Queering is one of the latest LGBT+ web series to hit the scene and has quickly been gathering attention. It begins when Harper’s (Sophia Grasso) mother, Val (Susan Gallagher) comes for a visit. Val’s out of sorts and cagey with her words. It takes some prodding from Harper, but she does drop the first life-changing revelation, Val and her husband are getting separated. But the real bomb comes when Harper’s date from the night before shows up and recognises Val. She recognises Val from her coming-out video, where she came out as bisexual. It all kicks off from there as Harper, a lesbian herself, deals with Val’s big revelation and her own hang-ups about bisexuals. While Val takes her first steps into the LGBT+ community.
After Val’s coming-out Haper has trouble coming to terms with all. She tries to write off the whole thing as Val going through a mid-life crisis. As a way to add more excitement to her boring retiree life. She’s outright rude to her mom, telling Val she’s not really bisexual. Her attitude comes across as especially coarse when everyone else is supportive of Val. Devon (Diana Oh), Harper’s roommate helps introduce Val to queer culture, giving her tips on everything from clothing to dating apps and even some sex advice. Harper’s dad is doing fine with the divorce and Val’s bisexuality. Even random strangers are open to Val expressing her sexuality. One of those random strangers is Brit, another bisexual woman who was inspired by Val’s video.
She invites Val and Harper to an underground party. When they go Harper and Brit’s flirting turns into something more. Val, on the other hand, doesn’t fare as well when someone tries to flirt with her. She runs, scared that Harper might have been right and all of this is just a phase. Harper finds her on a bench outside and for the first time the two open up to each other. They bond over something every wlw can relate to, how terrifying it is to approach a woman for the first time. Harper finally gets this is who her mom is. With some encouragement from her daughter, Val goes back and asks for a dance.
The Mother Daugther LGBT+ Story You Didn’t Know You Needed
The heart and soul of Queering is the relationship between Harper and Val. They spark each other’s internal conflicts and ultimately bring change in one another. Val’s coming out forces Harper to face her own horribly stereotyped perceptions of bisexuality. While Harper’s coarse attitude to her coming out pushes Val to truly contemplate what she wants for herself and why she felt the need to come out now.
Harper is slightly jaded and still recovering from heartbreak. She’s all but horrified by her mother’s coming out. Like any child who’s embarrassed when their parents try to ‘edge in on their space’ Harper is freaked out. Though it becomes clear Harper’s aversions to her mother’s sexuality is more about her own experiences with her ex-girlfriend, Mckenzie. After dating nine years, Mckenzie left her because she’d fallen for someone else. To add insult to injury Harper and Devon run into Mckenzie, who now goes by ‘Mickie’ and she’s engaged to someone who’s not the person she left Harper for. It’s the moment Harper realizes her stereotyping bisexuals is her way to avoid the fact she’s still getting over her ex.
Val’s coming out also presents Harper with the moment every child must go through at some point. That moment when you realize your parents are more than just your parents. They have their own life that exists outside their relationship with you. With that realization, Harper understands this is the moment her mom needs her, not the other way around.
As for Val, over the course of the first season, she goes through every beat of the coming out experience. The tentative, excited euphoria to be out. The desire to learn more, about both the community and herself. Of course, the moment of self-doubt on whether or not she was wrong all along. And the trepidation for a new relationship. She goes through it all. It’s wonderful to see, especially because is a woman coming out later in life.
What makes Val such an important character is the fact she’s an older woman in her sixties, now coming out. It’s a facet to the queer community that is rarely represented in media, if at all. Alex Danvers is in her late twenties and her coming out is considered to have happened later in life. But there is no cut off age for coming out, nor is there an expiration on someone’s ability to question and explore their own identity. The LBGT+ community consists of individuals from all walks of life, both young and old. Val represents a faction of the community that’s too often overlooked.
The series as a whole is filled with wonderful discussions about sexuality, the highlight of the season being the bench talk between Harper and Val in episode five. Queering also addresses many of the stereotypes that exist around bisexuals, pointing out how ridiculous and limiting they can be.
Just because it’s filled with heart doesn’t mean it’s lacking humour. Devon is a standout when it comes to this, with a refreshing wit and ready talk about anything. There’s a conversation between Devon and Val about sex that’s as hilarious as it is wonderful. She’s also the ultimate wingwoman we all wish we had.
The first season is five episodes long, all of which are out now, with the hope of a season two. Give this amazing web series your support so Harper and Val’s story gets to continue.
