I think part of the reason Wicked makes myself and other (specifically queer) women tick is because of the intentional choice of how Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship is portrayed. It’s clear (and confirmed) that “Gelphie” goes beyond friendship, despite their official label being friends. So many queer women, including myself, can relate to this dynamic. As someone who notoriously has homoerotic and attached W|W friendships, I’ve come to learn that a passionate love is not reserved for romantic relationships. I know in my experience, friendship with other women is one of the only places I’ve experienced “romantic” love, in ways that my dating life has yet to capture.
The way the world is set up, these friendships often go undervalued or discounted. I think my personal experiences have somewhat radicalized me, because I have been moved to investigate alternatives to things such as worshipping “the couple”, a norm rooted in patriarchal values. Aligning with relationship anarchy in the past, I wish I had more current opportunities to put these concepts into practice. Portland lives up to its reputation, in that it’s counterculture. You can find all types of alternatives there, in addition to the fact that I made connections with extreme ease (compared to where I’m at now). Relying on Hinge for connection has not been fruitful, and I miss being a “Queerdo” amongst many other beautiful queer freaks.
I see myself moving back in the future. I remember life feeling so rich with opportunity, like anything was possible. LA has the beach, my family, and ease of life due to familial support. While being around family is at the top of my priority list, my heart aches for friendship, too, and the dynamic life I once had. I feel as though I keep trying routes to move forward here, to build, to save, etc. It seems like I get met with roadblocks at every turn.
While I’m not in any rush to shake things up, I also worry I’ll get too stuck in a rut if I don’t shake at all. My healing era is, well, healing. It’s also easy to sit in. Easy to breathe, and just be. But it leads me to the question of, when is it time to push forward and make things happen? To put things into motion again? I also find it eerie that every move I seem to make towards shaking things up, gets met with a stop sign. I tend to have ease and luck with manifesting opportunity, so I naturally look deeper into these roadblocks, wondering “Wrong place? Wrong time?”… it’s hard to know for sure.
Interestingly, I never expect my writings to take the twists and turns that they take. It’s neat to give the brain an opportunity to get creative, let loose and problem solve. What started as a general appreciation for friendship, turned into an intuitive call to action towards changing my future. “I have been changed for good”, some might say!
With love, especially to my queer female friends,
Bri