Media perception of gay folks

[RickSp]

More an observation than a topic of debate.

A friend of mine who is gay once commented that he could judge the opinion that the media held of gays based on which photos were published from the Gay Pride parade. He said that the parade itself never really changes.

In the years when the newspapers wanted to portray the gay community as degenerate they only photographed the leather guys strutting in chains and black leather jock straps.

In the years when they wanted to portray gay folks as mainstream they photographed gay men in polo shirts who were marching some distance away from the guys in the leather jocks.

This is the photo that appeared in the NY Times this year:



Not your typical dykes with bikes, I suspect.

[Jack]

I also find it interesting to look at (I can't say "watch" because that would require sitting through an entire episode) the gay characters portrayed on TV, and wonder if that's some sort of indication of the general tolerance level of middle-America to homosexuals. Lately they've all been similar; fay, swishy, feminine guys with women friends. QueerEye presents perhaps one of the better cross-sections of what a gay male can be, but again, Carson seems to get the most exposure because he's closer to the "typical" gay male people will accept.

[Prometheus]

Have you noticed the proliferation of the home makover show? I swear it's all that is on the learning channel anymore.

All of the 15 different home decorating shows have the obligatory gay guy. Not only is he gay - but he acts steryotypically gay. He always has the "gay" lisp, the "gay" hand gestures and the "gay" tight pants.

I think the media enforces a steryotype - one which I don't know wheather it is natural or societal.

Homosexuals on Volconvo: Does being gay make you talk with a lisp and wave your hand in that steryotypical manner? My guess is no.


Besides - why can't the homo be a woman. Better yet - two women... ...making out...

[Jack]

Better yet - two women... ...making out...

Get thee to the adult book store; your every fantasy will be fulfilled. 8-P

BTW- whatever happened to the female version of QueerEye? I never hear it advertised anymore, and never did see it when it was on.

And no, no swishing here, or lisping, or being a great interior decorator, darn it.

[Prometheus]

Quote by: Isherwood BTW- whatever happened to the female version of QueerEye? I never hear it advertised anymore, and never did see it when it was on. And no, no swishing here, or lisping, or being a great interior decorator, darn it.

I was serious about that. Are those things that most gay people do because gay's natrually are that way, or are they just trying to act like gay people "should" act?

[Jack]

Some gays are indeed more "fem" than others, just like there are straight men I meet that by the way they walk or whatever fool me into thinking they're gay. Then again, there are times when gays are together and someone will act "nelly" to make a point or just to goof around. But that's like the current situation where one Black can call another "nigger", but if a white guy tried the same thing, look out. We feel the same way. A gay guy acting nelly is one thing, a straight guy behaving that way is usually seen as a put-down.

[Prometheus]

Quote by: Isherwood Some gays are indeed more "fem" than others, just like there are straight men I meet that by the way they walk or whatever fool me into thinking they're gay. Then again, there are times when gays are together and someone will act "nelly" to make a point or just to goof around. But that's like the current situation where one Black can call another "nigger", but if a white guy tried the same thing, look out. We feel the same way. A gay guy acting nelly is one thing, a straight guy behaving that way is usually seen as a put-down.

As far as homo's acting "fem":

Is it inherent that gays have to sympathize/act like with women? I may be looking at this simplistically, but I understand homosexuality to simply be a sexual attraction toward those of the same gender. Does this require indentifying with the opposite gender?

When the debate about homosexuality being natural comes up, I assume that it is natural, but gays identifying with females seems to weaken this statement because where an attraction may be natural, emulating another type of person seems to be artificial. Where the psychology of sexual arousal may be hard-wired, gender roles seem contrived and arbitrary - so the connection of the two seems to muddy the water.

I admit that I am speaking from relative ignorance, and I really don't have an agenda with this line of questioning - just trying to make sence of the world.

[RickSp]

Quote by: Isherwood I also find it interesting to look at (I can't say "watch" because that would require sitting through an entire episode) the gay characters portrayed on TV, and wonder if that's some sort of indication of the general tolerance level of middle-America to homosexuals. Lately they've all been similar; fay, swishy, feminine guys with women friends. QueerEye presents perhaps one of the better cross-sections of what a gay male can be, but again, Carson seems to get the most exposure because he's closer to the "typical" gay male people will accept.

One reliable aspect of TV is that it will invariable default to the cliche. I suppose true acceptance is having the "category" present on screen but otherwise ignored.

[Jack]

Prometheus, not to cop out of answering you, but the best I can do is guess. For a good answer, you'd need to ask a fem guy, which I'm not. Maybe it's emulation, maybe it's the result of not feeling bound to traditional gender roles (not having to act like the typical swaggering male), maybe it's related to culture (in the same way some Italians gesture more with their hands when they speak...that sort of thing). There are cultures that have different views on the behavior of males. In Japan, I have personal experience with a seat-mate on a train (a total stranger) lean over on my shoulder and fall asleep. In other cultures, it's not unusual to see two close male or female friends walk hand-in-hand. So it could have a number of explanations. I have been accused of "thinking like a woman", which, after some discussion, I found meant I was perceived as more intuitive than what that person saw as the typical male. There is research that shows physical differences in the brain between straight males and gay males. Gay male brains are said to more closely resemble female brains than male brains. So perhaps that accounts, in part, for this sort of thing as well.

[tman_ndsu08]

I think the media's perception of gays is fairly clear: they're gay.

[Cephus]

Quote by: Isherwood BTW- whatever happened to the female version of QueerEye? I never hear it advertised anymore, and never did see it when it was on.

You have to remember that the primary viewer of those shows are straight women. For some reason that I have never understood, a lot of straight women like watching gay men (I suppose it's similar to straight men liking to watch lesbians, although I never understood that either).

[Prometheus]

Quote by: tman_ndsu08 I think the media's perception of gays is fairly clear: they're gay.

And when you say that you are using the term "gay" as a pajorative? As in when an immature adolosent says "That stupid *blank* is so gay". But I guess that's all that can be expected from you.

[Jack]

Interesting, Prometheus. I took it to mean that tman_ndsu08 was just saying that the media perceives gays as gays, nothing more. But now that you mention it, it is rather ambiguous. Perhaps he'll return to clarify.