Pop Culture Hit List

We survived another Christmas! Ah… Christmas, the season when you buy this year’s gifts with next year’s money. A time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his “present” remembered. A time to remember that it is no coincidence your family lives so far away and your state of mind is so healthy at the same time. This year, Christmas really felt like a day at the office: You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit.

It’s that time of the year again…Thanksgiving! A time to celebrate togetherness with family, have a big meal and endure a mountain of passive-aggressiveness while passing the salt over the table. Some people like to think of this day as their favorite childhood memory being recreated year after year. I like to think of my Thanksgiving dinners with family as “El Show de Cristina.” It’s also the time when turkeys everywhere wear signs on their necks that read “EAT MORE HAM, PLEASE.” I am sure there are many things we could be thankful for and I am glad there is a special day to remind us of that, but do we really need to glorify this day so much when its origin has been so misconstrued?

What is it about Halloween and the horror genre that holds an interest for queer folk? At first glance, it seems strange for queers to want to turn to horror, when that's often what our lives involve. There is the threat of many sexually transmitted diseases, the religious harassment, hate crimes, discrimination and prejudice…not to mention fluorescent lighting, Formica coffee tables and poorly decorated apartments. But no matter who we are, fear is an emotion triggered by danger, and courting danger is a great way to feel alive.