EYE FOR ONE ANOTHER
Queer Eye is now back on Netflix for the second season! The hit reboot of the makeover show has since omitted the “for the straight guy” part of its original title and is now reaching out to be more inclusive, especially to fellow members of the LGBTI community. In Season 1, we saw a man come out to his stepmother. Now, Season 2 expands the scope to include a religious mother with a gay son and, for the first time, a transgender man who’s recently undergone his top surgery.
While anyone would be receptive to the charm and fun (plus some useful tips) of the show, some episodes can really get tears welling up in your eyes and tug on your heartstrings. In the Sky’s The Limit episode of Season 2, we see our favourite gurus the Fab Five help Skyler, a transgender man who transforms his place to be a haven for his friends in the LGBTI community. Skyler’s friends also help him fundraise money for his top surgery.
This episode is very enlightening as it sheds light on the lesser known female-to-male transitions — the struggle and journey on a personal, social and legal level. It is indeed eye opening, not just for the general public but also for the rest of the LGBTI community.
“So many gay men, lesbian and bisexual people don’t truly know the trans experience. We support them as brothers and sisters, but we don’t know everything they go through,” commented Karamo Brown, the show’s culture expert.
LGBTI people are often seen by the public as one big, homogenous community congruent with the ever expanding acronym. While people tend to therefore assume that members of the group are mutually aware and understanding, that’s not always the case, as manifested by the members of the Fab Five, for whom contact with transgender people constitutes a learning opportunity as well.
The episode sends a positive message of solidarity, and of the willingness to no longer live in ignorance but to be open-minded and understand more about what others go through in their lives. And then there’s the power of being there for one another.
As Skyler was ostracised by his own parents, he decided to walk away and eventually found a new family in his friends and LGBTI community. We can see people reaching out to one another — giving, sharing and changing each other for the better — as Skyler reached out to his friends, as his friends supported him in return, and as the Fab Five lent a friendly helping hand.
This is how a community can thrive in the face of the discrimination and prejudice that persists — side by side, with a solid foundation built on understanding and open-mindedness.