The 15th annual "Where We Are on TV" report released Wednesday found that 3.9 percent of actors appearing regularly on prime-time network drama and comedy series in the 2010-11 season will portray gay, lesbian or bisexual characters."
In yesterday's presentation, the group mentioned that though the representation of homosexuals in the media is on the rise, the representation is fueled by the view of heterosexual media producers. Thus, the homosexual characters are representations of gay stereotypes and are not necessarily realistic.
The new show, Happy Endings, has broken from the flamboyant gay stereotype and has delivered us a different representation of a gay man.
He's convincingly gay: his sexuality comes up from time-to-time, and he has an outsider's perspective, but he's not a particularly good dresser, cook, or decorator, and he's got weight and self-esteem issues."
So, Max is a normal person who just happens to be gay. Probably a little more realistic than the over-the-top gay characters we're used to. I think this is definitely a step in the right direction.
So, Max is a normal person who just happens to be gay. Probably a little more realistic than the over-the-top gay characters we're used to. I think this is definitely a step in the right direction.
As always, I agree with you here Morgan. Definitely a step in the right direction to put forth a lead character who's, for lack of a better phrase, "the right amount of gay".
ReplyDeleteI'd argue that this is similar to a point I made once about race stereotypes: when media started portraying African Americans they were not necessarily realistic portrayals, and in attempting to get rid of certain stereotypes promoted others. Although the American media made great strides when they put some gay characters on tv, they definitely encouraged some negative stereotypes. In an effort to promote the positive stereotype of a homosexual functioning regularly in society, they brought upon the stereotypes of flamboyance or fussy all the while.
Happy Endings isn't a show I'd even heard of before your post, but I look forward to coming across it.
Its on Wednesday nights at 10pm on ABC if you're interested! It's very new and has only been on for a few episodes, which is probably why you haven't heard of it yet.
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