Love Me Bait Me: The Power of Queer Representation

This feature documentary explores the historical relationship between Hollywood, television, and the authentic portrayal of diverse LGBTQ+ experiences over the course of more than a century. Interviews and archival footage provide a constructive critique of the U.S. film industry that emphasizes the life-saving role storytelling plays in our collective imagination for a better future.

Rachel (she/her) co-founded The Clexa Project community nonprofit fund and the corresponding documentary 'Love Me Bait Me' with Margot van der Bie in October 2016. Rachel graduated from CSU, Chico in 2018 with degrees in Women’s Studies and Finance, after working for four years at Chico State's on-campus Gender & Sexuality Equity Center.

Her passion for social justice, creativity, and personal relationship to queer media are reflected in her efforts to produce 'Love Me Bait Me.' Rachel is a first-time filmmaker with hopes of working within the world of storytelling for many years to come.

Director Statement

Curiosity and a passion for truth-telling motivated us to embark on a feature length documentary eight years in the making. Since the beginning of our journey, we have interviewed experts and fans across the LGBTQ+ spectrum about queer media history, activism, harmful tropes, and the societal impact of negative representation.

It was important to us that a documentary about LGBTQIA+ experiences be created by LGBTQIA+ people. The key crew involved in the making of this film identifies somewhere within the community, with half of the team identifying as nonbinary and the other half as cisgender women. This same consideration was also prioritized during our process of deciding who to interview.

We couldn't have made it this far without the generous support of so many, most notably the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) located in Portland, Oregon.