‘The People’s Joker’ Filmmaker Vera Drew Believes Mainstream Queer Representation Has Gotten ‘So Stale’
If you couldn’t already tell from her gonzo superhero/villain parody “The People Joker,” Vera Drew is done with tamped down queer narratives made by non-LGBTQ+ individuals. And despite the animosity that many in power may hold for trans individuals, based on how the film has connected with audiences across America, it seems the country is more than ready for a change.
On the red carpet at the 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards, Drew expressed her frustrations over depictions of queer life in mainstream media and how she’s not alone in these feelings. In fact, she believes the reason “The People’s Joker” and “Castration Movie” — another trans-led project she co-stars in — have found success is for their diverse, yet authentic portrayals of their community.
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“I think queer representation specifically has just gotten so stale,” Drew said. “So much of it is just put together by cis people and corporations. So the fact that we’re all finally getting the chance to sort of tell our own stories in film and TV, I think that’s why these stories are so surprising. You’re getting to see what trans and queer people are actually like. Some of us are anarchist clowns. In the case of ‘Castration Movie,’ those are the worst trans people you’ll ever see in a movie, and I think that’s why it’s so beautiful.”
Drew believes much of society’s lashing back at queer rights that have been achieved over the last half-century comes as a result of how LGBTQ+ narratives have been co-opted and sold in an extremely distilled, disingenuous fashion.
“Part of the reaction we’re seeing from people who just outright hate queer people comes from them getting this distilled corporate version of it, where it’s ‘queer people are just like us’ and we’re not,” said Drew. “Everybody’s different. Two trans people that are married or two gay men that are married, it’s not the same as a husband and wife and a cishead monogamous relationship. I kind of get why a culture rejected that. I don’t really know that it is mainstream.”
This is more important than one might imagine, as Drew knows that the rejection of queer life comes as result of people not being exposed to unique stories that speak to their own individuality.
“I feel like so much hate that queer people get just comes from the fact that a lot of us don’t get a lot of visibility or visibility that’s authentic to the actual queer experience,” she said. “It just comes from ignorance I think more than anything.”
Drew was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
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