The Failing Family : Changing Constellations of Gender, Intimacy, and Genre

German Cinema in the Age of Neoliberalism ◽

10.5117/9789463727334_ch05 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hester Baer

Keyword(s):

Coming Out ◽

Boundary Crossing ◽

German Cinema ◽

Men And Masculinity

This chapter examines a boundary-crossing archive of popular and countercinematic West, East, and post-unification German films that all focus on precarious intimacies: Dörrie’s Men (1985); Wortmann’s Maybe…Maybe Not (1994); Carow’s Coming Out (1989); and Grisebach’s Longing (2006). Shifting focus onto a consideration of men and masculinity in the postfeminist era, I analyze how these films subject the heteropatriarchal family to scrutiny, often exploring homosocial bonds and queer relations. In addition to investigating the precaritization of gender, sexuality, and intimacy pictured by these four films, this chapter sheds new light on the much vaunted “return to genre” in the German cinema of neoliberalism.

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It Gets Better Videos for Suicide Prevention in LGBTIQ+ Adolescents

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000691 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stefanie Kirchner ◽

Benedikt Till ◽

Martin Plöderl ◽

Thomas Niederkrotenthaler

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Gay Men ◽

Suicide Prevention ◽

Coming Out ◽

German Language ◽

Professional Help ◽

Characteristics Method ◽

Sexual Orientations ◽

It Gets Better Project

Abstract. Background: The It Gets Better project aims to help prevent suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) adolescents. It features personal video narratives portraying how life gets better when struggling with adversities. Research on the contents of messages is scarce. Aims: We aimed to explore the content of videos in the Austrian It Gets Better project regarding the representation of various LGBTIQ+ groups and selected content characteristics. Method: A content analysis of all German-language videos was conducted ( N = 192). Messages related to coming out, stressors experienced, suicidal ideation/behavior, and on how things get better were coded. Results: Representation was strong for gay men ( n = 45; 41.7%). Coming out to others was mainly positively framed ( n = 31; 46.3%) and seen as a tool to make things better ( n = 27; 37.5%). Social support ( n = 42; 62.7%) and self-acceptance ( n = 37; 55.2%) were prevalent topics. Common stressors included a conservative setting ( n = 18, 26.9%), and fear of outing ( n = 17; 25.4%). Suicidality ( n = 9; 4.7%) and options to get professional help ( n = 7; 8.2%) were rarely addressed. Limitations: Only aspects explicitly brought up in the videos were codeable. Conclusion: Videos do not fully represent gender identities and sexual orientations. Messaging on suicidality and professional help require strengthening to tailor them better for suicide prevention.

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