Many times, a movie will come along that is dismissed by critics and most audiences at first, but it will then start to form a fanbase of niche audience members that turn it into a cult classic. Released 20 years ago this month, But I'm a Cheerleader certainly falls into this category. The comedic film centers around gay and lesbian teens who are sent to a conversion therapy summer camp, and the film is truly deserving of being hailed as ahead of its time.

The directorial debut of filmmaker Jamie Babbit, But I'm a Cheerleader follows seventeen year old cheerleader Megan (Natasha Lyonne), whose family and friends are starting to figure out she has feelings for girls rather than guys. After an intervention about her budding sexuality featuring Ru Paul as an "ex-gay," Megan is sent to True Directions, a place where the young heroine has to go through five steps which will lead to her homosexuality being "cured." Instead of being "cured" at the camp, Megan meets the girl of her dreams, Graham (Clea DuVall).

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When But I'm a Cheerleader first graced the silver screen, the critics ripped it to shreds, criticizing the film's color palette and negatively relating it to the films of John Waters. The characters were also called stereotypical. It even received an NC-17 rating when first submitted to the MPAA because, as discussed in This Film Is Not Yet Rated, while there was no graphically sexual scenes, it provided an unapologetic look at gay people.

In the late 90s/early 2000s, the media wasn't so interested in representing the LGBTQ community like it is now. A same sex relationship shown on screen was seen as controversial, so this film being so representative of queerness was seen as pushing the limits. The characters depicted in the film really were too gay for the mainstream at time, even though the critics who panned it would never admit that back in the day. Today, a majority of modern society is able to see the film as a satire of the sheltered mindset ironically shared by the very people who judged it back in the year 2000.

The idea that But I'm A Cheerleader was criticized for having stereotypical characters is almost nonsensical, since the depiction of these characters' sexualities were real enough to be censored for being so authentically queer at the time. It seems as though people dismissed the film because they didn't understand the queer nuances that ended up striking a chord with LGBTQ audiences years later, making it a cult movie among the community.

Graham and Megan in But I'm a Cheerleader

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The color palette was called out for being a negative aspect of the film, while in actuality, the bright colors represented how awkward and jarring the social construction of gender can be. When a viewer spoke negatively of the exaggerated colors, they didn't realize that this uncomfortable feeling they felt was intended by the filmmaker.

Another aspect of the film that went over many viewers heads at the time of release was it's satire. Plenty of people saw this film as a sappy romantic comedy about a teenage lesbian coming of age, but it's actually a satire that examined the feeling of being different in a society that will constantly judge others and then act as if those judged are the problem. The criticism the film received ironically represents this theme at its core.

The film was forgotten after its theatrical run, until it was seen by the audience it was always intended for, and it is now regarded as a classic LGBTQ movie. The reason it resonates with some people on such a level is because of how queer the film is. This film was always destined to be beloved, but due to it's unashamed portrayal of LGBTQ youth, the world originally refused to realize its true greatness.

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