Gay presence in the media helpful, stereotypes harmful

Gay Stereotypes Don’t Increase Social Tolerance

The bourgeois media now has gay… Gay Stereotypes Don’t Increase Social Tolerance

The bourgeois media now has gay stereotypes on almost every channel you turn to. With the creation of “gay-positive” shows like “Will ‘ Grace” and “Queer Eye For the Straight Guy,” you might think everything is just fine for the queer community. Well, think again.

Despite their entertainment value, I wonder how beneficial such shows truly are. Shallow-thinking queer people are quick to point out that TV has decreased homophobia and that they are bringing queer people into every living room in America. Give me a break – hate crimes against queer Americans have been on the rise in the last 10 years.

First off, not all queer men – and I do say men, because the media could care less about queer women – are luminaries in the field of aesthetic success. My roommates will be the first to admit that some of my comrades and I should lobby for an episode called “Queer Eye for the Queer Guy.”

This show is nothing more than consumerist propaganda wrapped up in a big, rainbow ribbon. Every episode is filled with shots of the stars’ favorite stores, where the straight fashion dilettantes buy their ungodly priced merchandise. And the viewing public rejoices at this unabashed capitalist promotion. This is not gay taste, but rich urban flavor considered a necessity.

“Will ‘ Grace” is admittedly a funny show. I will not deny that I occasionally watch it. What disturbs me is that, for many people, this is “gay.” There is nothing wrong with being flippant and extravagant, and I see nothing wrong with enjoying the show as a work of fiction. But is this how it is viewed?

We are not all upper-middle class white men with successful jobs and few worries of discrimination. Queer people – like everyone else- still have to worry about HIV, a topic “Will ‘ Grace” has never addressed, along with a host of other concerns that come with living outside of San Francisco.

The average American television viewer is more than happy to laugh at all these boys’ antics and quick wit. Yet most viewers are hard-pressed to actually discuss the inequalities queer people experience in society. After the Massachusetts ruling on gay marriage, media polls claim that the majority of Americans oppose gay marriage. Maybe the poll should ask “Do you think Jack should propose to Will if the Fab 5 handle the ceremony?” I bet those numbers would be different.

Stereotypes, as true as they may be for some of us, do not help anyone. I hear the claim that it is a celebration of diversity within the community. This is a lunatic’s remark. When all of the shows have a consistent character type, all the media does is narrow the American public’s actual experience of the queer community.

These stereotypes allow for an unreal person to be formed in every living room in America. If we would actually try to diversify character types of queer people for the average American, maybe we could make some progress. But I have yet to see a show talking about the lives of rural queer people or even an episode where someone says “I don’t really like the club; I think I will stay in and read.” That, of course, is a formula for bad TV.

I am not trying to say that these shows should be banned from the air, but we should try to reinforce the position that they are not the flagships for representing the queer community. Stereotypes may break a few barriers in the short run, but only create much larger schisms for the future.

Having finished the old-business portion of the Radical Homosexual Agenda, Josh has decided to move on to new business. First up: Making the World Look Totally Fabulous! E-mail him at jlf12@pitt.edu.