by Matthew L. Adams, Greenville, N.C
Have we become too gay? Almost every gay male role in the movies and on television is portrayed as stereotypically feminine. When did men who like to sleep with other men be so feminine? Everyone’s personality is different and that’s what makes our world such an interesting place; but just once I would love to see a gay actor’s role be a man who is perhaps just a little more masculine. There is nothing wrong with being feminine and I dare not suggest someone change the way they behave just because of the way we are portrayed in the media; however a vast majority of the population happens to be masculine and for those of us who are being portrayed as being “sissies” is somewhat insulting. No one ever said in order to be gay you had to be fem.
Look at the gay characters which became household names. Jack from “Will and Grace,” Stanford from “Sex and the City” — these characters are portrayed by comical actors who no doubt are full of talent, but both characters are feminine.
You don’t have to sacrifice humor or being fabulous to be masculine. Perhaps people don’t want to see masculine homosexuals on television. Would the lack of femininity take away from comical value or is it easier for non homosexuals to view and tolerate characters who are obviously gay and not “hidden?” Many people are still homophobic and may fear the fact that you can’t always identify a gay man by the way he walks or talks. How many producers of these movies and television shows are gay themselves?
It is important for people to be who they truly are. We should celebrate our sexuality and never be ashamed of who we are. Homosexuals should never have to hide or be ridiculed for expressing themselves. Many will probably think I am participating in gay bashing myself. I am not insulting anyone who is feminine I would just like to see a few roles portrayed in a more masculine way. Call it equal representation if you will.
Q-Notes strives to provide the Carolinas LGBT community with an open forum for discussion and commentary. The views of guest commentators do not necessarily represent the official views or positions of Q-Notes, its editorial staff or publisher.
Good article!
One standout exception to the inane typecasting of Hollywood was “Brokeback Mountain” (although some might object that both of those cowboys were closeted and thus were not fully “gay”). We’ve had a few gay vampires one might consider butch. Maybe eventually we’ll see a gay “Terminator” or a gay “Dirty Harry” (avenging gay-bashing murders, I hope). And maybe we’ll have some docudramas of our many real-life gay he-man heroes, like 9-11 hero Mark Bingham. As well as the drag queens who led the Stonewall Riots.
In Torchwood, a British show that’s a spin-off of Doctor Who, a lot of the main characters are bisexual or ‘omnisexual’, as they call Captain Jack Harkness. The show has a lot of chasing sown aliens, and most of the characters aren’t in any one stereotype.