Post by Dr Ben Warburton

I had the pleasure of presenting my paper on meme culture, reclamation of queer identities and compulsory heterosexuality at http://ICGSS.org this month. The reclamation of queer histories is being taught by and to Generation Z through their own language: meme culture. From Achilles and Patroclus, Saint Sergius and Bacchus, and the cisgender representation of Janus, who, in some Indo-European cultures was intersex, to contemporary ‘straightwashing’ within real-world spheres, a frequent occurrence is the erasure of queerness and queer relationships from the narrative. This phenomenon has caused such frustration to queer communities, that it has also led to a secondary consequence: a satirical, subversive, and equally informative, meme culture illuminating examples of both historical and contemporary queer erasure through the form of visual imagery. The most prevalent of these is found in the social media site Reddit, r/SapphoAndHerFriend. My research explores the creation, evolution, and relevance of the queer community in popular culture, and the methods in which LGBTQ+ people and allies find humour in erasure, while still highlighting ‘straightwashing’ issues to a wider audience. Further, the study explores and reaffirms the necessity to bring parody, subversion, and illumination of oppression into a cisgender, heteronormative history is vital to the re-inclusion of queer history. If anyone wishes to read the paper pre-publication in the coming months, drop me a line! #research #academicresearch #ICGSS2021 #memeculture #linguistics #newmedia #queertheory #queer #lgbtqia #inclusivity