Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research
Abstract
This essay examines the cultural conditions surrounding The Rocky Horror Picture Show to examine its ties to the LGBTQ+ community by tracing the post-war growth of queer communities in cities like New York and San Francisco to the boiling-point of the Stonewall Riot. The film’s queer themes, aesthetic motifs, and LGBTQ+ representation are detailed to understand what made it a hit amongst working-class queer audiences of the 1970s and 1980s. This paper explores how the film spawned phenomena such as shadowcasting and continues to create space for working-class queer sexual liberation and individuality decades after its release.
Recommended Citation
Roach, Jackie
(2024)
"“Don’t Dream It, Be It”: The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s Impact on Queer Communities in the 1970s,"
Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research: Vol. 1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/rushton/vol1/iss1/1
Included in
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Theatre and Performance Studies Commons
