"But I'm a Cheerleader" was created by and for the community, and has become one of the most iconic queer films. The film could have originally gone down a different path, with media executives potentially over-interfering, diluting the work to cater to mainstream audiences and the male gaze.
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03-03, 2025However, this slightly camp and irreverent film, set in a conversion camp, was approved in 1999 and released in Australia in 2000, premiering at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival. Twenty-five years later, "But I'm a Cheerleader" remains a film that queer communities in Australia and around the world love to revisit.
To explore the film's cross-generational impact, we interviewed Alice Maio Mackay, a 20-year-old transgender filmmaker from Kaurna/Adelaide who has created a series of horror films, including "T Blockers," and Kate Jinx, an "elder millennial," program curator for the Melbourne International Film Festival, and co-host of the See Also podcast, which dedicated an episode to the modern classic.
"But I'm a Cheerleader" tells the story of Megan, a stylish blonde teenager played by honorary queer Natasha Lyonne. Megan is sent to a conversion camp to be "cured" after being accused of being a lesbian by her friends and family. This cult comedy, starring real-life lesbian Clea DuVall, has been hailed as "transformative" for 21st-century queer cinema and is widely considered ahead of its time. The film boasts a strong cast, including Cathy Moriarty, Michelle Williams, Bud Cort, New Zealand's Melanie Lynskey, and even a young RuPaul in drag.
Many other LGBTQA+ films of that era told heartbreaking stories of repressed sexuality and the AIDS crisis, or featured straight actors "playing gay" to appeal to mainstream audiences. In contrast, "But I'm a Cheerleader" mocked heteronormativity and gender roles, turning dark themes such as homophobia, social isolation, and conversion therapy into a candy-colored romantic comedy. Jinx, who watched the film at the age of 20 in the western suburbs of Sydney, considers the film "extremely impactful."
"A lot of the stuff I was watching and processing had quite a sad depiction of queer life," she said. "The 'tragic lesbian' was a phenomenon, and I felt like everything carried so much weight, but this film was full of life, vibrancy, levity, and a wonderful soundtrack... it really blew my mind." She had a friend who worked at a local cinema who would let Jinx and her housemates enjoy back-to-back screenings. "We'd watch the film, then wait 15 minutes, and it would start again."
For Maio Mackay, who began exploring SBS's wonderful content at the age of 12, "But I'm a Cheerleader"'s clever handling of light and dark is what makes it so special. True Directions is a 1950s-style world where girls vacuum and wear plastic pink dresses, and boys play with toy guns among blue phallic-shaped trees. RuPaul is a "former gay" camp counselor who preaches masculinity while wearing a "Straight Is Great" T-shirt. As Maio Mackay says, it's "not a grounded film."
"It's very satirical, brightly colored, slightly camp, and not like the real world." "But at the same time, there are sad and bad things that happen... we see these characters going through these things, but [because] it's such a vibrant world, it's still a fun film." Jinx also believes the film is rooted in reality; director Jamie Babbit's mother even ran a rehabilitation center called "New Directions," albeit for drug addiction. "Even though it looks like a pastel-colored dessert, there's a lot of honesty in it," Jinx said.
Upon its release, "But I'm a Cheerleader" was widely criticized by critics, many of whom were straight men who misunderstood the film's humor or were shocked by its focus on queer love and belonging. But the LGBTQA+ community also strongly opposed it, especially those of the generation who had experienced the AIDS crisis, who felt it was inappropriate to make fun of topics such as homophobia. Over time, attitudes have changed, as has our understanding of gender and sexuality.
There is a character in the film who is implied to be a transgender man, but this is not explicitly explored, and they are mostly just a joke. "It's not the best representation ever," Maio Mackay said. "But it's a product of its time, and it's still significant to see a character like that, especially when I was younger, when there wasn't much – and still isn't much – like that in the media."
The film's gentle portrayal of female love and desire also keeps it relevant to modern teenagers, including the sex scenes that the director had to fight for. Clea DuVall's tomboy character Graham, clearly designed for the queer female gaze, has also captured the imagination of a new generation. Today, TikTok is filled with erotic edits of Graham, with Gen Z expressing their love for the film through sexualized montages of her character, broader tributes, and cosplay, all accompanied by modern pop music soundtracks.
Although many of the cast members of "But I'm a Cheerleader" have achieved great careers in the twenty-five years since the film's release, they are still often asked about the work. Natasha Lyonne and Melanie Lynskey recently reunited in Variety's "Actors on Actors" series. The film was adapted into a stage musical in 2005, premiering at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and a 2022 London production of the same script won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Production.
We don't know if pop superstar Chappell Roan's cheerleader anthem "Hot To Go!" was inspired by the film, but she is clearly a fan. MUNA and Phoebe Bridgers' gay anthem "Silk Chiffon" pays a more direct tribute in its music video, with band members playfully recreating scenes and characters from the film.
On a personal level, "But I'm a Cheerleader" has had a personal impact on many in the queer community, including transgender actor Elliot Page, who believes the film changed his life. Page mentioned the film when receiving an award at the Outfest Film Festival: "We can't talk enough about the importance of representation... and how many lives it saves."
For Jinx, the film has been a "touchstone" in her life. "It's the kind of film I want to show everyone... it's these films that make you want to get into film curation and programming because it's about connecting with people and creating dialogue." For Maio Mackay, the film's fusion of queer themes with comedy has influenced her own style of twisting transgender experiences through horror films.
"A lot of people my age, a lot of people I work with, really love the film, love the story and the way it's told." "For any film that was made 25 years ago... I think that's really special."
