The Wide Angle was part of an occasional series for The Skinny, a free paper distributed in Glasgow and Edinburgh. My task was to write about the intersection of fatness and queerness. Here's a taster.

Fans of celebrated queer filmmaker John Waters are all a-twitter because of the forthcoming remake of his classic 1988 film Hairspray. The original flick has already been turned into a family-friendly Broadway musical and it's this production which is about to get the filmic treatment. Whilst Waters rakes in the royalties, there's one question on everybody's lips: how will John Travolta surpass the role made famous by Divine? Can you see what I'm getting at? Travolta may be a nifty mover, but he's no legendary foul-mouthed, disco-popping, belly-shaking, dog-poo-scoffing, genderqueer heroine, as was Divine. What's worse, they producers have slimmed down the character. This is clearly a no-no, Edna Turnblad is supposed to be a big, fat, queer tranny, that's what makes her good.

The erasure of Divine's special qualities in this new film wouldn't matter so much if proud fat transgender people in the public eye were ten a penny, but they're not. How many can you name? Murray Hill, the New York based comedian is popular amongst a certain crowd, but somewhat obscure over here. Aside from him? Er…

You'd think that the section of the Venn Diagram that encompasses transgendered and fat people would be quite substantial. Both groups include those who assert the right to be what they are; who live in their bodies as they please; who hold up a mirror to restrictive social values. Who could ask for better bedmates?

But it's also problematic. To be comfortable about something – fat, gender identity - that many people fear as freakish, when you are already marginalized, could mean embracing a way of being that is likely to push you beyond the margins of acceptability. There are many people unprepared to do that. Moreover, where aspirational notions of femininity are equated with smallness and slenderness, and masculinity with muscles, maybe fat just doesn't fit in.

But don't let this put you off. Fat genderqueers, fat transgendered people, your absence has been noted and this is just to say that the world needs you. Please come out, show the world your value, and remember: if your very presence pushes people's buttons, then surely it means that you must be doing something right.