‘Lesbian Simulator’ Game Is Giving Users a Virtual Taste of Sapphic Life
The interactive art exhibit from Iris van der Meule offers a glimpse into sapphic life through virtual reality.
It’s time to update the old “walk a mile in their shoes” adage. Today, perhaps, it’s more fitting to say “walk a mile in their VR headset.” Or so Dutch artist Iris van der Meule is proposing with her interactive art exhibit ‘Lesbian Simulator,’ which will allow users to explore the sapphic life experience by way of a 40-minute virtual reality experience.
“I always say it’s an experience slash a game,” van der Meule told Queer & Now. “You learn through being interactive and doing small mini games that motivate you to experience certain things that some [heterosexual] people might not come across in their own life.”
The lesbian artist was inspired by her own personal experiences growing up in a small, homophobic town in the Netherlands, where experiencing open discrimination for being queer was commonplace. “It almost felt like a daily routine,” she said. “And when I realized that, I was like, ‘That’s really f*****d up, actually, because why am I accepting this as something that is happening in my life?’”
While the Netherlands has legal recognition of same-sex marriage, culturally, queer people still face stigma. But that legal protection means that oftentimes, the lack of acceptance can remain invisible to folks who aren’t LGBTQ+, which is where the art exhibit comes in. “I want to make an art piece that can teach the people around me,” van der Meule explained. “I can teach them about the things we experience, and hopefully put that mirror to our society and show the blind spots and motivate people to be a bit more active when it comes to fighting for Queer rights.”
How does it work? Users, donning a VR headset and guided by a “Lesbian Goddess” narrator (voiced by out actress Hanna van Vliet), enter a world of colorful and cartoony characters where they engage in activities and mini games, which include interacting with friends and family, attending dance parties, and discovering community. But they also have to navigate harassment and verbal abuse, giving users a fuller, firsthand experience of both the struggles and the queer joys inherent to being a lesbian.
Lesbian Simulator made its international premiere earlier this year at the SXSW Film Festival, and next, it’s headed to the Toronto International Film Festival as part of its Innovation Hub, running from Sept. 10–16.
