If Bond is midway between the extremes of masculine and feminine, where does that locate the girls?

What's queer about 'three blind mice'? How bent is Dent? Is there something trans about Taro? And what do Dr. No's hands REALLY represent?

Find out in this episode.

Warning: Contains an academic discussion of the word 'f*ggot' in relation to 18th Century art.

In part 2, I look at the first portrayals of regulars Moneypenny, M and Felix Leiter. I also explore the colonial underpinnings of Bond's relationship with Quarrel and how much Fleming's own preference for male friendship influenced his writing and the subsequent films.

The first part of the Dr. No queer re-view explores the character of Bond, as first presented to us by Sean Connery in his first appearance. What gives him a 'gay sensibility'? Expect a far-ranging and provocative discussion including different points of view on the usual things (girls, guns, clothes) we associate with the character.

This is an audio version of an article on licencetoqueer.com, where you will also find in-depth and idiosyncratic quasi-academic analyses of all aspects of queerness in Bond from a range of voices across the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

Join in the mission to uncover what makes Bond such a draw for queer audiences, on www.licencetoqueer.com or on social media @licencetoqueer

What makes the queer re-view of Dr. No worth listening to?

This is kind of the trailer, with me outlining the main ideas which get discussed in relation to the girls, the villains, the allies and Bond himself - and I also throw in some behind the scenes insights.

Queer re-view launches Saturday 21st August

- David

From the Glossary on www.licencetoqueer.com

The word queer, when used correctly, can be an empowering term which helps open up discussion and therefore foster greater understanding between people of different characteristics.

Unfortunately, queer was commonly used to attack the LGBTQ+ community until only very recently, and it still is at times. I remember being labelled ‘queer’ in the school playground and those negative associations are still with me. That’s part of the reason I want to reclaim the term and get people using it in the right way.

I’m not alone in this. Many younger LGBT people prefer the term queer because it doesn’t make them choose a particular box. It also carries a connotation of rebellion because of its history.

So queer can be used as a way of describing your identity.

It is also an academic term, one which has been used by academics for around four decades.

When the term queer is applied to a cultural text, such a book or film, it doesn’t have to refer to something that features explicitly (or even implicitly) lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex or asexual characters. An early pioneer of queer readings of films intended for consumption of non-queer people, Alexander Doty, argued that anything could be seen as queer. A queer book, film, video game, whatever is anything that challenges heteronormativity - the ideas, pervasive in many cultures: that the only normal or natural relationships are those between one man and one woman for the purposes of procreation; that gender is a binary (male/female). Queer texts present alternative possibilities to traditional narratives - you can’t be what you can’t see - helping people live more authentic, happier lives.

https://www.licencetoqueer.com/glossary 

...I recommend listening to this first.

Or read this: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/what-makes-you-think-its-my-first-time

A brief overview of what Licence to Queer is all about and how you can get involved.