Scene 2 Seen Podcast: LGBTQ Pride Panel 2022

Pride Month has always been a time of celebration for the LGBTQ community and its allies. Along with the evolution of Pride, there have been improvements in the film and TV industry regarding queer media.

My early references for queer stories were films like Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman and Sally Potter’s Orlando. I don’t think these films were labeled as queer at the time, but now they are. At the same time, a surge of queer pride narratives hit TV with Ilene Chaiken’s The L Word and Ron Cowen’s Queer As Folk. While all were revolutionary for their time, most lacked the diversity and inclusion viewers seek in the content they consume.

The past five years has seen tremendous growth in queer stories, characters and aesthetics. It’s not only about the stories we see but the people who are allowed to tell them. Shows like Steven Canals’ Pose, for example, had representation in front of and behind the camera. Casting directors actively seek out LGBTQ+ actors and actresses of color to lead films and TV shows, not just for queer stories but to an array of media.

While things are improving, there’s still a long way to go until equity is achieved. To discuss the issues plaguing queer media, I gathered a panel of talented people to discuss how we get there. These people care about where things are headed, and aim to create safe spaces for those stories and the types of people who want to tell them.

Before watching the video conversation above, read about the panelists so you can understand why I chose them, and the things they contributed to Hollywood and the community.

Murtada Elfadl is a culture writer, critic, and film programmer at NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival. Originally from Khartoum, Sudan, he’s currently based in New York, York. As both a writer and programmer, Murtada advocates for queer and marginalized storytellers and for global stories that present the whole spectrum of our experiences. His writing has been published at Backstage, Into, The Film Stage and Mediaversity Reviews. He also hosts the Sundays With Cate podcast.

Pooya Mohseni is an award-winning actor, writer and transgender activist, born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She has appeared in Hamlet and Comedy of Errors (Play On Shakespeare Festival), One Woman (United Solo), Galatea (The WP Project), The Good Muslim (EST), White Snake (Baltimore Center Stage) and A Touch of Forever (The New York International Fringe Festival), and she recently appeared in the world premiere of the Lucille Lortel-winning play English (Atlantic Theater Company). Her film and TV credits include Law & Order: SVU, Big Dogs, Falling Water, Madam Secretary, Terrifier and See You Then. Pooya is represented by Ben Jordan and Erica Bines at Headline Talent.

Bob The Drag Queen is the alter ego of non-binary comic/actor Caldwell Tidicue. “Bob The Drag Queen” describes herself as “hilarious, beautiful, talented and…humble.” Bob’s unabashed confidence won her the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” on Season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and multiple acting roles for HBO, Netflix, Sony Tristar, MTV and VH1. Along with HBO’s first unscripted show, We’re Here, Bob recently released her second comedy special, Bob The Drag Queen Live at Caroline’s available on iTunes, as well as Season 4 of “Sibling Rivalry,” the podcast she co-hosts with her drag sister Monét X Change. Bob is represented by ICM and managed by Producer Entertainment Group.