“GILLIAN ANDERSON MADE ME GAY:” THE CASE OF THE X-FILES LESBIANS

by

SAMANTHA HOWAT

Under the Direction of Wendy Simonds PhD

ABSTRACT

demonstrate how much television can influence and aid with the construction of female

sexuality. Additionally, I have studied the role media plays in identity formation. I collected data

via a survey distributed to LBPQ X-Files fans on the blogging website tumblr. I conclude that the

online community, the show’s treatment of gender roles, and having a space to interact without

heterosexuals all contribute to this phenomenon.

INDEX WORDS: Lesbians, Sexual identity development, The X-Files

“GILLIAN ANDERSON MADE ME GAY:” THE CASE OF THE X-FILES LESBIANS

by

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Copyright by

“GILLIAN ANDERSON MADE ME GAY:” THE CASE OF THE X-FILES LESBIANS

by

SAMANTHA HOWAT

Office of Graduate Studies

College of Arts and Sciences

Georgia State University

May 2020

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would first like to thank Wendy Simonds, Deirdre Oakley, and Elisabeth Burgess for all

their help on my thesis. I would also like to thank everyone in the Department of Sociology who

have helped me during my time in this program. Everyone has been exceedingly patient and

understanding.

Thank you to my family, Loren, my friends, all my Diamonds, the wonderful X-Files

lesbians, and every musician who provided me with a soundtrack to write to (especially Brian

Fallon). Also, thanks to Gillian Anderson and David Duchvony.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1

1.2 Literature Review......................................................................................................... 4

2 EXPERIMENT ............................................................................................................... 15

2.1 Methods ....................................................................................................................... 15

2.2 Data ............................................................................................................................. 17

3.4 Dana Scully’s Influence ............................................................................................. 23

4.1 Discussion .................................................................................................................... 30

4.2 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 32

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 34

APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................. 40

Appendix A: Questionnaire ................................................................................................... 40

Appendix B: Informed Consent ............................................................................................ 46

Appendix C: Recruitment Post ............................................................................................. 48

Table 1: Frequency of Site Usage and Posting Related to The X-Files ........................................ 19

Table 2: Amount of episodes of The X-Files watched ................................................................. 19

In addition to OBSSE, some women have been influenced by Scully in other ways. Many

women claim Scully as their scientist role model and inspiration for entering the STEM field.

These claims have been dubbed “the Scully Effect.” Scientists in television and movies had

previously been depicted as "nerds" in an undesirable field (Landers 2016). Scully's depiction is

radically different: she doesn't dress in stereotypical "nerd" attire (no glasses, no unflattering

clothing); she is not made fun of for being a scientist, and she is typically held in high regard by

other characters. If the previous view of scientists brought "nerd" to mind, Scully could truly be

considered "cool" in comparison. Members of both the cast and crew have shared anecdotal

evidence of the Scully Effect. Anne Simon, the woman who ensured the science seen on The X-

Files was accurate, shared her experience:

Anderson has made similar remarks:

“I was told quite frequently by girls who were going into the medical world or the science

world or the FBI world or other worlds that I reigned, that they were pursuing those

pursuits because of the character of Scully” (Vineyard 2013).

Lisa Parks writes with a feminist perspective on Scully as a scientist and also discusses

Scully's influence on women's career choices. She references a discussion in an online group

entitled "I want to be like Scully when I grow up" which included comments from women

inspired by the show's depiction of a woman scientist (Parks 1996). One comment that Parks

shares is from a woman who drew inspiration from Scully while taking her doctoral exam.

Another more detailed comment states: "Scully is the real strong character; the one who doesn't

gag at blood or bodies, who wants to do her job as well as she can, who is ambitious without

being self-centered, who has her feet planted on the ground" (Parks 1996:121).

In 2018, there was a formal study of the Scully Effect in a joint effort between 21st

Century Fox, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and J. Walter Thompson

Intelligence. A survey was given to two separate groups: a sample of women working in STEM

fields, and then to women who are X-Files fans. The results were that women who regularly

shaping life choices” (2018). Based on this, it certainly seems that there is a connection between

Scully/Anderson and women fans.

Marusia Bociurkiw provides insight into the construction of lesbian culture. She explains

that, at the time of writing (1998:27), "lesbian culture remained almost underground" and that

content was spread "by word of mouth." She references Claude Levi-Strauss' idea of "bricolage,"

defined as "the piecing-together of shreds of reflection and identity from scant sources available;

the bending of meaning to her purpose" (Bociurkiw 1998:28). It seems that this might be just

what the X-Files lesbians have done. Despite there being a more accessible lesbian culture in

present times, they have built a community based on their sexuality and have assigned their own

meanings to the show to support their narrative. As Andrea MacDonald states, women-

dominated groups within fandoms "take that popular culture and use it as their starting point for

their community of and for women" (MacDonald 1998). Using bricolage, meanings were created

through pop culture and forged a group of lesbian-identifying individuals.

Research on gay identity development is also important to consider here. Westrate and

McLean examine how cultural-historical factors within the recent past have shaped gay

identities. They found that participants either reported, "a memory of a cultural event relevant to

their sexuality" or "a self-defining memory of their sexuality" (Westrate and McLean 2010:225).

identity development among gay adolescents, known as the “Cass model of homosexual identity

formation” (1979). There are six stages in this model: identity awareness, identity comparison,

identity tolerance, identity acceptance, identity pride, and identity synthesis. While this model

has become the standard, Rich Savin-Williams identifies the many critiques of sexual identity

development models in The New Gay Teenager (2005). He states that these models "have proven

to be incapable of adequately characterizing the dynamic lives of contemporary young people"

(2005:81). Instead, he feels it is "irresponsible to propose a comprehensive theory" of the

development of same-sex attracted individuals (2005:82). While I feel it is important to note the

Cass model, I agree with Savin-Williams and will not be using it. Savin-Williams also introduces

a "differential developmental trajectories" framework (2005:82). One of the tenets for this

framework is that "the developmental trajectory of a given person is similar to that of no other

person who has ever lived” (2005:84). I feel this is a better mindset to take regarding my

research. However, despite each person’s unique experience, we are also socialized in patterned

ways.

Rachel Karinol’s research on heterosexual adolescent girls and male celebrities may

provide some insight into the credit Gillian Anderson receives for fans’ sexual discoveries.

Karinol finds that the girls in her study select "love objects" that they deem "safe” targets of

targets for some non-heterosexual girls. Much as the online communities provide room for

exploration of sexuality, idolization of same-gender celebrities allows for low-risk exploration of

romantic and sexual feelings.

In explaining how fans of Mulder’s and Scully’s relationship (shippers) have come to

"reclaim" (2000:244) the romance of the show, Scodari and Felder reference a quote from an

article by Celeste Condit: "meanings are produced in particular social formations through

situated human discourse" (1997:198). This idea essentially describes the fandom as

participating in social construction. Together, they have formed a community that assigns its

own meanings to every interaction between Scully and Mulder. As a community, the X-Files

lesbians seem to have done the same with Dana Scully and Gillian Anderson in making both the

character and the actress their own lesbian icons.

A 2008 article also considers the role of social construction in LGBT fans' interpretations

of television shows and connects queer theory to these interpretations (Dhaenens et al. 2008).

The authors conclude that through queer readings, fans resist "hegemonic ideological

production" (Dhaenens et al. 2008:344). Although the X-Files lesbians are not all necessarily

arguing that Scully is a lesbian, they are, nevertheless, resisting the hegemonic ideals of the

show. Utilizing a show with only heterosexual characters, they are forming their own queer

Geller 2016).

Building on this establishment of women’s presence in fandom, research on fan culture

often emphasizes online fandom as providing a safe space for girls and women (Clerc 1996;

MacDonald 1998; Mazzarella 2005; Warburton 2010). Therefore, it is unsurprising that it has

been well established that online fan communities can provide a support system (Clerc 1996;

Duffett 2013; Kirby-Diaz 2009; Warburton 2010). Obviously, safe spaces for girls and women

allow for support systems to flourish. Jacqueline Vickery noted that the support of online

communities might be especially significant for adolescent girls, as they can serve needs not

fulfilled off-screen (Vickery 2010). Additionally, this feeling of safety allows young girls to feel

free to "construct their identities and express feelings about issues of greatest importance to

them" (Grisso and Weiss 2005:32). This safety comes in great contrast to online communities

such as those for gaming, which are often hotbeds for misogyny.

Several different studies of online communities provide evidence that they can be safe

spaces for girls and women. Jamie Warburton studied a community of girls who read and write

fanfiction. She found that participants often shared that they felt supported and never judged

within the community (Warburton 2010). The girls felt they were free to "let loose" while

talking to their online friends, allowing them the possibility of developing more confidence

Rather than be part of large, public newsgroups, they began to create mailing lists. Clerc explains

that mailing lists must be sought out and joined rather than being available for public viewing,

often making membership smaller. This guards against "clueless" new fans, as well as trolls, who

post with the intention of inciting arguments (Clerc 1996:42). These factors allow for a greater

sense of community, as well as safety. Again, many members of the mailing lists see the group

as a support system and a place where they can “unwind and share personal information” (Clerc

1996:44).

Several scholars have discovered that the safe spaces and support systems of online

communities allow for freedom when it comes to matters of sexuality (Grisso and Weiss 2005;

Meggers 2012; Warburton 2010). This is possibly in part due to girls easily being able to find

others more like themselves, who have the potential to "accept parts of them that their other

acquaintances cannot, or they can discuss topics that other friends and family avoid" (Stern

2002:228). The gender composition of these communities also appears significant. Warburton

contends that the communities being almost exclusively for women "may contribute to creating a

safe space for sexuality play" (Warburton 2010:125). Grisso and Weiss also discuss the

significance of the construction of girls' sexual identities occurring in an all-female space (2005).

Larsen and Zubernis refer to fandom as an antidote to persistent female shame about sexuality

results show that fanfiction communities might be considered "safe havens" for sexual minorities

(2010:129). The communities provide a safe space for the exploration of sexuality through

discussion and writing. Fanfiction allows the girls to experiment and freely "try on" different

sexual orientations and genders (Warburton 2010:29).

Heather Meggers's study of female online fandoms had similar findings and is

particularly relevant to my research. Meggers found that 55.7% of the fans in her study "believed

that participation in online fandom had played a role in changing their own attitudes about

sexuality" (Meggers 2012:60). Fans also felt that their online communities provided a space for

them to openly acknowledge their sexual identities, with multiple fans "coming out to their fan

community first" (Meggers 2012:67). Some fans felt that within the online communities, they

discovered their sexual identity or enhanced their comfort with their attraction to women

(Meggers 2012). The participants explain that this is due to being exposed to LGBT fans as well

as the "community aspects" of online fandoms, such as support. Clearly, safe spaces and support

are essential to the development of women’s and girls' sexual identities. It is likely that the X-

Files lesbians have a similarly safe community where they are free to discuss and construct their

sexual feelings and identities.

2 EXPERIMENT

2.1 Methods

As there is no existing data relevant to this research, I collected my own data. I used an

online questionnaire consisting of both multiple choice and open-ended questions. This is a

The population I was interested in is the online community of fans of The X-Files who

are primarily active on the blogging website tumblr, particularly the members of this community

who identify as X-Files lesbians. This definition of the population will constitute the sampling

frame. To study this population, I used a volunteer sample and also engaged in snowball

sampling. Due to the nature of snowball sampling, it was possible individuals who are no longer

on tumblr or joined the community on other social media platforms have taken part in the

questionnaire. As of November 2018, tumblr hosted 449.9 billion blogs (tumblr). However, it is

unclear how many users of the website are actually active.

Unlike Facebook or Twitter, tumblr has features, such as a tagging system, that make it

more convenient and conducive for approaching members of this population. Tumblr mainly

certain keywords or phrases so that the post can be found by users using the search function.

Direct messages can also be sent from user to user. I utilized all of these functions during the

recruitment process. I made a post with a brief overview discussing how I am interested in

studying the sexual orientations of LBPQ X-Files fans and what participation in the questionnaire

required (this post is included in Appendix A). The post was then tagged with various keywords

and phrases related to show (#x files, #the x files, #scully, #dana scully, #x files lesbian). I ended

the post by encouraging others to reblog it to spread the word, as a form of snowball sampling.

The direct messaging system on tumblr serves as an easy way for people to reach out to each

other and offers an alternative other than emailing directly. There is even an option for messages

to be anonymous, so questions regarding the research and interview could be answered without

many of these fans are also highly active in social justice and activism, so I believe they were

especially likely to be interested in participating in research that focuses on sexuality.

I originally aimed to recruit 50 participants. However, when responses started coming in

much more quickly than anticipated, I changed this number to 250. Responses were removed if

participants indicated that they were heterosexual, cisgender men, or did not answer the open-

ended questions. There was no incentive to participate.

consensus that “seeing young women especially talk openly about their sexuality, as is the case

in the X-Files fandom especially, definitely made me feel less ostracized by the world, and gave

me hope that there was a community out there for me.”

3.4 Dana Scully’s Influence

awakening.” Many participants also made it clear that the attraction went beyond the actress and

was truly due to Scully. Victoria, 18, explains that “Dana Scully had a huge impact on my

discovery of my sexual orientation. This character was beautiful, smart, and strong, and I

remember being very attracted to all of these qualities that she possessed. Her character is unlike

any character I had seen before, in that she was outspoken and held her ground in her beliefs.”

Others realized their feelings towards Scully were different from their feelings towards men. Pru,

38, says that “Scully made me a lesbian because I realized I could never feel the same way about

a man as I feel about her.”

Several bisexuals noted the importance of both Dana Scully and Fox Mulder. Heather,

20, says that “the attraction I felt towards both Scully and Mulder did impact my decision to

about their favorite character, many chose Scully, but 13% chose Mulder, while 7% said it was a

tie between the two.

Lesbians also noted the importance of Mulder, albeit in a different way from bisexuals:

they did not find him attractive, despite heterosexual women fans feeling differently. Mulder’s

physical description in the pilot touted his “boyish good looks,” (Carter 1993: 36) while

Duchovny had a following in his own right, demonstrated with the classic fandom song featuring

a chorus of “David Duchovny, why won’t you love me?” (Austin and Sharp 1999.) This

distinction of attraction between Scully and Mulder proved to be key for some. Laura, 25, says

“Scully is the first character I remember being more interested in, in spite of the fact that my

female friends were all about Mulder. I liked Mulder well enough, but I was there for Scully.”

by Mulder (and Gillian Anderson was frequently photographed with David Duchovny), it was

safe to plaster my binder/locker/bedroom with pictures of them because he provided the cover of

heterosexuality." Jennifer's experience gives credence to the idea of Scully/ Anderson as a "safe"

target for non-heterosexual desire.

The dynamic between Scully and Mulder was also referenced by several respondents.

They echoed the importance of the gender roles in the show, something that many writers and

researchers have been discussing since the show’s beginning. Beth, 18, notes that “they don't fit

into their standard gender roles, and the exploration of that definitely impacted my own sexuality

exploration. Scully doesn't wear sexy clothes; she often wears t-shirts and plaid or flannel. She is

deliberately not for the male gaze. Mulder never looks at her with the male gaze.” This

difference between the characters on The X-Files and other shows was also crucial to Phoebe, 34:

Also, I think that both Scully and Mulder are atypical representations of women

and men on TV, respectively. Their characters do not seem to fit the typical Straight

Characters That Quickly Fall In Love mold, and I felt more comfortable identifying with

both of them because they were more ambiguous and unique. I have always read both of

them as ambiguous in their sexuality (and, sometimes, in their gender expression). All of

these factors definitely helped me in the year that I was navigating my own orientation.

interests in real life, or wanting that sort of love. It's not every day someone goes to

Antarctica for you. That is dedication. Lesbians love that over the top stuff. Secondly -

have you ever seen Scully high kick or fight a Bad Guy? Or that one scene where she's

done beating someone up and blows her hair out of her face? That's a sexual awakening

right there.

Finally, there were several participants who did not feel Scully had a huge influence on

their sexual orientation. However, Scully may have influenced some in different ways. Sarah

explains that Scully "was a big part of me accepting that I am allowed to take up space in the

world as a woman, and as a gay woman. Scully works in a male-dominated field and most

women, myself included, grow up in what feels like a male-dominated world, but Scully never

apologized for who she was. She gave me the courage to be who I am." Others felt unsure, as did

Rachel, 23: "I had a fixation on Dana Scully as a child, and looking back I genuinely can't

discern whether it was attraction to her or the desire to be her or to be like her."

orientation. As in the section above, she often came up as being one of the participants' first

crushes or the catalyst for the discovery of their sexual orientation. Flo, 21, says “Gillian was

definitely my first proper girl crush that I actually acknowledged, while Jacqui remarks, “I think

just looking back, I realized that straight girls weren't just staring at pictures of Gillian Anderson

in their spare time.” On a similar note, Anya, 22, says, "Gillian Anderson made me think, 'Huh,

she's pretty. What if I wasn't straight?'" Victoria explicitly says Anderson was her awakening: “I

always tell people that Gillian Anderson was my bisexual awakening. The first time I saw her

validated and solidified my attraction to women.” Mary, 26, felt similarly to Victoria and says

that “Gillian Anderson actually made me realize I am a lesbian. I was 12/13 and looking around

the posters on my bedroom wall. All I could see was Gillian. And I remember thinking: "Well,

Anderson’s support of the LGBT+ community was a factor that was mentioned by

several participants. Loren, 18, says “Gillian Anderson is so open and supportive of the LGBT

community and finding out she is also gay really helped me accept myself." Victoria also stated,

"not only was she beautiful, but I admired her intelligence and strong beliefs. She has advocated

for LGBTQ+ rights since the 90s.” Many also referenced the interview where Anderson says she

has been with women as being important to them. Courtney, 22, says, “the fact that Gillian

Anderson has stated that she's been with both women and men was comforting to me.”

may have had on their sexual orientation. Some feel comfort in knowing the X-Files lesbians are

out there. Jacqui says, “I like peripherally knowing that there is a group of women like me and

that everything I felt isn't weird or extremely niche.” Andi feels similarly: “the knowledge that

there are many other people out there who had a similar experience watching Scully's character

was a relief. My child self thought I was a big weirdo, and that put those feelings to rest.” Others

felt validated by their connection to the group. Tracy, 21, states that “seeing other women loving

women & talk about their experiences growing up realizing they liked girls, it made/makes me

feel much more seen.” Vivian, 26, says, "meeting these people made me feel connected and like

I wasn't alone in my experience.”

The importance of having a supportive community came up often. Claire, 26, “the X-

“community of people who I can reach out to at any time, even though I may only know them

through the internet.” Lily says:

It was such an incredible experience for me to go through that period of

excitement and very rapidly make connections with tons of people who were, for the

most part, lesbians around my age. Before then I had few, if any, lesbian friends, and

suddenly there were many. We talked a ton about The X-Files, yes, but we also shared

our experiences that came with being a lesbian, and were able to be understanding and

supportive of each other. There was something so warming about being a part of that

community, which felt as tight-knit as it was vast.

Lily's quote highlights how important online communities can be in terms of exposure to

to be punished for. By the end of 2016 I not only was completely comfortable calling

myself a lesbian and existing as a lesbian and talking about lesbian-specific experiences

with other lesbians, but I was able to comfortably come out to my family. I really owe a

small handful of women in The X-Files fandom the credit for that growth.”

Rose’s personal journey with the X-Files fandom was so key to her sexual orientation

development that she completely went from feeling that a lesbian identity was something bad to

being comfortable coming out. Amanda concludes, "undoubtedly I was born queer, but my

confidence about it, as with my confidence in so many facets of my identity, I owe in part to XF

fandom.”

Some respondents specified that they had been around since the 90’s and shared some

insight to the fandom at that time. Gina says, "I have been online friends with a faction of x-files

fans who I met at the official x-files forum over 20 years ago. They have had a profound effect

on my life and I am better for knowing them.” Additionally, Mary shares that “way back when,

about 18-20 years ago, this fandom was the first I got engaged in through a forum. I met a lot of

women who identified as lesbians and it showed me that it was normal and okay.”

4 CONCLUSIONS

4.1 Discussion

Many of the responses show that LBPQ fans felt that the fandom and fan communities

had an influence on their growth and development into identifying with their sexual orientations.

and Weiss 2005; Meggers 2012; Warburton 2010). Additionally, this safe space allowed for a

support system to be created (Clerc 1996; Duffett 2013; Kirby-Diaz 2009; Warburton 2010). As

in Warburton, the participants felt unjudged and even supported by their online community

(2010). This allowed participants to create an environment where they were able to eventually

identify with their sexual orientation. My findings here particularly echo Megger’s study of

female fandom where the majority of her participants identified fandom as having an influence

on their feelings and identification with their sexual identity (2012).

Additionally, it appears important to the X-Files lesbians that they are able to interact

without heterosexual interference. It seems unlikely that this sexual identity development would

have occurred in a co-ed environment with the interference of heterosexual fans. The importance

order to create a safer space. As Bury says, women-centered communities “challenge the

normative order simply by refusing to accept the fan practices engaged in by men and gathering

in spaces of their own (17).”

Even more of the LBPQ fans here explicitly stated that Dana Scully and Gillian Anderson

had a role in their identification with their sexual orientation. This pertains to one of my research

questions, which examines the appeal of Gillian Anderson for LBPQ fans. First, it is possible

that other fandoms have their own gay/lesbian icons and Anderson has gained traction through

the following: the show’s lasting popularity, famous fans like Kate McKinnon, and Anderson

revealing her own same-sex relationships in recent years. Additionally, Anderson being a

supporter of the LGBT+ community during the show’s original run helped make her a gay icon

to her having ties to the LGBT+ community make her an especially safe target for non-

heterosexual women to project feelings onto as they begin to identify with their sexual identity.

The show’s character dynamics and treatment of gender roles also plays a part in LBPQ

fans finding a home in The X-Files and Dana Scully. This relates to my research question

regarding if and how Dana Scully influences women's sexual orientation. For most of the women

in my study, the answer to if Scully influence their sexual orientation is a resounding “yes.” The

treatment of gender roles on the show seem to play a part in this influence. As Amanda puts it “I

do think there was something remarkable, almost wondrous, about the way TXF created a

relationship that existed outside of centuries upon centuries of toxically gendered behavioral

norms. The '90s was not too long ago, but somehow that kind of relationship felt revolutionary.”

The subversion of traditional gender roles was uncommon back in the 1990s, and while more

common now, it is still not prevalent. Even when characters like Scully exist now, they often

draw inspiration from her (Bastién 2016). Clerc, Wakefield, and Bury (1996; 2001; 2005) all

found that gender as it pertains to the show to be a popular topic among the fan communities.

The topic of gender was one that came up in my research as well. As Beth noted, Mulder and

Scully’s lack of traditional gender roles “definitely impacted her own sexuality exploration.” The

additional lack of blatant romance and a stereotypical male gaze from Mulder may have made

the participants were primarily white. The sample population could simply be predominantly

white, but in future research I would recommend considering ways to reach other ethnicities as

well.

4.2 Conclusion

Anderson Said This Weekend.” Vulture. Retrieved January 20, 2020

(https://www.vulture.com/2013/10/david-duchovny-gillian-anderson-nycc-paley-center-

quotes.html).

Vogt, Tiffany. 2010. "Reflecting on CASTLE, SUPERNATURAL and PSYCH’s fun-filled

television homages of TV shows past." The TV Addict. Retrieved July 25, 2017

(http://www.thetvaddict.com/2010/12/07/reflecting-on-castle-supernatural-and-psychs-

fun-filled-television-homages-of-tv-shows-past/).

Wakefield, Sarah. 2001. "'YOUR SISTER IN ST. SCULLY'" An Electronic Community of

Female Fans of the X-Files." Journal of Popular Film & Television 29(3): 130-137.

Warburton, Jamie. 2010. "Me/Her/Draco Malfoy: Fangirl Communities and their Fictions.” Pp.

D. Lavery, A. Hague, and M. Cartwright. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.

Woods, Judith. 2015. “Gillian Anderson: It’s time somebody was brave enough to ask me out.”

The Telegraph. Retrieved January 4, 2020 from

(https://www.out.com/entertainment/television/2012/03/13/gillian-anderson-lesbian-love-

xfiles-Miss-Havisham)

Appendix A: Questionnaire

1. What is your age?

2. What ethnicity do you identify as? Check all that apply.

5. At what age did you begin to identify with your current sexual orientation?

6. How much of original The X-Files (1993-2002) have you watched?

7. How much of The X-Files reboot (2016-2018) have you watched?

8. At what age did you start watching The X-Files?

9. Do you consider yourself to be a fan of The X-Files?

11. Do you have a favorite character on the show?

12. Do you identify as an X-Files lesbian?

13. Do you consider yourself a part of online X-Files fandom?

14. Are you a tumblr user?

1. multiple times a day

2. once a day

16. How often do you interact with other X-Files fans on tumblr?

17. How often do you interact specifically with X-Files lesbians on tumblr?

18. Are there any other social media platforms where you interact with other X-Files fans?

19. How often do you interact with other X-Files fans on other social media platforms?

20. How often do you interact specifically with X-Files lesbians on other social media

22. Do you feel social media or the internet in general had any impact on you discovering

23. Do you feel the X-Files fandom a whole had any impact on you discovering and/or

24. Do you feel the X-Files and its characters had any impact on you discovering and/or

25. Do you feel any of the actors/actresses on the show had any impact on you discovering

27. Why do you think there is a large LGBT+ fanbase for this show, as well as Gillian

28. Please feel free to add comments or anything else you like us to know.

Appendix B: Informed Consent

Informed Consent Form

Department of Sociology

Title: "Gillian Anderson Made Me Gay": The Case of the X-Files Lesbians

Principal Investigator: Wendy Simonds

Appendix C: Recruitment Post

So I’m finally able to reveal that I’m doing my thesis on the X-Files lesbians and I need

your help! My goal is to try to find out why so many of us say that Gillian Anderson/Scully

made us gay, and to find out how online communities help construct sexual orientation.

Here is a link (insert link) to the survey I’ve created. There’s multiple choice and some

short answer questions. If you’re a lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or queer woman and consider

yourself to be an X-Files lesbian, this survey is for you! If you’re nonbinary but still consider

yourself to be an X-Files lesbian, this survey is still for you!

I would be super grateful if you could participate, or at least reblog/share this post so I

can get more people to participate. Thanks y’all!!!!