50 Faggots—a new online documentary series produced and directed by Randy Jenson, a young anthropologist and ethnographic documentarian living in Logan Square—takes the concept of "effeminate gay men," opens the kimono and reveals how 10 artists, activists and educators survive and thrive in a community that values "appropriate" and "straight-acting" expressions of masculinity.
The first season of 50 Faggots documents the stories of a select group of self-identified effeminate gay men living and working in Chicago, New York City and Washington D.C. The Chicago cast includes David Sotomayor ( "Jade" from season 1 of RuPaul's Drag Race ) ; Fausto Fernos and Marc Felion ( Feast of Fun podcast ) ; and Robert Mitchell ( a.k.a. nightclub host and Billboard-charting singer "Cyon Flare" ) .
"The series follows and represents the types of gay men who have a strong, independent streak, and express themselves exactly as they see fit—whether they always act effeminate or not," explained Jenson. "This is about gay men who embrace and create their own definition of being a man, and who view their identities as strength and empowerment. Not every man in this first season is ending his statements with a triple-snap-and-a-twist, although if they did, I would love that too."
Windy City Times spoke with Jenson about the power of the word "faggot," why his documentary is unlike anything you've seen before ( even on YouTube ) and how 50 Faggots compares to RuPaul's Drag Race ( short answer: It doesn't ) .
Windy City Times: Talk about the name of the web series—why is it called 50 Faggots?
Randy Jenson: You know, the name was first suggested to me by one of the cast members of the series. When I first heard it, I said, 'No way! That could never go!' But when I thought about it more I realized it was brilliant. The name is extremely intentional, and it is, I think, critical for the word "faggot" to be included in the title. Because—let's be real—this is exactly who we are talking about. And we're still everywhere, we've never left, whether some gay men like it or not. But understanding the experiences of effeminate gay men is getting past that surface level—the superficial gaudiness or humor that we are often so criticized for showing because we're perceived to give other gay men a "bad name."
WCT: 50 Faggots follows each subject and allows each man to discuss the ways his personal effeminate expressions are negotiated in career, relationships and communities. How is this series different from anything else on YouTube featuring interviews with gay-identified artists?
RJ: The fact that I film these men for two years is critical in providing the types of content, trust and experiences that I am able to show within this series. I am engaged with longitudinal auto-ethnographic filmmaking, something that is emerging in the documentary film world, but hasn't really peaked yet in reality television. I actually can't stomach a lot of reality TV; I tuned out shortly after Real World: San Francisco. I think the way a lot of modern reality series are created is with rushed, scripted content. There is very little authenticity in the initial footage—much less when it has been edited down by a third party with a ratings goal. I really believe that the Internet is the way to go with documentaries and the future. Oh, I should add that my roommates and I were intentional not to have a TV in our house. It saves a lot of time and makes me more productive.
WCT: In season one, the Midwest is represented by gay men from Chicago—is the Windy City a fair and accurate representation of this part of the country?
RJ: I think many gay men who arrive in Chicago are leaving from someplace less accepting or open to who they are. And that's the irony— because in my experience, often our own gay male communities ( it's important to pluralize our communities, because we aren't just one, and Boystown often is the only type of community accredited ) can be very closed off to effeminate gay men. Unless you are performing as a drag queen, where a specific space is created to celebrate femininity, we all seem to want to be a very "butch," homogenous community. When I started researching and filming two years ago, I was surprised to learn that each man felt the same thing about their own communities as well, in either Chicago, D.C. or New York City. It's not a city-specific experience, but a larger standard and ideal that's become embedded into American gay culture all together.
I think Chicago is a city that is very easy to fall in love with. We have amazing summer festivals in our queer neighborhoods. We have a city-supported and sponsored Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. But the mainstream image of the gay Chicago man looks clean, dresses preppy, is fairly Christian—let's face it, we have a whole lot of corn-fed white boys that manage to have golden-hue tans and look like outdated Bel-Ami porn stars. I know; I've slept with a few of them.
WCT: What is biggest misconception you've encountered regarding 50 Faggots?
RJ: One of the most common misconceptions may be that the series is focused a lot on drag queens or men who like to dress up in decorative clothing. There is nothing wrong with this— I do love a great performance and I think there is a certain parallel relationship to creative, effeminate gay men and being more open to trying anything on, whatever the shape, color, or feather. But, even the men who are drag queens or nightlife personalities spend a lot of time not dressed up and working jobs or volunteering for organizations. 50 Faggots is not another "RuPaul's Drag Race." I think if someone is going to watch the series with the expectation of getting that same type of content, they will be surprisingly disappointed.
WCT: Talk about the Chicago launch of 50 Faggots. What do you think the energy and vibe will be like to have the entire cast from season 1 assembled in one room?
RJ: The Chicago launch is going to be amazing! Most of the cast haven't met each other, so it will be exciting to see how everyone connects with each other. I feel connected to each participant—they have shared a lot with me through these past two years. All of my close friends know how important this launch is to me, not only because it's celebrating the series, but because it's the first chance for the cast to connect. I'm telling my friends to treat it like it's my wedding, for real, it's the most important thing in my life at this point.
The New York City and Washington, D.C., cast are all flying in from Wednesday, May 12 through Sunday, May 16. We have our launch party at Hydrate on Thursday, May 13, hosted by Cyon Flare and special guest host Acid Betty, featuring the full cast, and performances by many of them, along with Chicago favorites JoJo Baby, Velicity Metropolis, Debbie Fox, Sissy Spastik, Mocha Pronto, and Marquis. There will be more headliners and high energy in that room on this day then we've seen in a long time!
The first-episode premiere will be at The Center on Halsted's Hoover-Leppen Theatre on Friday, May 14, and will featuring a Q&A with the cast, myself and editor Meredith Zielke, moderated by Dr. Melissa Bradshaw, an instructor with DePaul University.
The first episode will go live on the website shortly after the premiere, and future episodes, non-linear and mostly thematic in content, will be released monthly until the following summer.
WCT: What's on tap for season two?
RJ: 50 Faggots will go for five seasons and will include fifty stories in total. There are already people who have applied to be part of the second season cast—and the first episode isn't even out yet!
I want season two to spread out across the U.S. more, and include rural, suburban, and urban areas. There are already locations I am looking at and types of gay male experiences that I am hoping to follow. I have been financing the film out of my own pocket so far, so that's why it is so important for me to start receiving grants, or hope that this article finds me those wealthy HRC sugar daddies who can become fiscal sponsors.
For more information, visit www.50faggots.com .
