Homosexuality

One topic I’ve continued to discuss throughout my blogs would be the issue of white patriarchal capitalism. A deeply ingrained ideology within our society “that suggests that heterosexual Caucasian males and gaining wealth are the most important things in this world.”(Benshoff). In my blogs I’ve discussed the issues concerning women in film, masculinity, femininity, and even the portrayal of a few minority groups today. However, one topic I’ve yet to discuss is the issue surrounding homosexuality within film.

            As I mentioned earlier, society is brought up around the ideology of white patriarchal capitalism. Therefore heterosexual characters are often the main characters in many films today.  When you look at romance films, for example, you see two (typically white) heterosexual couples. “In these films not only is heterosexuality considered better than other sexual orientations, it is presented as the only orientation” (Benshoff). When homosexuals are presented they usually take the role of the supporting character.  Although viewers are becoming more aware and accepting of homosexuality. There are still a number of people who still feel uncomfortable with the idea. Most people are only comfortable with the topic unless it is presented in a comic way. When the concept of homosexuality was first being introduced in early film, the pansy stereotype was used to distinguish homosexual males from straight ones. The pansy stereotype showcased men acting in a very feminine manner. This stereotype can easily be associated with many different shows and films today. One television show that immediately comes to mind is the show Will and Grace.

            Will and Grace was a popular American television sitcom about a man named Will Truman, a gay lawyer, and his best friend Grace Adler. The show featured two other supporting characters named Karen Walker, a rich socialite, and Jack McFarland another homosexual character. Jack’s character plays the stereotypical role of a homosexual man. He carries himself in a very feminine manner. Jack’s character is very flamboyant and shallow. He lives a very unstable life drifting from boyfriends to boyfriend and job to job. One other thing to note about the show is the fact that it is a comedy. As I mentioned before, most people only feel comfortable with homosexuality if it is presented in a comic way. There is rising of homosexual characters being presented in a the media, however these characters are more often than not placed in shows and movies that have a comic feel to it.

In contrast homosexual women are stereotyped as being very masculine. Dot Jones, an actress from the popular television show Glee, is scheduled to play a lesbian in the comedy Are You There Vodka? It’s me, Chelsea.The following clip features a promo with the Dot Jones and her fellow co-star Laura Pepron.

            As you can see from the clip, Jones’s character is depicted as a very masculine homosexual woman. It’s also important to point out that just like Will and Grace this show also happens to be a comedy.

The reason why people have certain stereotypical images of homosexuals is because of films and television shows that help reinforce these images. Changing the way homosexuals are presented may help change the way people view them.

Work Cited :

Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. Malden, MA, USA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.

"Will & Grace (TV Series 1998–2006) - IMDb." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 28 May 2011. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0157246/>.