Virtual Cellphilming with GBTQ Pups: Towards Participant-Driven Research as Activism

In the present paper, we draw upon our research, entitled Puppy Philms, to guide researchers who are interested in queering cellphilming methodologies. In this context, “queering” refers to the process of challenging and disrupting heteronormative roles and perspectives within research practices. We argue that taking a queer poststructural approach to virtual cellphilming helped us shift this project away from typical academic relations of power, towards participant-driven research as activism. In emphasizing flexibility, reflexivity, a desire for partnership and community building, we found queer communication to be a mechanism through which we could shift power and drive levels of engagement. In considering the continued stigma associated with pup play, queer poststructuralism theories allow cellphilms to disrupt traditional norms, both societal and academic norms. We found that cellphilming is particularly suited for the study of queer eroticism because participants can control the narrative, deliver a more nuanced understanding of the experiences portrayed, and claim legitimacy through association with an arts-based participatory research project.