SBG 151: Titanic with Alexi Melvin

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Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that would 100% play Pink Pony Club while the boat sinks.

This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with Broadway producer, writer, actor, creator of viral sapphic content, and host of the Sapphic Panic Podcast (and co-host of new podcast,That’s So Sapphic), Alexi Melvin (@thealeximelvin), to talk about why James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster film Titanic Should’ve Been Gay. 

Honestly, there is shockingly little that needs to be changed for Titanic to be a full-on queer masterpiece. Jack is already so androgynous that he’s giving Gentleman Jack and Rose… well, she’d literally rather fling herself into the freezing sea than marry a man. Everything– from the directorial choices made (especially the framing of Jack and Rose’s sex scene), the casting decisions (Leonardo DiTWINKrio was truly a bizarre choice for a 90’s male romantic lead), and the lesbian savior-complex audacity of Jack sacrificing himself for a woman he kissed for the first time only 6 hours prior– combines to make Titanic a film that truly feels gay. Whether you were a young femme in the 90s feeling seen by Kate WinsLEZ’s portrayal of sad-girl Rose or a young androgynous queer feeling inspired by Leo’s depiction of Jack and his “Hey Mamas” energy, Titanic had something for everyone. 

We talk about the few tweaks we would make to the movie, the added layer of complexity the story gains when viewing Jack as either an androgynous lesbian or a young trans man, the ‘eat the rich’ of it all, and why we truly believe both Jack and Rose could’ve fit on that ‘door’ at the end.

We know one thing for sure, Titanic Should’ve Been Gay.

Give us your own answers to our Q & Gay on Instagram and follow along on Facebook, TikTok, and BlueSky @lezhangoutpod. Email us @lezhangoutpod@gmail.com. Connect with us individually: Ellie Brigida (@elliebrigida). Leigh Holmes Foster (@lshfoster).

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