...us meaning black LGBT/SGL/Q/Q/inthelife people.
I watched an entire episode of In The Life TV just now and wondered why
1) All scripted television shows with gay or lesbian characters were portrayed by heterosexual actors who, interestingly, appear to be so amazed and confounded by the "reality" of non-heterosexual life. 'Cuse me but are actors from another planet?
Actors: Homophobia's been around forever, didn't ya notice? The faggot roughed up in the hallway of your school? Or how your sister was deemed persona non grata because she's shacking up with a woman? Have you ever heard any gay jokes? Seen or heard about a gay bashing? Hate crime?
My questions is this: is it so hard for someone to conceive how hard it may be for somebody different? I don't have to be Jewish to understand what it means to be targeted as "less" and lined up for extermination; or be a woman to experience making 76 cents on the dollar for the same work is dehumanizing. Still when I watched the (straight) actresses from The L Word speak about how "enlightening" the experience is to play a lesbian, my mouth went dry. Why the fuck is it enlightening? I am less likely to believe that the experience is enlightening than believe that mouthing the "oh my God now I've learned so much about life from this character" shit is for the camera, to keep gay and lesbian audiences watching, and to be seen as understanding and liberal. Yawn.
And we (meaning LGBT) folk are appeased; yes, we think we are special and our lives are hard, and that we need all the help we can get in assimilating (oops!) all of which I am not necessarily disputing, I am just weary of the convenience of being "understanding" and "tolerant" because one happens to be on a television show, and thinks now there may be something to this "gay" thing. No one on tonight's show even questioned why 100% of the homo roles are played played by heteros. No. You know why? The aim is to show that gays are people too.
Sorry to report that we are not. We are aberrations. I am proud ot be one. What's the point of being seen as normal? Dying sooner? You tell me.
Then there's Keith "Catface" St. John, the black guy from Six Feet Under. He got his one minute to condense his life experience in a one minute soundbite about "difference." He begins "as a black man (a line I am beginning to tire of. I mean, what, it wasn't likely he would have said "as a three-eared Martian" but I digress...) So, to start again, he says as a black man, he suffered from racism, but he learned while playing a gay character that gay people ________ fill in the blank. Yeah, homos suffer, who doesn't know this. I could perhaps be more sympathetic and less annoyed if I felt these actors were less, oh I don't know, situationally pro-gay or lesbian. I'm not knocking their sincerity...well, yes, I am. I would have liked the St. John guy to have said "playing a gay character has definitely made more open to hot sodomy. I'm not quite ready for a big-assed dick, but I can get up to three fingers in there. And the kissing...whoa!" That would have been a welcome change.
I am sure gay and lesbian characters on television are important, good for representation and the like, but I am not too excited by witnessing the following:
99.9% of the talking heads are white and male;
95% of characters on sit-coms and dramas are white;
that the people of color in almost every segment of In The Life TV are an afterthought or as I like to say "filler" to show diversity;
that gay white pop life is still the largest impression Americans have and will probably continue to be from the pages of the Advocate, Genre and other largely white publications;
and that groups like GLAAD will continue to ignore the struggles and accomplishments of people of color en masse;
and that sans Keith Boykin on American Candidate, black LGBT life has been reduced to "down low" soundbites on primetime.
This ain't progress. And yeah I know about the black lesbian on The Wire. And there's some black gay character floating about as well on cable television. HBO, right? And can't forget that Got that. Woo-hoo, we have overcome.
I am itching for a revolution. Not that I know what I would do, because I don't. But I am not happy watching this shit go on. I'd like to see some of these shows cancelled. Maybe that's a start.
I'm done for now.
Thursday, January 27, 2005 @ 10:55 PMHow can you have a revolution without revolutionary consciousness?
For numerous reasons, there doesn't seem to be a drive to breakdown the barriers within the gay community. Heck we haven't decided if even want to be apart of that community.
--------------------------------------------
I take the comments by these actors at face value. While they should be well aware of the struggles faced by SGL folks, it's understandable that until they were put into that role they were impacted by it. Yes, I can understand the struggles of being a Jew, but I suppose if I had to play the part of a Jew in a Nazi camp it might enlighten me to a higher level. But I do agree that sometimes they can come off as not very genuine. But then again, I have no clue why America has this fasination with actors as if they are expected to be super intelligent, thinking beings. Most are actually fairly stupid, so you shouldn't get too worked up if they say something stupid.
Posted by Cliff / on Feb 1 @ 4:12 PM
*Excellent points. Bernie, work it the fuck out.
I think part of the reason straight people play all the gay parts is because of the homophobia that still exists among producers, directors, casting directors, network execs, etc. which keep gay actors in the closet or at least discreet in their public actions. There is still the perception that an openly gay actor will not be acceptable to "Middle America" and thus find a harder time getting work. You'll get boxed into a little corner where you'll only work again when the role specifically says "gay" (in other words, campy sitcoms and art films). Thus a gay actor going up for a gay role is only going to draw unwanted, possibly career-damaging attention. Black straight actors have a hard enough time finding work. You can imagine then how a Black gay actor might shy away from such casting calls, not that a lot of those parts are being written.
Posted by Steven / on Jan 29 @ 12:05 AMAnd about Catface St. John:
I think his "as a black man" preface is totally appropriate. If something about his experience as an African-American helped him connect with his character's experience of discrimination, I think that's worth foregrounding. Maybe it helped him understand marginalization in broader terms than he had access to prior to the role.
*It seems like needless self-identifying. I can see he's black and I am assuming that his experience has been informed by it. But I could be wrong.
Plenty of people go through life preoccupied with reacting to/against the handicap that's constantly acting upon them. So, yeah... maybe they see the gay bashing and hear the homophobic jokes. But who has time to host a pity party for someone who's chosen a deviant lifestyle when you yourself are engaged in a daily battle against being made to feel inferior because you're black and poor and fatherless and unattractive and not-so-intelligent?
I dramatize here, but it's only to make the point that its fairly easy to be blinded enough by your own marginalizion that you never take time to imagine that of your neighbor. Playing gay on film, at least for Catface St John, is one way to allow for such an experience.
*Good point. I am Steven Allfeeling so I get blinded by my own arrogance around how people should/could respond to the plight of others.
Does this mean that donning gayface for a camera gets you an automatic lifetime membership in the legion of queer-friendly progressives? Hardly.
*In some cases, it seems for the moment or as long as the role lasts.
Is it possible that your role has afforded you a more expansive understanding of marginalization and heightened your sensitivity to homophobia? Sure.
*At best.
Why the hell not?
Are the public statements made by queer-sympathizers political? You bet cha. But we can't presume that actors are privy to and actively engaging this politic. Shiiiit, dem niggas busy memorizing lines and trying not to trip on the red carpet!
*and get jobs.
Seriously though, we all know what you're supposed to say after having an experience like playing a character that is in some way handicapped (pardon the use of the word).
"it was eye-opening... i have a new apprecation for the day-to-day struggle... i never could have imagined..." blah blah blah.
Yeah, we know the script. However, the fact that their comments correspond to the pre-existing script does not mean that
1. their feelings are any less authentic than any other feeling any of us experiences.
2. that they're cognizant of the fact that a script exists in the first place
What I'm saying is that all of our lives and nearly all of our conversation are in dialogue with a pre-existant script that we've been fed through our socialization, and I don't expect actors to be any more adept at subverting it than any other individual.
*well put. Again my own impatience with a revolution that ain't going the way I want it to.
Posted by Steven / on Jan 29 @ 12:02 AMi share your annoyance with actors who are "situationally pro gay" and thank you for adding the phrase to my GCV (gay critical vocabulary. see also: pomosexual).
*why thank you.
plenty of us think we are itching for a revolution. in reality, i think we've just become impatient with the revolution that's already in the works. i'm not one of those people who believe that visibility = larger acceptance. i do not believe that the mere sight of a gay character on prime time television means that the nation is finally embracing me and my sodomy.
*I know you are right about a revolution in progress. It just sits uneasy with me because of the reality of being played like fools for several centuries as a black folks and coupled with this homophobic bullshit.
[sidebar: would vintage entity books be interested in an edgy children's book, "Sodomy and me"? pitch it to the higher-ups; i'd definitely be on board]
*I will look into it.
anyway, i'd sooner say that the revolution has to crawl before it walks. the various sitcoms and series that exist, whitewashed and featuring straight actors in gayface, represent the beginning crawl of bourgeoning revolution. so, rather than advocating the cancellation of the existing shows, i welcome the barrage of additional programming that explores a fuller range of sgl ways of being (rather than harping upon the stereotype of promiscuity and exploiting femininity for the sake of schtick), addresses and engages communities of color BEYOND THE GOD DAMNED DL and features gay actors (gactors? hehehe) exclusively.
*well, there's Rodney Evans (Brother to Brother) Patrik Ian Polk (Noah's Arc) and Maurice-Jamal (Ski Trip), not to mention Cheryl Dunye (Watermelon Woman) among other black LGBT filmmakers who are trying to make shit like that happen. I think we should support them, maybe host a film festival in 2007?
graffiti:
In unrelated news, I love you and couldn't imagine a better partner to share the rest of my life with.
*ditto.
Posted by Steven / on Jan 28 @ 11:56 PMcant really add anything here...I agree with everyone's points..
It hasbeen irritating for me and I used to love watching Six Feet Under and Matthew St. Patrick (Keith on the show)...
but I do get frustrated when I hear straight actors talking about how enlightened they are for playinga gay or lesbian character...im glad for you to be so "enlightened" about what youre doing..but your still straight. you are playing a character so you arent really experiencing what I and so many other non-heterosexual folk go through on a daily basis, so get stuffed! :)
what can I do? i dont know..Im trying to figure it out right now as I type this...
And about Catface St. John:
I think his "as a black man" preface is totally appropriate. If something about his experience as an African-American helped him connect with his character's experience of discrimination, I think that's worth foregrounding. Maybe it helped him understand marginalization in broader terms than he had access to prior to the role.
Plenty of people go through life preoccupied with reacting to/against the handicap that's constantly acting upon them. So, yeah... maybe they see the gay bashing and hear the homophobic jokes. But who has time to host a pity party for someone who's chosen a deviant lifestyle when you yourself are engaged in a daily battle against being made to feel inferior because you're black and poor and fatherless and unattractive and not-so-intelligent?
I dramatize here, but it's only to make the point that its fairly easy to be blinded enough by your own marginalizion that you never take time to imagine that of your neighbor. Playing gay on film, at least for Catface St John, is one way to allow for such an experience.
Does this mean that donning gayface for a camera gets you an automatic lifetime membership in the legion of queer-friendly progressives? Hardly.
Is it possible that your role has afforded you a more expansive understanding of marginalization and heightened your sensitivity to homophobia? Sure. Why the hell not?
Are the public statements made by queer-sympathizers political? You bet cha. But we can't presume that actors are privy to and actively engaging this politic. Shiiiit, dem niggas busy memorizing lines and trying not to trip on the red carpet!
Seriously though, we all know what you're supposed to say after having an experience like playing a character that is in some way handicapped (pardon the use of the word).
"it was eye-opening... i have a new apprecation for the day-to-day struggle... i never could have imagined..." blah blah blah.
Yeah, we know the script. However, the fact that their comments correspond to the pre-existing script does not mean that
1. their feelings are any less authentic than any other feeling any of us experiences.
2. that they're cognizant of the fact that a script exists in the first place
What I'm saying is that all of our lives and nearly all of our conversation are in dialogue with a pre-existant script that we've been fed through our socialization, and I don't expect actors to be any more adept at subverting it than any other individual.
I think part of the reason straight people play all the gay parts is because of the homophobia that still exists among producers, directors, casting directors, network execs, etc. which keep gay actors in the closet or at least discreet in their public actions. There is still the perception that an openly gay actor will not be acceptable to "Middle America" and thus find a harder time getting work. You'll get boxed into a little corner where you'll only work again when the role specifically says "gay" (in other words, campy sitcoms and art films). Thus a gay actor going up for a gay role is only going to draw unwanted, possibly career-damaging attention. Black straight actors have a hard enough time finding work. You can imagine then how a Black gay actor might shy away from such casting calls, not that a lot of those parts are being written.
Posted by Bernie / on Jan 28 @ 10:26 AMI remember having a conversation in a men's group I sat in on, and we were talking about the way sgl's of color were treated in regards to HIV meds in the early nineties, and how the prevalent white attitudes were that it took us to storm this establishment and picket that one to get to where we are (white gay establishment concerning medicine for AIDS)and where were you, I wonder silently if that is the same mindset/attitude when it comes to representation on the boob tube, we are still regarded as minorities (a word I deeply detest) in this country, why do we expect the white "majority" to act any different?, because they hi jack the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr, and tell us that they have victim status too, I never bought into that brand of hype, so therefore I am not surprise by the audacities and atrocities of white people, they at least have always been consistent, regardless the sexual orientation
Posted by jaqua / on Jan 28 @ 10:17 AMsteven angry.
steven annoyed.
tread lightly.
:)
i share your annoyance with actors who are "situationally pro gay" and thank you for adding the phrase to my GCV (gay critical vocabulary. see also: pomosexual).
plenty of us think we are itching for a revolution. in reality, i think we've just become impatient with the revolution that's already in the works. i'm not one of those people who believe that visibility = larger acceptance. i do not believe that the mere sight of a gay character on prime time television means that the nation is finally embracing me and my sodomy.
[sidebar: would vintage entity books be interested in an edgy children's book, "Sodomy and me"? pitch it to the higher-ups; i'd definitely be on board]
anyway, i'd sooner say that the revolution has to crawl before it walks. the various sitcoms and series that exist, whitewashed and featuring straight actors in gayface, represent the beginning crawl of bourgeoning revolution. so, rather than advocating the cancellation of the existing shows, i welcome the barrage of additional programming that explores a fuller range of sgl ways of being (rather than harping upon the stereotype of promiscuity and exploiting femininity for the sake of schtick), addresses and engages communities of color BEYOND THE GOD DAMNED DL and features gay actors (gactors? hehehe) exclusively.
graffiti:
In unrelated news, I love you and couldn't imagine a better partner to share the rest of my life with.