This podcast is part of the LGBTQIA+ Fantastika Graphics Symposium.
Join the discussion on discord (https://discord.gg/fMsu2RRzy2) or on our zoom webinar on 20 Nov 2021. See fantastikajournal.com for details.
Background music by scottholmesmusic.com
Podcast by: Elizabeth Boothby
“Mom, it’s not you”:
The Owl House, validation seeking, and the queerly-othered mother figure in children’s fantasy media
This podcast seeks to analyze and advocate for an often-overlooked form of queer representation in children’s fantasy media: that of the queer, socially awkward, adult mentor/ mother figure. This podcast’s primary focus is Eda ‘the Owl Lady’ from Dana Terrace’s ongoing animated Disney show, The Owl House, but it will situate her in comparison to her precedents, including Eleanor West from Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series, Miss Peregrine from Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and Miss Honey from Matilda. By ‘queer’ this podcast refers to both explicitly LGBTQIA+ adults, and those who embody more metaphorical forms of non-conformity, such as an inability to exist in their fantastic society in a ‘normal’ way, i.e., lacking magic. This podcast also draws from M. Remi Yergeau’s concept of “neuroqueerness.”
The particular power of queerly-othered magical adults, like Eda, is that they are able to validate the child protagonist in a way their ‘real’ parents cannot, because of shared experiences of queer otherness and/or trauma. Eda represents – for both young queer viewers and chronically invalidated adult ones – an authentic, vulnerable, empowering queer adult who is capable of change and deserving of family. But in many narratives, the queer child feels they must choose between their ‘real’ parent and their magical ‘found’ one. The Owl House engages directly with the pain of this perceived ultimatum, through Luz’s human mother, Camila. The Owl House therefore provides crucial representation that could help normalize conversations about queer and neuroqueer children who seek diverse mentors.
About The Speaker: Elizabeth Boothby (she/they) is a Master’s student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She did her undergraduate work at Queen’s University and the University of Edinburgh. Her research explores queer and ecocritical SF/F, particularly narratives of apocalypse, magic, mutation, and monstrous children. She lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.
Disclaimer: The information and ideas in these podcasts are the property of the speakers. Fantastika Journal operates under the Creative Commons Licence CCBY-NC. This allows for the reproduction or transcription of podcasts for non-commercial uses, only with the appropriate citation information. All rights belong to the author.
The views expressed in these podcasts do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Fantastika Journal and its editorial board.
This podcast edited by Kerry Dodd