Directed by OU alumnus Nicholas Swatz, "Making Masculine" is one of two film documentaries that will be shown during this year's Women and Gender Studies Film Festival.
February 21, 2019
Marking its 35th year, Oakland University’s Women and Gender Studies Film Festival will present Challenging Femmephobia: Breaking the Gender Binary in Queer Communities. This year’s festival features screenings of the films “Making Masculine” and “The Same Difference.” The screenings, and a panel discussion, will take place from noon-3 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, in room 1050 of the Human Health Building on OU’s Rochester campus.
"Making Masculine"
Released in 2018, “Making Masculine” is a documentary about the constructs of masculinity and pressure that society places on individuals to fit into a heteronormative culture. Director Nicholas Swatz turns the camera on himself to share his personal experiences with femmephobia within gay culture, and how he had to find a sense of peace with his feminine characteristics.
The film also highlights Justin Gerhard, a Canadian actor who has made an online-personality out of his sexuality in the form of The Queer Network (formerly known as The Gay Men Channel) on Youtube, and how he challenges the masculine ‘norm’ that has followed him since childhood.
Additionally, Dakota Conduct, a Chicago-based drag queen who embraced drag culture in response to the Trump presidency, shares personal triumphs after coming out and being rejected by family. Farah Ali, a clinical psychologist explains the psychological effects that the coming out process has on LGBT youth, and where low self-worth comes into play in the story.
All of these stories come together to express the sense of pride that all LGBTQ+ people must possess in order to be unapologetically themselves, every day.
"The Same Difference"
“The Same Difference” is a 2015 documentary about lesbians who discriminate against other lesbians based on gender roles. Director Nneka Onuorah takes an in-depth look at the internalized hetero-normative gender roles that have become all too familiar within the African American lesbian and bisexual community.
Onuorah shows how these behaviors reproduce the homophobic oppression and masculine privilege of the straight world, while looking for solutions in compelling discussions with community members. Self-identified studs—and the women who love them — discuss hypocrisy in terms of gender roles, performative expectations, and the silent disciplining that occurs between community members.
This film features many queer celebrities, including actress Felicia “Snoop” Pearson from the critically acclaimed HBO drama “The Wire,” and Lea DeLaria from Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” living daily with opinions about how identity should be portrayed. Onuorah’s engaging documentary shines a light on the relationships and experiences within the queer black female community, intersecting race, gender and sexuality.
Following the screenings, distinguished panelists will lead a group discussion.