"Newsweek" Reporter Suggest Effeminate Men on TV Hurting Gay Rights

[ccharles000]

Today Newsweek posted an article by reporter Ramin Setoodeh titled "Kings of Queens: Gays on TV once helped promote tolerance. Now they may be hurting it."

In all honestly, it's one of the worst articles about the subject that I've ever read.

The gist of the piece? Effeminate gay characters on television are possibly responsible for the defeat of gay rights in Maine, California and a general decrease in tolerance toward the GLBT community.

Setoodeh finds Glee's Kurt Hummel especially troubling with his "...fluffy Alexander McQueen sweaters and sings notes high enough to make your fillings hurt."

Kurt isn't the only effeminate gay guy on Setoodeh's radar. He also mentions Marc from Ugly Betty, Lloyd from Entourage, Cameron and Mitchell from Modern Family and then moves on to reality television citing the "dozens of squealing contestants on Project Runway." Even Adam Lambert gets a mention as someone potentially troublesome for the gay community.

Setoodeh notes a recent survey by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation that found amongst those folks who say their feelings about gays and lesbians have improved over the past five years, nearly one third say it's at least partly due to the gay characters they saw on TV.

But, wonders Setoodeh, might that not be changing now that there are so many Kurt Hummels and Christian Sirianos on our television screens? Is that why voters in Maine voted to repeal gay marriage there?

http://www.afterelton.com/TV/2009/11/newsweek-effeminate-gays-hurting-rights

[msongs]

1. TV, even gay TV, stereotypes just about everyone. no big news here really nt

[bluestateguy]

2. Ever watch the TV show "Greek" on ABC Family?

There is a gay character named Calvin. He is no stereotype at all.

[icymist]

3. It seems that this guy is trying to figure out why we lost Maine and California.

Instead of working harder for equal rights, Setoodeh wants to dissect the community, to throw some overboard so that the community will be more appealing, seem 'normal' to straight people. I say we need more unity in the community.

Kick and R, BTW

[FreeState]

4. Scapegoating the effeminate... so 30 years ago... sigh n/t

[mitchtv]

5. I stopped watching Glee after the first show

And yes , it was the Gay student character. They had him saying something tacky as "that's so gay" Gays insulting Gays was enough for me. Haven't watched it since

[ccharles000]

7. It is a good show.

Kurt(the gay student)has grown and the scenes between him and his dad are wonderful.

[Divine Discontent]

9. I wonder how many thousands of people stopped watching it when they heard the Gay boy say,

"that's so gay". I was appalled and vowed to never watch it again. I turn right through it.

Our queer community has so many flavors of LGBT people, but when I turn on a show and I get things like what that Gay character did, I spew! I like Mark form Ugly Betty, and the nephew who is Gay, they are good actors. But, I also would like some realism in the Gay characters too, there are plenty of different types of Gay people, just like Straight people. I will checkout the show "Greek" to see that Gay guy's representation of a Gay character to see what others have mentioned about him being different from the norm.

I have no probs with super fem to super butch, it's just that it's so predictable they're going to have the Gay guy typically be ridiculous and a caricature of 'gay' much like how TV used to do 'black' a certain way.

Keep up the fight!

[WillParkinson]

16. Take it in the context...

The boy was telling people he wasn't gay. It seemed like a natural thing for him to be saying.

While I don't disagree that effeminate men get too much screen time, there are plenty of gay men who have been shown on TV and in movies that are not effeminate in any way.

[David__77]

6. Could be a point there...

I like Glee, but the gay character is one step away from the gay version of a minstrel show. It's like these depictions opened the door to many people accepting gay people - as "weird" people: the "other." I'm so sick of movies with a straight guy and a gay guy and the gay guy is always weirder and uglier too! We need to depictions out there! I don't fit in with these gay depictions, nor do *most* of my gay friends.

[Prism]

8. I wish there were more diversity sometimes

I have no problem with effeminate characters (Marc is the only reason I watch Ugly Betty), but I do wish, especially on reality shows, producers and writers would stop lazily reaching into their caricature knapsack when it comes to gay men. It's getting a bit one note, and instead of progressing towards more varied kinds of gay men, television seems to be getting more locked into the stereotype than ever. I thought for a second that, with shows like Brothers and Sisters, we'd see all the different kinds of gay men out there, but now there's a kind of odd retro backflash to a kind of mincing minstrelsy.

The author's premise is a bit crap when trying to mesh it with political events, but he does have a point when you sit back, look at his list, and realize vast swaths of television are only interested in portraying gay men one way. It isn't even the "effeminate" part that's bothersome. It's the entire package. Must be interested in fashion, must be bitchy and catty, must make relentless double entendres about gay sex, must reference Broadway no matter how unrelated to the topic at hand.

Like I said, one note. Enjoyable much of the time, but very much overdone.

Lesbian characters, however, seem to be growing more complex on television and portraying different personalities, aspects, roles, etc. Currently loving the Arizona character on Grey's Anatomy and even warming up to Callie's bisexuality.

[closeupready]

11. These are some excellent points. You should be writing for Newsweek instead

of the article's writer. :D

[Prism]

15. Ha!

That'd be the day. Though, I am at least a little curious how an article this bad ended up in a major publication. Though, it is Newsweek ^^

[FreeState]

13. Did you see Ugly Betty last night? Justin...

SPOILERS....


I like the direction they went with it. Its nice to see a guy thats into fashion, etc and apparently is not gay but accused of it. (Granted it could be hes having problems coming out - but I dont think thats were its going - I think he is straight and the show is exploring stereotypes)

[Prism]

14. Haven't seen the new season yet

I think the move to Friday night is its death knell. ;/ I've been waiting for a chunk of time to catch up with it online.

[Amimnoch]

17. Very well stated, and pretty close to what I was thinking

of posting myself.

[Amimnoch]

18. I'd really love to see a prime time "Bear" myself!

[closeupready]

10. What a complete idiot.

:mad:

[donco6]

12. John Barrowman's Captain Jack made a good future model for TV, I think.

He could be campy when he wanted, or an action hero when he wanted. He could buss a guy and make your mouth water, or flirt with a girl and be totally convincing.

We could use more writing like that, IMO.

[LeftHander]

19. bitches are always dissin' my girls...nt

nt

[LeftHander]

20. Actually this is chaffe to detract from this:

Which is rapidly sinking in GD. (expected it to)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7024872

[sui generis]

21. I don't agree with his conclusion BUT

I'd like to see more agro queers like me on the tee vee.

The "harmless" versions that hollywood sees fit to use just don't represent all of us. Maybe they should do a show about queers in the martial arts - we don't get mannies or peddies; we're not particularly hedonistic (good or bad), into interior desecration, fashion, velvet ropes or drapes, or any of the other stupid stereotypes.

We are aggressive, some of us are indeed evil, but mostly we're indistinguishable. Maybe hollywood thinks they can't convey gay without it being aflame and screaming FAAAABULOUS to its gal pal hag.

[Dreamsoldier76]

22. Femme Bashing

While I do get annoyed with shallow ditzy prissy gay cliches, I am also bothered by the tendency by society in general to bash femme men regardless of their sexual orientation.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

25. i agree. at best i think that there should be a more diverse roles for gay men

include butch gay men but people are always blaming the gender nonconforming folk for our troubles

bigots are our problem. not femme men or butch females

[bigwillq]

27. Hello.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Ukonkivi]

23. So what's being implied

Is that people hate those who violate gender roles in general more than just sexual norms.
So they would have us, be gay, but still manage to uphold patriarchal gender roles.
I mean, be gay, it's bad enough but we'll tolerate you. Just as long as you can help up with male supremacy and not be a pansy about it.
Right.

....Good Lordy.

[rusty fender]

24. I guess that Setoodeh has never heard of Ross

the Intern. He is very popular. Straights and gays love him.

[sui generis]

26. a little from column A, a little from column B

It's true - those characters may indeed be entertaining and likeable, and non-threatening, but moreover they are memorable and often act as comedic foils in a story line.

Many parts of America may have no problem with people fitting a nice effeminate stereotype, but they also use only that brush to paint all of us. Their preconception is that men are somehow "weak" if they are effeminate, and weakness is not allowed in the consideration of maleness. I do believe that there is a kind of "paternal" or maybe "patronizing" attitude that results, where we might have a cute and cuddly down-syndrome sibling but we would never approve of "allowing" our DS sibs to get married to one another. Please don't make me use a sarcasm tag.

It's the "they know what's best for us" because we aren't enough like them to qualify as adults and American, and that really does come back around to stereotypes, and some perceived idea of cultural entitlement on their part.