I'm Coming Out!

Legendary Art by amidola
Legendary Art by amidola

Now, my pretties, a lot has happened this week!

There has been a lunar eclipse, for example, and Emma has come out!

Finally!

So we prepared a little something for everyone to celebrate these exciting happenings.


 

As some of you might have noticed, we have been talking to some sweet Ladies from DIVA mag and from CBC Canada...(Hi girls!)

One question that was common to both interviews was the question of why.

 

Why Jemma? I mean..how would you answer that if the person on the other end of the line is paying a horrendous amount of money for that phone call?Meaning: Limit yourself to a few sentences!!!

 

Why? Why all the trouble, all the work, all the love? And why ,of all things, this obscure little soap on German television?

 

Because I don't have the feeling I'm watching a gay show.

 

I'm not a Lesbian watching two Lesbian teenagers fall in love..but it's just me--and it's just them..and it's just love--and it's just difficult.

It's difficult because of issues that I know all too well...

 

Like Coming Out!

 

Now Emma, who has dealt in terms of "Normal" and who didn't even want to be "Special"..shy, dorky Emma...Emma who has screamed at an unfaithful Jenny, that she "even meant to come out" for her. Emma who doesn't know what or who she is. Emma...puppy Emma. Emma who is everything, that Jenny is not, proves, that she has the heart of a Lion, and gets up in front of the whole school and kisses her girlfriend. Perfect cliffhanger.

 

But now, let me get back to why I love this show:

Emma sings and dances..and my heart beats double time with hers in her anxiety. But it doesn't do so, because I'm afraid, that Jenny will split  up with her if she doesn't...even though that storyline would have been soap opera standard...She doesn't do so, because she feels threatened or blackmailed by anyone,either..but because she has had an epiphany about cherishing the things one loves, and she gets up on that pile of books and kisses Jenny because she wants to - out of the bottom of her heart. She gives everyone an opportunity to go ahead and point a finger at her and say: Lesbo! and Dyke! and everything Bodo mentioned to her earlier..but she does it anyways..because this is important to her..something that needs to be done.. Jenny has awakened a part of herself, that cannot be denied any longer. Like a giant wave that comes rushing in to shore to carry her out into the ocean (it's a Rilke allusion, by the way,at least I think it is..).

 

Coming Out is about making yourself very, very vulnerable..about making something very private very public, and giving people the opportunity to form an opinion about you based on things that are absolutely none of their business. You give people an opportunity to hate you, to despise you and to loathe you.To recognize you as "not normal" and to mark you.

 

It's a tricky, tricky business..and yet, I must tell you, that, even though I'm not from London, I'm from glorious and fantastic Berlin, I have met and even loved a few people who did not manage to face up to this challenge. Why should one anyways? What is the purpose in life? Now, I'm not getting overly philosophical here, Emma has just had a near death experience involving the accident, so go all Timo on me:

Tell me, what is the purpose of life?

 

To live unharmed and unscathed? Or to live boldly and truthfully? Maybe even happily? A life full of love?

 

With all the markings and the burden, and what not that I just mentioned, those about to come out usually forget what there is to gain.

Love by another, maybe..but also love for yourself. Above all, love for yourself. And therefore to come out doesn't necessarily mean standing up on a pile of books in front of a whole school, but to look in the mirror, and say it to yourself. Be truthful,and admit to yourself:

I am gay.

And learn to be proud of who you are. It's a long and a hard process. And one of the hardest things any of us will ever do or have ever done.

 

Now, why I love thie show?

 

It's all summed up in the first minutes of episdoe 177. Emma...lovely, dorky, sweet Emma faces about every single one of her demons...and the whole school applauds her. It wasn't about her being gay, but about her being brave. And about them being sweet together. Well, that and their fabulous singing and dancing and making out. And damn it...that scene was just so wonderful, and positive. After watching ten years of secret lesbian relationships and kisses on TV, that always, somehow implied that it was "wrong" or "different" to fall in love with another girl, I almost cried when everyone kept applauding Jenny and Emma and remarking on what a beautiful couple they were.

 

And to top it all off, like it wasn't the most gay positive show in the universe, or in an effort to really make me cry, Hand aufs Herz featured Jemma in their fake online Pestalozzi School Blog The "Lozzy Flur Funk" as "The New Dream Couple".(Translation is attached to the end of this blog. But read on first ;) )

 

If that isn't worth a celebration, I don't know what is!

 

Now, that's my cue, to be getting back to the more unserious bussiness of this medium!

 

A little over a week ago, I hopscotched over to Hamburg to report from the soap awards. That was a twofold experience to put it mildly, you'll find out more about it here. What I noticed however, or believed to be noticing, was that the girls (Kasia and Lucy) were looking for you. Now, they're working like crazy, on their set at the end of nowhere and probably don't get as much feedback as one would think (Franciska Friede described it to us a little bit).

 

So, we from Jemmainternational decided to step it up a bit and get interactive. Help you guys show Lucy and Kasia and the Hand aufs Herz people that you're out there and a bit of who you are. It's super nice for us  to be hearing so much from you, but I think they need to hear from you, too! They need to hear from you more! They just need to see and hear you!

 

To celebrate Emma's Coming Out, and to show some presence, we're initiating a "Send Emma a Coming Out Card" Campaign. Honestly, I think there are not enough opportunities seized for that particular occasion, and I have no problem sending a fictional character a congratulory card. Nope, none at all. It's a good opportunity to say Hi! and Thanks! at the same time! (Without having to pour your heart out into a letter or an email!) You'll find the necessary info here.

 

Ahaand, you don't like letters or cards in this digital age, who sends letters nowadays anyways(?)...and yet want to say Hi! or Jemma! in person, Juno is eagerly awaiting your submissions for a video that features..You!  You'll find more info here.  Let's flashmob them! We're totally good at this! Well practiced!

 

Also Juno put up Number four of the Jemma Starter Kit for you. Not a mission impossible at all. You can find it here -> 'Evolution Kit'

 

Now, last but not least..(is anyone still even reading this?) I'd like to thank our gorgeous and fantastic translatresses from all over. Do yourself the favor and watch the episodes on the Hand aufs Herz site over and over...because they will be gone after a week! And it's testphase time after all. Despite that, girls from all over, got into our crazy ship and sailed through the week with numerous translations of the full episodes! Isn't t that just absolutely awesome?

 

I can only say, you girls rock! It's such a pleasure, to be sailing with all of you!

amidola

 

 P.S.: Happy Pride, wherever you are! And take the links to the Mail and Video campaign and spread them to all your Jemmafriends.


Attachment:

 

Lozzi- Flur Funk - English

Jenny + Emma = Dream Couple

Dear Lozzys,
after the performance of the STAG there was a surprising picture and outing of a new couple of our school yesterday - Jenny and Emma kissed in front of the whole school. The two of them seemed completely over the moon and in love, so that one can only be happy for them despite some of the superficial remarks of some students they were getting.

So it's no surprise that the two of them are topic number one across the hallways and already are being talked about as the new dream couple of the school. We're happy for them, or what do you think?
Your lozzy.de-Team

 

Kommentar schreiben

Kommentare: 10
  • #1

    Sarah (Donnerstag, 16 Juni 2011 23:35)

    This is amazingly well written! Thank you for summing up exactly how I feel about the way that HaH has handled Emma and Jenny going public for the school/world to see. You've done an absolutely wonderful job with this website. Thank you so much for everything you are doing!

  • #2

    fofolle (Freitag, 17 Juni 2011 00:17)

    Girls, you rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I really loved what you wrote :)
    the part why you love the show

    and the idea of the card :) :) :) :) :)

    LG aus der Schweiz
    céline

    ps: yes, part 4! thank you juno

  • #3

    Wuschdibusch (Freitag, 17 Juni 2011 03:14)

    Love you, love you, I say that I love you =)

    I love Hand aufs Herz & Jemma and I love all of you guys @ Jemma International. Thank you for all the hard work and dedication; the translations and all the other (fun) stuff are brilliant. And thank you so much for this fantastic new blog entry - you've really outdone yourselves this time with all the updates and brilliant ideas. I know exactly how I will spend my weekend now lol - making a little video clip and a Happy Coming Out card, watching Jemma clips and HaH-Folgen, listening to S.T.AG music and sitting on my happy little fluffy rainbow-cloud.
    Ihr seid Hammer! Vielen Dank.

    P.S.: Just a suggestion, maybe we could all take a picture of our Coming Out cards for Emma and send them to you via the "Kontaktformular" and you post them here on the website. Would be Oberhammer =D

  • #4

    jemmatranslations (Freitag, 17 Juni 2011 10:37)

    Thanx for your brilliant idea! So guys, everyone who sends Emma a card, please send a copy to us as well so that we can post them here on the page.
    Have fun!!

  • #5

    Clijsters3 (Freitag, 17 Juni 2011 13:21)

    Thank you for taking the time to write all that and I loved the report from the soap awards.

    You do so much for HaH and Jemma fans and I want to say a big thank you. I feel like I should make a long speech saying how wonderful you all are but instead I'll do a Lucy and say danke!

  • #6

    Annie (Samstag, 18 Juni 2011 08:10)


    Greetings from Finland! Thank you very much for your wonderful work. We international fans really appreciate it!

    I was kind of in a shock after reading about the Soap awards and the way some "fans" confronted Lucy and the others at the after party. After all, they are normal people just like us though being under a public eye. They deserve to kick back and enjoy theirself after so much hard work and people should respect that. Makes me sad to realyze that some people feel like they can just go and command them to be nice to them. :S Respect is the keyword here.

    Sorry about my rambling. I just needed to get this out.

    Love the Coming out -card, deff going to give it a go.

  • #7

    Jules (Samstag, 18 Juni 2011 12:52)

    I love this idea and i'll send a card from my hometown today. I've also tweeted Heather Hogan so hopefully she'll spread the word and i'll do my part and sending this to all the people in my friends list.

    But i think we can do one better. I liked very much reading what the storyline meant to amidola, but for me it was something else that made me love this storyline and this show so much. If they really want to hear from people all over the world, why not send in letters saying what the storyline means to you. Why it touched your heart where other lesbian storylines have failed. How incredible it is that the people from Sat1 will make a Jemma corner because they know we're out there. And not just send them to Kasia and Lucy, but also the writers of HAH. Because they are doing an awesome job too.

    Send in the 'YAY, you're gay' cards because it is fun. Send in the letters because of the brilliance of the actresses, the writing staff and the producers. Touch their hearts like they've touched ours.

    Jules

  • #8

    jemmatranslations (Samstag, 18 Juni 2011 21:39)

    Hi Jules! I'm totally all for your idea!But please don't send it to the address you send the postcards to!That's just the address on the set. Give me a couple of weeks to figure out a few more addresses.Wait! Give me three more weeks, and we'll do a "Pour your heart out in a letter" campaign."Hand on a Letter", "Heart in an Envelope"..we'll think of something.Sound ok? Will try to get on those addresses,asap either way.
    @annie There always all kinds of "fans" I guess..this is a twofold business..but I'm really hoping, that it goes to show, that there are also nice people out there.:-)*In Emma voice* "Like...you, for example!" ^^ Have a good weekend,peeps!

  • #9

    Jules (Sonntag, 19 Juni 2011 15:22)

    I like the 'Put your heart in an envelope' title (and tell the mailman to be careful with it :) I guess spreading the word will be more of a challenge. Especially if you can't use the HAH facebook page to spread the word. I'll wait for that address. That gives me time to figure out what i want to tell them anyway! ;)

  • #10

    fofolle (Montag, 27 Juni 2011 08:06)

    hallo zamme!

    i just went back from Paris Gay pride ;-) Guess what i bring back? Eiffelturm!!!! (lol) i'm gonna prepare my postcard and, of course, send a picture to you before sending it to HaH :)

    LG aus meini kleini Schweiz,
    céline