LGBT community in the Media

[Guest QueerFilmmaker]

Have you noticed that in popular media the queer community is generally portrayed as flaming, upper/upper-middle class, white males? I've got love for all of the gay characters that do get some airtime on television, but the lgbtq community is so much more diverse than that!!

 

Thoughts? Well, I, along with a group of dedicated queer students and allies, put together a comedic, webseires on youtube in order to bring more diversity to the portrayal of the queer community in the media, which includes bisexuals, pansexuals, people of color, genderqueers and more. We're 100% not for profit--this project is strictly for the purpose of showcasing more of the queer community in the media. You can check us out at qtheseries[dot]com to see what we've put together.

 

I would love to hear more thoughts/opinions on the matter. Am I the only one who thinks the popular media's image of the gay community is limited? Or is this issue apparent to everyone?

[Former Member]

The media love sterotyping whatever the topic. If it's about a gay man, the character is very sensitive/emotional/ flamboyant. If they're of color they're either black gangster-ish rapper, smart Indian/Chinese with a very distinct English accent. If she's a lesbian she's a guy hater. If they're British like me they speak funny. Hehe the list goes on. I'm in two minds about how it affects the the LGBT community. On one hand it's good to be finally recognised instead of us being totally ignored like we don't exist (which is how it used to be). On the other hand they make us out to be these larger than life characters, when really we're just like everyone else. The only difference is we find people of our own gender at least if not more so attractive than those of the opposite sex .

Edited May 20, 2011 by Former Member

[Raijen]

It isn't just in film and television. There are a lot of places in literature that I have yet to see properly filled with lgbt characters, especially strong characters.

 

I'm going to check out your series though. Looking forward to seeing what you have put together.

[Cia]

People don't like to be forced to conceive of notions outside of their narrow little views. It's a prevalent problem in today's society but one I think we are slowly bringing light to. Look at me, who would have thought a bi woman with a husband and kids would write m/m slash and not be ridiculed for it? I didn't, because I don't fit the mold I thought that kind of writer was. It took me forever to join here but once I did I was amazed. There are lots of 'me' types on this site. Once I started writing one of the major things I have tried to do in my stories is to make sure that I don't follow the mold and I let my characters be strong and who they are no matter what, guyish or girlish tendencies don't matter.

 

Is the issue apparent? In my mind, oh yes. Doing what you and your group is doing, however, helps shed a bit of the misconceptions and stereotypes. Push the boundaries of the 'norms' perceptions, make them see things as they are, not just as they label them. One of these days it's not going to matter who you want to tumble and the gender of our preferred partner won't define our personality as well as our sexuality. Each step now will only make that day more inevitable.

[Graeme]

While there are many memorable flamboyant white male characters, there are also many examples that are not.

 

Tony Hills, Eastenders (BBC): Tony and Simon's first kiss Part 1 Part 2

 

Vito Spatafore, Sopranos

 

I'm not a Glee fan, but I caught part of an episode the other day where Kurt was talking to someone who was definitely not flamboyant, but was questioning his sexuality. Dave Karofsky?

 

Syed Masood, EastEnders (BBC) - Muslim gay character.

 

There are several gay characters from Australian TV shows that I can remember, but I can't remember the shows to allow me to list (there have been a number over the years). However, I found a list of dramatic TV shows containing LGBT characters on Wikipedia. Some of these are definitely not flamboyant upper class white males (especially the females )

 

A wikipedia article with links to lists of LGBT characters.

 

Comedies are more likely to use a stereotyped character, but even there there are exceptions. One of my favourites it the soap opera satire Soap. Billy Crystal plays a flamboyant gay character, but his boyfriend is not (closest gay footballer - another stereotype). One episode the boyfriend says he'll come out if Billy Crystal comes back to him (they'd broken up). At the end, a black actor (the scene was on a TV set) asks if he can date the boyfriend if Billy doesn't want to. Okay, minor parts, but they're there.

 

Onto movies (Australian, of course): Head On, the story of a masculine greek young man coming to terms with his sexuality, featuring the very, very dream Alex Dimitriades.

 

Also, The Sum of Us, a comedy about a dad's efforts to help his son find "Mr. Right", featuring a young Russell Crowe as the son.

 

Yes, most of the gay characters are white males, but then that's true in general - most males in movies and TV shows are white. But there are certainly many examples of non-flamboyant, and a reasonable number of non-white male examples in TV shows and movies. It's just that the flamboyant ones tend to stand out

[JamesSavik]

In years past the only exposure the gay community got was a few seconds of film of the freakiest people in a Pride Parade. Any time the gay community was mentioned, they played the file tape of Sister Boom-Boom and the Order of Perpetual Indulgence.

 

 

Just enough exposure to marginalize and mislead.

[Mark Arbour]

While there are many memorable flamboyant white male characters, there are also many examples that are not.

 

Tony Hills, Eastenders (BBC): Tony and Simon's first kiss Part 1 Part 2

 

Vito Spatafore, Sopranos

 

I'm not a Glee fan, but I caught part of an episode the other day where Kurt was talking to someone who was definitely not flamboyant, but was questioning his sexuality. Dave Karofsky?

 

Syed Masood, EastEnders (BBC) - Muslim gay character.

 

There are several gay characters from Australian TV shows that I can remember, but I can't remember the shows to allow me to list (there have been a number over the years). However, I found a list of dramatic TV shows containing LGBT characters on Wikipedia. Some of these are definitely not flamboyant upper class white males (especially the females )

 

A wikipedia article with links to lists of LGBT characters.

 

Comedies are more likely to use a stereotyped character, but even there there are exceptions. One of my favourites it the soap opera satire Soap. Billy Crystal plays a flamboyant gay character, but his boyfriend is not (closest gay footballer - another stereotype). One episode the boyfriend says he'll come out if Billy Crystal comes back to him (they'd broken up). At the end, a black actor (the scene was on a TV set) asks if he can date the boyfriend if Billy doesn't want to. Okay, minor parts, but they're there.

 

Onto movies (Australian, of course): Head On, the story of a masculine greek young man coming to terms with his sexuality, featuring the very, very dream Alex Dimitriades.

 

Also, The Sum of Us, a comedy about a dad's efforts to help his son find "Mr. Right", featuring a young Russell Crowe as the son.

 

Yes, most of the gay characters are white males, but then that's true in general - most males in movies and TV shows are white. But there are certainly many examples of non-flamboyant, and a reasonable number of non-white male examples in TV shows and movies. It's just that the flamboyant ones tend to stand out

 

An excellent post. I love the way you cite examples to back up your statements, rather than just making raw assertions.

 

Can you tell I've been grading papers?

[Graeme]

Thanks, Mark.

 

What I left off was that I was in England at the time of the EastEnders Tony and Simon storyline. I remember distinctly the episode where Tony snuck off to a gay bar and picked up a guy, but chickened out before they got to the guys room.

 

Just for those who didn't see it, Tony was going out with Simon's sister at the time that he started going out with Simon....

 

And, getting back on topic, EastEnders had another gay couple at the time - a couple of black guys: definitely not flamboyant, white or upper class (they were male, though )

[Tipdin]

I think American TV and film has done a poor job of representing real life for gay Americans. But that's the first step to success - being portrayed at all. We then educate and tweak the portrayals. Then we keep educating and become accepted. Perhaps THEN we can become a bit more equal and empowered.

[LawabidingKhajiit]

We also have stuff like Captain Jack in Torchwood/Dr Who who, while larger than life, is still a bisexual central character of a popular show, whose sexuality really is just something that is *there* and isn't made the centre of plots...which is pretty much as it should be.

[sojourn]

I cannot recall a single "gay" character on mainstream TV that was anywhere close to normal. It just doesn't sell soap.

[JamesSavik]

I cannot recall a single "gay" character on mainstream TV that was anywhere close to normal. It just doesn't sell soap.

 

 

Normal!? Hell, half of them were serial killers and the other half were drag-queen victims of serial killers.

 

Check out the old Dirty Harry movies- the worst bad guys were all fags.

[Goedric]

TV and movies are different matters. There are many many movies with realistic gay characters. TV is a bit more difficult, even cable.

 

The earliest gay character that i can remember who was realistic, although never shown being sexual was cliff waters on the series brothers on showtime. They used the flaming donald as his foil which made his more realistic portrayal less challenging to the wider audience.

 

And talking about normal how about the way too normal series called normal staring john goodman as the big gay guy with an ex wife and a son living in normal illinois.

 

Even though captain jack in torchwood was supposed to be bisexual to cover all the bases his scenes with the boys seemed to pack more of a punch. In the episode Captain Jack they had one of the best gay kiss scenes one could of hoped for on this type of show.

 

some other great gay movies for realistic gayism i have in my collection include (many are non english with available eng subs):

 

A Frozen Flower

A Love to Hide

A Single Man

An Unusual Affair

Avril

All Over the Guy

All You Need is Love

Bear City

Bent

Boring Love

Breaking the Code

Burn the Bridges

Davids Birthday

Do Comeco Ao Fim

East Side Story

Eighteen

Fashion Victims

Gemini (1979 showtime rare)

Hate Crime

Ignorant Faries

Imagine Me and You

Just a Question of Love

Le Fil

Mr Right

My Brother Nikhil

Mulligans

Patrik Age 1.5

Permanent Residence

Reinas

Road Movie

Saturno Contra

Summerstorm

The Man I Love

The Singing Forest

Walk on Water

Watercolors

Wedding Banquet

 

All of the above are worth watching, even though some of the acting isnt the best (at times like singing forest god awful but the story was unique)

[PrivateTim]

I cannot recall a single "gay" character on mainstream TV that was anywhere close to normal. It just doesn't sell soap.

 

Umm, couldn't he have been so normal you didn't know he was gay? Like Dumbledore?

[sojourn]

Umm, couldn't he have been so normal you didn't know he was gay? Like Dumbledore?

 

 

LOL! How could I have overlooked him? I am ashamed of myself. Perhaps he had a spell which made him appear normal... What mainstream channel is his show on?

[sojourn]

Normal!? Hell, half of them were serial killers and the other half were drag-queen victims of serial killers.

 

Check out the old Dirty Harry movies- the worst bad guys were all fags.

 

 

 

Well, a worse homophobe is Opie...(Ron Howard) he refused to include seven years in which the "A Beautiful Mind" main character lived in a relationship with another man.... When asked why he chose to ignore those seven years he said, "that was an unfortunate period".

[PrivateTim]

LOL! How could I have overlooked him? I am ashamed of myself. Perhaps he had a spell which made him appear normal... What mainstream channel is his show on?

 

And of course you forgot Thomas Magnum..... He had two "buddies", a porn star mustache if ever there was one, he lived with an older man, got to drive the older man's expensive sports car around and he was in the US Navy.

[sojourn]

And of course you forgot Thomas Magnum..... He had two "buddies", a porn star mustache if ever there was one, he lived with an older man, got to drive the older man's expensive sports car around and he was in the US Navy.

 

 

There are rumors... Tom might be. Actually think he tried to play down the straight womanizer role.... Beside, I was in the Navy ssooo an I'm not gay... oh no wait that's from "in and out'... never mind.