The Gay Steryotype

I came across this interesting article in this weeks Newsweek (http://www.newsweek.com/id/222467) highlighting the most prominent group in subordinate masculinity: homosexuals. Flashback twenty years and you would not find a single gay or lesbian character on prime time television. The presence of shows like Glee and The L Word and gay and lesbian characters featured on popular shows such as Ugly Betty, Greys Anatomy and True Blood has changed America's opinions and familiarity with homosexuals. However, not all gay characters are necessarily helping homosexuals gain acceptance across the country. When the gay character first began to become mainstreamed the media portrayed a diverse group of people. For example, Dawson's Creek created a jock character who eventually came out as being gay and Will from Will & Grace hardly seemed "gay". Today, all the gay male characters on television seem to be deeply flamboyant and stereotypical. It seems like every gay male represented on television is a cookie cutter model of the Queer Eye For The Straight Guy men. Tim Gunn, Lloyd from Entourage, Marc from Ugly Betty and Jack from Will and Grace are all the same. Of course it is important that there be a homosexual presence in media, however the gay men that are today being represented are an unrealistic representation of gays overall. Some think that this may be translating to the polls where more and more Americans are voting against gay marriage legislation.

Lesbians on television are a different story. Besides for being less prevalent than males, they are also subject to the male gaze. Since men are often the people creating these characters, they often are a reflection of male fantasies: all seem to be super sexy and curvy. Additionally, lesbians are often depicted as being bi-sexual, another fantasy of the male producers.

While we have made many strides in the presence of minorities on television, particularly the homosexual population. The gay male stereotype needs to be expanded from its effeminate, glitzy and flamboyant cookie cutter and the lesbian characters should stop showing homosexuality as a choice or a phase for young attractive women.