Jose Richard Aviles - 'Boys Don't Cry'

It's Pride! And what better way to dive into it than revisiting culturally relevant, trailblazing -- and traumatic -- movies about the LGBTQ+ community. This week we welcome artist, urban planner, activist, and host of the Fruta Fresca podcast, Jose Richard Aviles to talk about the film Boys Don't Cry directed by Kimberly Peirce and starring Hilary Swank, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of the real-life trans man Brandon Teena and his murder in Nebraska in 1993. They had lots to say about this very poignant -- but very problematic film for 2023. Released in 1999, Boys Don't Cry was a watershed moment for queer representation -- but we know that it hasn't aged well. Aviles and Dino-Ray Ramos navigate through this film with critical thinking, but most of all, with empathy. It's a tragic story and to see that translated on screen brings about a lot of risks in representation and makes space for toxicity and violence. Watching Boys Don't Cry in 2023 is like walking through a landmine of harmful and hard to watch portrayal of trans people as well as much-needed queer representation we have never seen in 1999. DISCLAIMER: Some topics we discuss may be triggering and difficult to hear. === Problematic Fave is presented by DIASPORA and is created, hosted and produced by Dino-Ray Ramos. The series is also produced by Sanjay Sharma of Marginal MediaWorks and edited by Brian Aguilar. Jose Richard Aviles: @soynalgona Fruta Fresca Podcast: @frutafresca.podcast DIASPORA: thediasporatimes.com; @realdiaspora on Twitter and Instagram Dino-Ray Ramos: @dinoray on Twitter and Instagram Marginal MediaWorks: @mrgnlmedia on Instagram Send your "problematic faves" to [email protected] and we'll share them on the pod with our guests!