Queer Eye season 6

[Vidanjali]

I don't know about y'all, but I love Queer Eye so much. I got my husband hooked on it too - we love watching it together and talking about the episodes. 

 

Kinda sorta spoiler ahead...I mean, it IS Queer Eye, so you know there's going to be a happy ending to some degree. I just thought my and my husband's reaction to one particular episode was interesting considering he's been processing accepting my queerness, as I've been struggling to express and love myself. 

 

In season 6, episode 2, the Fab 5 help a young trans woman to find her style and confidence, and to reconcile with her father. Her father is Mexican and therefore comes from a machismo culture. He also expresses as a very loving person. They do begin to reconcile in a loving manner. When my husband and I discussed the episode, I remarked on how extraordinary it was that the father was able to break through his machismo cultural norms to accept his daughter. My husband commented that from the moment the father was introduced, he seemed like a genuinely loving person, and so it goes to show just how hard it can be for someone to accept learning that someone in their life is trans. I was struck by our respective observations. 

 

...AND!!! I LOVE how Jonathan takes the opportunity to discuss being nonbinary in episodes I've seen so far. I am so proud of them, and feel empowered by them. 💛💜🖤💖💙

[Heather Nicole]

I came here to check if anyone had posted about that episode. Glad to see I'm not the only fan of it here. 😁

 

My mom originally turned me on to Queer Eye. She wasn't typically into fiction or drama, so she usually gravitated towards shows like Queer Eye, This Old House, HGTV channel, etc., ie, shows that are just non-fiction about real people or places, and not overly-dramatized like a so-called "reality show". I never used to think I could ever be into a show about "people" and "people stuff" (probably a part of my older dysphoria - categorically disliking "people" in general), so I regrettably avoided the old original "Queer Eye For The..." at the time, but I finally got really hooked on this current Queer Eye.

 

My favorite episode had been the one about the young, irish(?)-descent, transgender man: "OMG, A trans person on Queer Eye! Eeeee!!!!" - Me. But it made me want to also see a Queer Eye about a trans woman so badly! So when I finally got to start watching this new season 6, and got to episode 2 about Angel...I totally geeked out and just about lost it, in a very good way (Aside from some big gender envy, but hey, gender envy goes with the territory of being early in transition!)

 

And I agree with you @Vidanjali about finally seeing Jonathan be more vocal about being non-binary. I feel like the earlier seasons always had gradually increasing clues[1] about his being non-binary, but it's really nice to see them finally address it directly.

 

[1] I remember one brief moment at the beginning of some episode, where they were all in the car together, and someone made a masculine-gendered comment in reference to the group as a whole, but someone else (maybe Johnathan?) chimed in with a gender-neutral "...or PEOPLE!".

[Vidanjali]

@Heather Nicole yay! I am glad you are enjoying the show too. I find it incredibly uplifting.

 

Yes, I remember the episode with the trans man - loved it. I was super excited to see another trans person on the show, Angel. She is awesome! You know how they show those clips of the hero of the episode dancing with the Fab 5? I don't know if it was just because I was paying extra attention to them, but it seemed like the focus was on Angel and Jonathan dancing together. I found it so beautiful to see two gorgeous trans people dancing together on TV. When they were first meeting Angel, she addressed the group as "four gay men and one nonbinary queen". Jonathan seemed extra all-a-glow at that validation. Love love love it!

 

I did notice that scene you refer to when they're in the car. I seem to recall it was Jonathan who said "or PEOPLE!" I admire them so much - they are outspoken without being at all antagonistic. Every time they have the opportunity to educate, they do in a very patient and loving manner. Did you see the episode with the cattle rancher? He seemed like he was going to be a tough nut to crack. He said something early in the episode like, "this is the first time I've ever been around five queer people" and Antoni chimed in with a big Antoni smile, "...that you know of!" I love that. And it's very true - many people have opinions and pre-conceived notions of queer people not realizing that they encounter queer people all the time without being aware of it. Later in that episode, Jonathan addressed the rancher calling them "sir" and explained to him what nonbinary meant to them. I was holding my breath a bit because the fellow did NOT seem to know what to make of Jonathan from the get go. But, I gotta give him credit - he responded respectfully and in a friendly manner. 

[Heather Nicole]

On 1/7/2022 at 10:34 AM, Vidanjali said:

When they were first meeting Angel, she addressed the group as "four gay men and one nonbinary queen". Jonathan seemed extra all-a-glow at that validation. Love love love it!

 

I noticed that too! Jonathan really did light up at that! Great moment 😊

 

Speaking of, I just came across this just now. Apparently, Angel and Jonathan have stayed friends since that episode was filmed:

 

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/01/13/jonathan-van-ness-queer-eye-angel-flores/

 

Sooo wonderful!! 😍

[Vidanjali]

@Heather Nicole! Thanks for sharing this! I am not surprised that they have maintained a friendship. You could see that connection and chemistry between them in the episode. I loved the slideshow. 

 

So, my spouse and I have a mutual friend who is preparing to move to Austin. We encouraged her to watch QE season 6 because IT IS AWESOME and so she could learn a bit about Austin. We talked the other day, and she said she was uncomfortable watching the Angel episode because Angel is a trans woman competing in women's power lifting. She said she did not think it was fair because Angel had a natural advantage in the sport. After taking a deep breath, I explained that the controversy over trans women and girls competing in women's and girls' sports is a nonissue because there have been practically zero (I think it's zero, or so few so as to be a negligible amount) documented cases of trans girls or women demonstrating an unfair advantage, and that there are often standards in sports regarding the extent to which a person has transitioned, that a trans woman on hrt will have T levels comparable to cis women and therefore have equal potential as cis women for physical strength development. Moreover, I asked her, have you seen images of cis women competitive power lifters?? They are no less developed than Angel. Women power lifters are generally big and strong - they are power lifters! So, I was glad to have the opportunity to have this conversation with our friend. She is very intelligent and naturally curious. She expressed her understanding to me by saying, "so, government is essentially fighting to create policies to prevent a problem that does not actually exist." YES. However, it made me think that if my intelligent, open-minded friend had these thoughts and feelings watching the episode, then many others might have too. However, I suspect the audience whom QE would generally attract would be primarily allies. I hope that many more productive and illuminating conversations will be had about equity and equality for trans folks. Much love!!