It’s always exciting when my students begin to engage media outside of class in new and affirming ways. I’ve subscribed to Clarielle Marsh’s YouTube channel, and after reading my Q & A with her, you may want to check out her work, too!
Mary: Coming out is a process that varies greatly from individual to individual. Why have you chosen YouTube as a forum?
Clarielle: Back in high school when I first started trying to figure out my sexuality, I didn’t really have anyone I could talk to or ask questions. So of course I looked to the internet for my education. I found YouTube to be particularly helpful because the queer channels and YouTubers I found gave me some sort of image that I didn’t see in my own life and that I couldn’t quite create from reading articles and blogs. The videos I watched on YouTube were not only entertaining, visually appealing, and super accessible, but also really affirming. YouTube gave me hope that I could live openly as a queer person and be happy. I did notice in my early watching though that there weren’t many queer YouTubers of color, specifically ones that looked like me. I started Life of a Baby Gay because I wanted to change that a bit. I think it’s really important in the coming out process and in the process of discovering your identity that you be able to see yourself in the world around you.
Mary: Tell me what inspired the episode opening animation and the name of your channel.
Clarielle: The name “Life of a Baby Gay” just came to me one day as I was thinking about what I wanted this channel to be. When I came out during my sophomore year of college, I gained several really great queer friends and “baby gay” was one of the terms we would use to describe fellow burgeoning queer folk. So the name of my channel was inspired by that really important time in my life and the relationship building that happened for me then. I also think that the name “Life of a Baby Gay” communicates this idea that this channel is intended to be a sort of peek into how one lives openly as a queer person…or at least how I do.
Mary: I love how you integrate song and dance into some of your episodes. How do you think those artistic expressions add to your commentary?
Clarielle: Music and performance have always been really important aspects of my life. Artistic expression is how I’ve come to understand a lot about myself and the world around me, and I feel that for that reason it is the most effective method for me to try to impart some of those discoveries. I think one of the really cool things about using YouTube as a forum for these conversations about sexuality, gender, race, and identity in general that I’m attempting to spark with this channel is that I can do so in a way that is fully ME. Those who know me personally can attest to the fact that random singing and dancing are a given if you’re spending time with me. I think by incorporating my artistic interests into this channel I have the opportunity to present a non-compartmentalized image of what queerness and living openly can mean.
Mary: The first time I met you was in a classroom. You were enrolled in a section of the introductory course in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies that I team-taught several years ago. How did your coursework at Wake Forest University inform the work you are doing with your YouTube Channel?
Clarielle: In my work as a WGS major, I focused a lot on identity work and the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. I think this YouTube channel serves as a somewhat of synthesis of a lot of what I learned in my WGS studies because I’m addressing issues of representation and visibility through an intersectional and critical lens. And I get to do it without writing any papers!
Mary: Graduation is just around the corner. Where do you hope to be and what do you hope to be doing in five years?
Clarielle: That is the question of the year! I hope in five years I’m doing some sort of work that combines my interests in identity work and queerness and performance. I’d love to travel and live around the US and abroad doing that work.
Mary: I am so proud of you and all that you do. Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you’d like to talk about?
Clarielle: Thank you for interviewing me and being interested in my channel. I’ve gotten some really positive feedback from several viewers, and that really means the world to me. I’ve really loved making these videos and I look forward to continuing to upload more in the future!
Mary: Can’t to see upcoming videos!