an overview about the history of queer bashing depicted in animation, and the reclamation of this violence. From Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing (1916) depicting the dysfunctional relationship between Krazy Kat and Ignatz, to the vitriol expressed by the townspeople in Thank You Mask Man (1968), and the animated sequences of empowered trans women in The Stroll (2023). These works and others from around the world showcase the range of how violence has been intertwined with queerness. The lecture focuses on three key aspects of the history of queer bashing:
1. Homophobia: covers the history of homophobic violence beginning in the 1910s, and how these depictions changed or remained consistent over time.
2. Transphobia: with roots stemming as early as the 1910s, the depiction of transphobic violence has shifted as visibility and language have evolved.
3. Reclamation: starting from the rise of independent animation in the 1980s, animated works began resisting and reclaiming harmful stereotypes. Primarily created by queer directors and queer artists, these works present a humanizing and often educational perspective of fighting back against queer bashing.
As animation evolved, so did its on-screen depictions. Each decade offers a unique insight into how society viewed the queer community during that period. This presentation showcases how animation serves as both a reflection of societal attitudes toward queer individuals and a medium for challenging those attitudes. Reclamation and resistance are especially important as they demonstrate that violence does not equate to silence but instead to strength and endurance.

Esther Bley is an archivist, historian, researcher, and a reference librarian at Hofstra University. Their online archive, Queer Animation, documents and preserves LGBTQ+ media throughout animation history. When not working on their database, they dedicate their time to writing. She contributes to her series, "The Cartoon Closet" for Cartoon Research, and her Substack, Queer Animation. Bley has conducted interviews with a variety of animation directors, including Ralph Bakshi, bringing important conversations about representation to the forefront. Currently, she is working on a book exploring queer representation in American animation.