But I’m a Cheerleader, directed by Jamie Babbit, is nearly twenty-three years old and it is time we celebrate the LGBTQ+ movie that has somehow remained relevant all this time. Babbit (The Quiet, Russian Doll) had her directorial debut with this flick, and what a jumping off point it was.
The movie stars Natasha Lyonne as teenage Megan (a cheerleader) who is sent away to conversion therapy by her parents after the people in her life suspect that she is a lesbian. Megan heads off to True Directions (the conversion camp) and meets leaders Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty) and Mike (RuPaul). The camp forces the young attendees to separate by gender binaries and learn how to master stereotypical gendered tasks in order to become heterosexual. From there she meets Graham (Clea DuVall), and while at first the two clash they later form a loving bond with one another. Throughout the course of the film the audience sees Megan become unapologetic in her sexuality, even when she is dismissed from the camp and abandoned by her family. Along to help her, and other forced attendees of the camp, are ex-students of Mary Brown: Larry and Lloyd.
The movie’s most memorable moment is the climatic graduation scene where the students are set to announce their heterosexuality, but Megan shows up to perform a cheer for Graham. By the finale they are driving away from the camp to be together, and the final scene shows Megan’s parents trying to become allies.
From the witty dialogue to the bright colours, this movie can mostly be described as campy. There is always the joke of how so many WLW movies aren’t allowed electricity as they are always set in the olden times, but Babbit’s film lets young queer people enjoy a movie just as fun as other modern (for the time) ?90s flicks. Upon release the movie was treated poorly by reviewers, but Babbit knew that most of them were not her target audience anyway. Her goal (and something she accomplished) was to tell a lesbian love story where both romantic interests are safe and in love by the end of the film, for it was something that was a rarity. Even now the ever prevalent bury-your-gays trope leaves many just wanting a simple happy story, and But I’m a Cheerleader delivers it.
The film has become influential within the LGBTQ+ community, and even inspired indie pop band MUNA’s music video for “Silk Chiffon”. When I think about this movie I think about reblogging screenshots that I thought looked pretty, and when I first sat down to fully watch I felt as though I was being embraced in a warm hug. I encourage anyone that hasn’t to watch But I’m a Cheerleader to do so, and even if you have watched it a million times go make it a million and one.
Eva Davey is a UFV student majoring in English Literature and minoring in Media Communications. She is a fan of poetry, oat milk lattes, and the final girl trope. Currently, her worst enemy is the Good Reads app.
