One is a life simulator video game, the other the peak text in the classification of mental conditions – that both are runaway successes for the queer community is no surprise. The Sims offers heathen queers a chance to play the God they rejected, while the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders spearheaded the medicalisation and stigmatisation of a range of queer identities, as well as the multitude of other mental conditions many queers enjoy today. An ironic cult hit, pages of the DSM are a favoured substitute for papers when rolling blunts. Bisexual gamer and self-described ‘anxious little bean’ Dana eagerly awaits new developments in each franchise, attributing her love of each to a shared spirit – “They’re both sorta creepy,” she confesses. The Sims 5 is set to be released in late 2020, while the DSM does not actually have release dates: it’s the DSM.
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