CMU School of Drama


Friday, February 21, 2014

Carnegie Mellon Student Shreds Self-Loathing in 'Queer' Performance Art Piece

Gay News | Towleroad: Will Taylor, a Carnegie Mellon freshman and budding performance artist, staged "I'll spell it out for you", a visual reaction to the self-loathing experienced by LGBT teens.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

The LGBTQ situation (in Russia) is currently receiving a lot of media attention. I think that it's great that a student from out school is being bold and has received some amount of media attention for his work.


His performance piece was also very interesting to watch. I wish I knew where on campus that took place. I'm glad that we have bold students that bring this kind of positive attention to our school.

Albert Cisneros said...

There was something about this piece that kept me glued to the screen. There really wasn't that much going on, but will's struggle to scratch off the "queer lable" was very powerful while at the same time being subtle. I think this video says a lot about how there is a struggle to be who we are in today's society. It is sad that we there is a still so much to overcome in the fight for equality. Art and performance projects like this will help people see that there is so much more to who we are than sexual orientation.

Emily Bordelon said...

I agree with Albert. I'm not exactly sure what was going on, and yet I was captivated. I understood that he was trying to get rid of the Queer label on his chest, but I do not know why he wanted to scavenge the pieces off of the floor. I am not a big fan of labels, but if someone likes to identify with something, I respect that. I, personally am not offended by "queer" when it is used in the proper context. I feel it is a more broad term than LGBTQ+, and covers sexuality and gender identity in one word. I do not mind being referred to as "queer", but only by other "queer" people. If they are uncomfortable with me using the word or if they are uncomfortable with the word, that is completely understandable. In regards to the video, I found it really interesting to see someone struggling with something when no one else seemed concerned. I often feel the same way. I usually fell fine and safe in most situations, but there are times I feel that someone will attack me, even if there is no real threat. How will is looking around and scratching off the label, even though no one is telling him to, makes me think about how society has made us believe we are in the wrong, even if very few people actually care.