I am a queer copywriter. Here’s my story:
Growing up gay in today’s world is a completely different experience than it used to be. Obviously homophobia is still prevalent and straight people will always ask the straight-people-questions, but I am thankful that I live in a time where I get to exist as a proud gay person without fearing social/governmental persecution. Spending my first 18 years of life in small town Wisconsin definitely built up a wall of heteronormativity around my gay heart. I remember hearing about gay people and thinking something along the lines of: “That’s so cool; too bad I don’t get to be gay.”
After moving to Minneapolis, MN for college, I was able to reinvent myself in a new, queer space; I created the most authentic version of me. With a lessening fear of what others thought of me -especially being a five hour drive away from my hometown- I was able to experience the Minneapolis queer scene and find my place in it. I had crushes on girls in my college dance club (which turned out to be a VERY queer club), I had crushes on local drag queens and kings, I got to experience the heavy pours and slightly safer vibes of gay bars/clubs, and I’ve had the pleasure (and pain) of having many beautiful relationships with inspiring and complicated women over the years.
A few years ago I also discovered I am polyamorous. All of my relationships that existed within the confines of monogamy ended similarly…around the six month mark. When I was dating one person -even if they were amazing- I would eventually start to overanalyze the relationship. As I saw it: the option was to stay with that person, or have the freedom to flirt and pursue literally anyone else. But eventually I realized that it didn’t have to be that way. I could be in a loving, committed relationship and still pursue other people; me and my partner could even pursue people together if we wanted to.
When I tell you that I have never felt more me– that isn’t an exaggeration. Now that I am an out and proud polyamorous lesbian: the world is my oyster. The version of me that I am today wasn’t even a possibility for 17 year old Jenna living in Wisconsin. There was no representation of queerness or non-monogamy; I had no tv shows or movies to help me start to break down that heteronormative wall. Any representation of queerness that I did see was sensationalized and deemed as an “other” that I shouldn’t want to take part in.
…
Now that I am 24 years old and becoming more queer every day, I am able to incorporate queer media into my life. I just finished “The L Word” recently, which aired on Showtime from 2004-2009. For the first time in my life I felt a sense of belonging to the women I saw on the TV. The L Word definitely had its problems (i.e: most of the lesbians and bisexuals in the show were white, skinny, pretty, femmes; so lack of representation continues to be an issue) but it covered a broad overview of important concepts like interracial dating, trans-identity within the LGBT+ community, fetishization of lesbians with simultaneous lack of respect, biphobia, deaf culture, LGBT+ adoptions, invalidation of queer relationships in comparison to heterosexual relationships, and more. All the women on the show have different career paths and passions that evolve and change throughout the seasons, reaffirming the complexity of these talented queer characters. It also is a show that centers around a community of friends instead of the nuclear family, which is so refreshing to see for someone like me who doesn’t plan on having children. It’s a helpful reminder that life as a woman can be about more than reproduction and upholding family values. None of the characters' parents are involved in the show except one, which is indicative of the fact that many parents don’t support their queer children, and it creates a divide in familial relationships.
I bring up this niche 2000s TV moment because there is nothing like it. Queer people have only just started to see representation in the media within the last few decades, and even that representation is a usually white-washed, usually fat-phobic and cis-gendered view of queerness. Media representation is important because it impacts our reality. White, cis-gendered gay men are still the most catered to demographic in the queer community, and there are still less than 15 lesbian bars in the whole country. Gay bar shootings happen multiple times a year throughout the US. A Queergxrl weekly event in California had to change their location because the transphobic workers at the first location were ID’ing people in line for the bathroom.
Even in 2024: queer folks are still struggling to find spaces they can be themselves and feel safe. Being queer now is safer than it was 50 years ago…but that doesn’t mean our work is done.
So with all of these thoughts and experiences in mind, my goal as a freelance copywriter is to find businesses I truly believe in and help them connect with queer clients who would benefit from their business. Whether it’s helping gender neutral clothing companies reach more people, building up a queer focused non-profit’s website copy to help them appear on more google searches, or setting up a sales funnel for a queer relationship counselor, I want to help spread queer joy. I want to make the world a more equitable place. Through my storytelling, passion, and communication skills: I can make a difference.
