Rachael Eyre's Blog - Posts Tagged "a-league-of-their-own"
Amazon Prime’s A League of Their Own is a Lesbian Landmark
I wasn’t enthusiastic when I learned there was going to be a series of A League of Their Own. As far as I was concerned, it was one of those frothy, feel good, vaguely feminist films they liked to make in the Nineties, its only selling points Tom Hanks and Madonna. My lack of interest in sport meant it was unlikely to be on my To Be Watched list.
It had been out for a few days when sapphic Twitter lit up. GIFs of characters kissing, intriguing tweets, eye opening threads - it seemed to be not so much a sports show with lesbians but a coming out story that happened to have baseball in it. I was sold.
Carson, the first of our heroines, has been unhappy in her marriage to Charlie for a long time. She takes advantage of his absence - he’s serving in World War Two - to pursue her dream of becoming a baseball player with the Rockford Peaches. During try outs she meets the alluring Greta, who’s clearly a lesbian and just as evidently attracted to her. When they’re accepted on the team, they dance around each other, but eventually give in to their feelings and begin a passionate affair.
In a regular show, it would be one subplot of many, but here it’s the primary storyline and romantic arc. It doesn’t condemn Carson’s adultery, making it clear Greta is her true love, even if it started as a fling. Since they’re women in their thirties with baggage, their relationship is more realistically handled and certainly more compelling than the teenage crushes of mainstream media. Even better, they’re not the only queers in the Peaches, with Greta’s best friend Jo and two other teammates being sympathetic, multidimensional butch lesbians other women find attractive. Win-win!
If this wasn’t enough, there’s a second queer heroine: Maxine, or Max, a young Black woman who has always wanted to play baseball. She is a better player than anyone in the Peaches, but the racism of the time means they won’t consider her. Instead of hovering on the periphery, like she might have in another series, she has her own separate narrative and ensemble cast, including a budding romance with Esther, a professional player, and her relationship with her Uncle Bertie, a trans man who has been disowned by Max’s family. Another vital part of her life is Clance, her married best friend - but we realise how frail such ties can be when the oblivious Clance calls Bertie a “freak,” hurting Max deeply.
Max stumbles across Carson and Greta kissing early on. Carson worries she might spill the beans, but over time the two women develop a friendship, telling each other things they could never confide in anyone else in their lives. Some viewers might find this contrived - but they’re obviously not gay. Speaking from personal experience, it breaks the ice between strangers faster than anything else.
There are so many touches that remind you this is a queer show for queer viewers. Greta making sure she’s seen with men so people don’t suspect; the comphet Carson and Max feel they have to enact; their intimidating chaperone ‘Sarge’ letting Jess know she’s “one of their own.” It has one of the most joyous depictions of a gay bar I’ve seen, with the lesbian characters finally able to be open and out with their loves and others like themselves. This catharsis makes it doubly distressing when the bar’s raided and its owner Vi brutally beaten. The scene is harrowing but necessary, demonstrating how homophobia was once government policy, and how hard won our present freedoms are.
This has been a challenging year for lesbian representation. After so many disappointments and cancellations, please let A League of Their Own break the curse. The Peaches deserve to play another season.
It had been out for a few days when sapphic Twitter lit up. GIFs of characters kissing, intriguing tweets, eye opening threads - it seemed to be not so much a sports show with lesbians but a coming out story that happened to have baseball in it. I was sold.
Carson, the first of our heroines, has been unhappy in her marriage to Charlie for a long time. She takes advantage of his absence - he’s serving in World War Two - to pursue her dream of becoming a baseball player with the Rockford Peaches. During try outs she meets the alluring Greta, who’s clearly a lesbian and just as evidently attracted to her. When they’re accepted on the team, they dance around each other, but eventually give in to their feelings and begin a passionate affair.
In a regular show, it would be one subplot of many, but here it’s the primary storyline and romantic arc. It doesn’t condemn Carson’s adultery, making it clear Greta is her true love, even if it started as a fling. Since they’re women in their thirties with baggage, their relationship is more realistically handled and certainly more compelling than the teenage crushes of mainstream media. Even better, they’re not the only queers in the Peaches, with Greta’s best friend Jo and two other teammates being sympathetic, multidimensional butch lesbians other women find attractive. Win-win!
If this wasn’t enough, there’s a second queer heroine: Maxine, or Max, a young Black woman who has always wanted to play baseball. She is a better player than anyone in the Peaches, but the racism of the time means they won’t consider her. Instead of hovering on the periphery, like she might have in another series, she has her own separate narrative and ensemble cast, including a budding romance with Esther, a professional player, and her relationship with her Uncle Bertie, a trans man who has been disowned by Max’s family. Another vital part of her life is Clance, her married best friend - but we realise how frail such ties can be when the oblivious Clance calls Bertie a “freak,” hurting Max deeply.
Max stumbles across Carson and Greta kissing early on. Carson worries she might spill the beans, but over time the two women develop a friendship, telling each other things they could never confide in anyone else in their lives. Some viewers might find this contrived - but they’re obviously not gay. Speaking from personal experience, it breaks the ice between strangers faster than anything else.
There are so many touches that remind you this is a queer show for queer viewers. Greta making sure she’s seen with men so people don’t suspect; the comphet Carson and Max feel they have to enact; their intimidating chaperone ‘Sarge’ letting Jess know she’s “one of their own.” It has one of the most joyous depictions of a gay bar I’ve seen, with the lesbian characters finally able to be open and out with their loves and others like themselves. This catharsis makes it doubly distressing when the bar’s raided and its owner Vi brutally beaten. The scene is harrowing but necessary, demonstrating how homophobia was once government policy, and how hard won our present freedoms are.
This has been a challenging year for lesbian representation. After so many disappointments and cancellations, please let A League of Their Own break the curse. The Peaches deserve to play another season.
