In Defense of Queer Villains

                Queer coding is the time honored process of implying a villain is LGBTQ without saying it. From the effeminate princes prancing across Mel Gibson films (yes, both Braveheart and weirdly The Passion. No, neither was historically accurate) to lackluster “gender reveal” finales (Crying Game, Ace Ventura) it’s a cringe worthy way to enforce gender stereotypes.  However, sometimes these villains are deliciously despicable: The Little Mermaid’s Ursula is based on the drag queen Divine and she has the best song of the film with “Poor Unfortunate Souls." She also has a healthy dose of personality opposite a, let’s face it, flat heroine (although Ariel herself shares an unexpected following among trans children who long to feel “part of this world”).  Likewise, although overtly femme, Scar in The Lion King is a love-to-hate villain with an impeccable mane. The problem then isn’t when villains are queer but rather when queer characteristics are villainized. When the motive for stalking is spurned advances the lusty lesbian villain it falls flat, but if perhaps she is power hungry and fierce we can forgive a less-then-ethical power grab.

                Decadently queer amoral characters are so much fun. In the Talented Mr. Ripley the decision to keep Highsmith’s titular character bisexual made for a better film. Ripley’s sexuality may best be described as “opportunist” he will do anything to keep his lifestyle; cheat, steal, lie and manipulate. He is not a particularly likable main character but, is that a requirement for the multitudes of heterosexual femme fatales? He is not amoral because he is bisexual but rather both amoral and bisexual. The same can be said for the multitudes who frequent East Egg in Gatsby, a novel that is full of queer characters if you know where to look.

                The push back from queer coding is saintly, or if not immaculate, at least very very wealthy gay characters. Perfect bodies, perfect careers, perfect families (I miss the voluptuous sea queen already). They aren’t allowed to be crazy or driven or in some cases, change their mind. Willow Rosenthal becomes power crazed after a loss in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as understandable a transformation as this was, it reserved her place forever as part of a troupe of “unstable bisexuals.” She wasn’t unstable because she was queer, she made the very rational decision to get revenge. Pretty Little Liars has a gift for creating queer characters who are also villainous, or at least keeping sordid pasts that have little to do with their being gay. They lie, steal, and murder. But, when they introduced a character that was both trans and a villain they met with backlash.

                Saintly gay characters from the same series include Willow’s girlfriend Tara, whose very name means “grounded” who is un-tempted by dark magic, whose deepest secret is a backwards, abusive family. She is soft-spoken, sweet and at times a bit one dimensional. This is equally true with Paige in Pretty Little Liars, Emily’s second girlfriend on the show. After an initial bout of internalized homophobia turned violent, Paige, like Tara becomes the voice of moral reason. She stays largely out of the trials with “A.”

Which brings us back to the trans character, Cece. The treatment of LGBTQ people in real life, electroshock, medication, pray-out-the-gay camps, aversion “therapy”, discrimination, harassment, abuse, abandonment by family, and homelessness are enough to make a villain out of anyone. This is seen as inappropriate backstory, revenge for being tortured is out, if the villain was tortured for being queer. What? I want a good slasher where a gay killer goes back to bible camp and murders the counselors en masse in a reverse morality tale where the abstinent, rather than the sexual, counselors are murdered. Many in the LGBTQ community have been wrongly institutionalized, this seems a fair backstory, particularly for a pulpy show like Pretty Little Liars about decadence, lies, scandal, and circling around to a mysterious defunct sanitarium where everyone seems to turn up.

I am all about queer villains, just keep them sexy, decadent, masterminds who are queer, not twisted, psycho killers because they are gay and can’t cope.