March 9, 2021| In 1909, the Oxford English Dictionary first defined the term “camp” as “ostentatious, exaggerated, affected, theatrical; effeminate or homosexual behavior” and from that definition on, we have delivered. Camp has been used to comment on society’s idea of what high art, taste, and culture is by disrupting it with high energy and overblown presentations, often approaching the boundary of bad taste with always smart humor. The successful camp is true camp, and bad camp is just kitsch. For example: Lady Gaga is camp, the movie Showgirls is kitsch. Fighting the good fight in the world of cinematic camp for the LGBTQ community is screenwriter Michael Zara. In this past year, with an increasing abundance of Hallmark and Lifetime holiday films, the SyFy network premiered Michael’s debut on-screen film, Letters to Satan Claus. Adding to SyFy’s library of films that include Sharknado, Shark in Venice, Dinocroc, and Santa Jaws (seriously, what is SyFy’s fascination with sharks?), Michael’s film included characters and actors from the LGBTQ community, something fairly new to the “macho man, shoot ‘em up” network. Michael’s script and inclusion in the network’s lineup reflect the uptick in LGBTQ representation on networks that previously had disregarded us. Filmed during the height of the pandemic, Letters to Satan Claus was directed by Emma Jean Sutherland, who is non-binary and bi-sexual, and features a diverse cast with openly queer lead Karen Knox, trans actors, and a black love interest storyline.