Paris Is Burning And Lucid Noon

This week’s material we took a look into the LGBT communities in the films Paris is Burning and Lucid Noon Sunset Blush. Each film took a different group from the community and showed how they lived and survived in society, both films discussed the various ways that people in these communities made money and example for both is sex work. While both showed examples of sex work they also showed examples of structural and interpersonal violence. The article by Stanley “Near Life, Queer Death” talks about the murders of Brazell, Paige, and Weaver each who were brutally murdered for being transsexual, gay, and a drag performer. Brazell and Paige’s murders were examples of structural violence which is when something is looked upon by society as being

Near the end of the film it is said that she was killed and stuffed under a bed in a sleazy motel. During the interview the one of the other mothers said Venus was always taking chances to get whatever she wanted and that the mother had to identify her body and inform her family about it. Whether or not Venus left her family as to not embarrasses them with her way of life that still terrible news to hear and even worse for her chosen family. Stanley also talks about the murder of Scotty Weaver who was maliciously killed by his best friend, her boyfriend, and another friend for being a drag performer. This is interpersonal violence because Weaver was murdered by the people he was living with at the time. I suppose Venus murder could be an example of interpersonal violence because while they never said if they caught the guy who killed her. Venus did say that night she would be meeting a very good friend after midnight for dinner or drinks. It is possible that he could have killed

In Paris is Burning they discuss the term “House” which one of the drag queens puts as basically a family. She goes onto say that when kids come out as gay their families disown and kick them out of the house. So, they yurn for a place to belong with a group of human beings with a mutual bond. During the film multiple “houses” and mothers are talked about as different houses put on different balls. During the interviews with these mothers they talk about the people living in their houses like they are their children. In Lucid Noon Sunset Blush the film opens to a recently abandoned Micha meeting the house mother Heart Throb as she initiates her into the house telling her that she is going to have to work while at the same time being compassionate towards her situation. Micha is very unsure of her situation and if she actually belongs there. The film goes onto introduce other characters and members of this house. By the end of the film Micha feels like she belongs here and these people could be family. Heart Throb even asks her near the end of the film “you coming fam”. Showing that to them she is already family. The idea behind the “chosen family” is so important to the LGBT community because essentially their born family wants nothing to do with them. So, they leave and find a new family one they feel like they really belong