Gay Communities are Becoming More Prevalent in the Media World

90210's Teddy Gay Character

Will and Grace

Blog 9

           In the documentary Further Off the Straight and Narrow the director shows how gays are booming and becoming more prevalent on television today. On cable television, homosexuals can be more divers and open to new characteristics unlike network television. On network television homosexuals must abide by the rules to be a “normal” (heterosexual) gay character, otherwise, the character will be casted as a joke. The television show Will & Grace (1998-2006) started the popularity with a homosexual cast; although the show was a success, the gay men in the show never had sexual explicit scenes. The gay men were never seen kissing another man or having a sexual relationship with another man. The show also did not have a gay community, it was largely based of off a relationship between a man (Will) and a woman (Grace). Will & Grace is a show that followed the rules to be a “normal” gay character on network television. Other shows on network television have gay characters, but the gay characters are rarely the main character. In 90210 (2010), a guy named Teddy came out of the closet. Before he came out of the closet, Teddy was in a lot of episodes and was becoming a main character. After his character came out, Teddy has been seen less in the episodes. Although Teddy is seen less now, the show does have Teddy kiss another man on network television, which fights the rules of a “normal” gay character a little; however, Teddy is still this macho, masculine character and not a “floozy”. According to Jay Clarkson, to normalize a gay character is to portray them as “’real men’, but their strategy for confronting homophobia is limited to challenging the conflation of gender and sexuality, and does not seek acceptance for those who degrees of transgression are higher. It does not challenge the fear or hatred of gayness” (2011, p.340).

            Having cable television helps the gay community a lot, because they are not dependent on advertiser to produce their show. Shows like The L word and Queer Eye for The Straight Guy can be more expressive and realistic. The L word portrays lesbians and the troubles they encounter in their everyday life. The L Word also shows lesbian sexuality: sex scenes, kisses, relationship issues and so on. The L Word became a break through for the gay community, even though some of the things shown gay members do not agree with, they will still watch the show because it is the only thing close to their lives and what they go through. These break out television shows are just the beginning. Since the 1990’s the gay community has been trying to become more prevalent and rightfully stigmatized. The gay community has successfully been trying to come out and it is going to keep getting better for them, since this era is about equality. Once viewers are used to seeing gay characters and story lines, then the issue of wrong stereotypes and not having a main character that’s gay eliminated. However, trying to make a transgender become more visible is the next fight to take on. Transgenders are barely seen in the media, except for when MTV’s the Real World casted a transgender.

References

Clarkson, J. (2011). The limitations of the discourse of norms: gay visibility and degrees of
           transgression. In Dines, G. & Humez J. M. (Ed.). Gender, race, and, class in media (pp.
           335-40). Thousand Oaks, C.A.: Sage

Sender, K. (director). (2006). Further off the straight and narrow: New gay visibility on television 
            1998-2006 [Documentary].