Being Gay on TV…
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In American television, there are plenty of shows that have gay people on them, but those shows are all, in some way, about gay people and/or being gay. When it comes to other shows that are about other things, gay people go unrepresented.
It rather reminds me of when the only way an african-american could get on TV was to be on a TV show that was entirely about african-americans or submit to stereotyping or both.
There are a handful of minor exceptions to this. Ugly Betty was wonderful for it. Modern Family has a prominent gay couple and Glee just featured a wonderful coming-out story. However, in these shows, there is still a great deal of stereotyping involved. In no way are the characters ever dealt with as if they are just everyday people. The romances are never dealt with as everyday romances, and never with similar treatment to how straight romances are dealt with.
I never really realized the differences until I recently began watching a number of BBC productions. Before, my usual thoughts were something along the lines of: “Oh, these shows are being so progressive for featuring gay characters!” now…I’m seeing exactly how much they’re putting those gay characters in that stereotypical box. When watching American TV alongside BBC TV, the difference in treatment is glaring.
Because, you see, on the BBC shows, the gay characters are treated like any other character. They’re normal, ordinary people. The fact that they are gay, involved in a homosexual relationship, etc. is not treated as something out of the ordinary. The romances are written in the same terms as heterosexual romances. The characters are rarely stereotyped or caricatures (the exceptions being purposely exaggerated comedic sketches).
Why do I have to look to another country’s offerings to find television that treats gay people as normal?
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I've noticed that same trend myself, but the analogy to African-Americans on television never quite struck me until you mentioned it.
I think that has a lot to do with it, though. Much as with African-American characters on television in the 70s and 80s it was very much a case of the studios going “Look, we have a black character, aren't we progressive and forward thinking” and patting themselves on the back, hoping it would boost ratings. So they did everything the could to point out the minority nature of the character, playing to common stereotypes to make sure that nature was conveyed. Now homosexuality has taken that trendy, progressive-for-show place in entertainment.
The other side to the coin is that so long as the vocal religious fundamentalists persist in trying to dehumanize people different from them, and make them seem somehow wrong or evil then television producers will be hesitant to seem too accepting of homosexual characters and stories, lest they anger a very loud and protest happy segment of their viewers.
It is sad, and rather silly, but as with the African-American actors, there will come a time as our culture grows, where this time in history will seem strange and backward looking by comparison…. I hope.
I've noticed that same trend myself, but the analogy to African-Americans on television never quite struck me until you mentioned it.
I think that has a lot to do with it, though. Much as with African-American characters on television in the 70s and 80s it was very much a case of the studios going “Look, we have a black character, aren't we progressive and forward thinking” and patting themselves on the back, hoping it would boost ratings. So they did everything the could to point out the minority nature of the character, playing to common stereotypes to make sure that nature was conveyed. Now homosexuality has taken that trendy, progressive-for-show place in entertainment.
The other side to the coin is that so long as the vocal religious fundamentalists persist in trying to dehumanize people different from them, and make them seem somehow wrong or evil then television producers will be hesitant to seem too accepting of homosexual characters and stories, lest they anger a very loud and protest happy segment of their viewers.
It is sad, and rather silly, but as with the African-American actors, there will come a time as our culture grows, where this time in history will seem strange and backward looking by comparison…. I hope.