On Antagonism
and why we should not be friends
ever since I wrote a paper on black queer antagonism, and my bachelor thesis on exit strategies as a feminist practice, I’ve been inspired with how ‘leaving’ and ‘making mad’ - reclaiming your inner villain - is such a powerful tool when defying norms in and throughout queer culture.
In my BA project (2019) I wanted to show how leaving the comedy scene could uncover how normative practices in comedy could create structural discrimination against women and gender minorities. In my final paper from the course ‘From Queer to Crip’, taught by Tess Skadegård Thorsen, I analyzed the music video for ‘Ima Read’ by Zebra Katz & Njena Reddd Foxxx.
pointing towards how elements from ballroom culture, queer culture and black culture was used to create a sense of ‘schooling’ of the viewer, causing a necessary discomfort, allowing the viewer to antagonize the artists through the repetition of the phrase ‘Ima read that b*tch, I’m that b*tch’.
through this dramaturgy of the antagonized queer, a rebellion against stereotypes and norms is possible. We can now form our own opinions of these self-made villains. They can, through their performed unlikability, be humanized as the ‘believable villain’ and come into their own as multidimensional individuals, entitled to complexity, and worthy of respect.
queer and black antagonism can thereby be used as a reclaiming strategy, defying e.g. the idea of queer fatness as undesirable, blackness as in need of white saviorism and transness as inscribed in a male/female binary.
To me, Sam Smith embodies queer antagonism through their music video ‘I’m not here to make friends’ in the best way possible. Femme vibes, Cruella Deville, radical excellence and unapologetic celebration of kink, s*x and leaving them wanting more - because we all love our queer villains.
when Smith leaves the mesmerized crowd in the end of their video, it reminds me of the errand of my BA thesis.
When Sofie Hagen quit performing in Denmark because of the comedy scene being too hostile, I felt liberated too. I had faced my share of harassment based on my gender identity, my queerness, and my fatness in comedy and I felt compelled to write about how ‘quitting’ as a strategy is quite excellent when trying to uncover discriminatory practices.
at that time, Hannah Gadsby had also retired from comedy. In 2022, both Hagen and Gadsby did stand-up again in Denmark.
I have also picked up my improv comedy shtick again after a longer break.
resilience has many looks. self care has many looks. the queer community has to make space for my diversity - one antagonist at a time.
Until then, let’s not be friends.