Gay, Lesbian Portrayals Sometimes Inaccurate

University of Oklahoma - Oklahomans are speaking up regarding the portrayal of gay and lesbian characters in the mass media.
James Cooper, film and video studies senior, said he thinks the recent explosion of homosexuality in the media from “Brokeback Mountain” has been positive, but it also has a downside.
“Unfortunately, while the film raises some very relevant and important questions regarding masculinity and homosexuality, instead of tackling these issues and engaging in a much-needed dialogue, we as a society found a way to laugh at our discomfort with the subject matter,” Cooper said.
As a film writer, Cooper said that while incorporating new ideas and concepts into movies is important, at the end of the day it is still the story that matters most.
“Adding a gay character or romance for the sake of adding one becomes a cliche at best and a distraction at worst,” Cooper said.
Cooper added that most audiences don’t understand the ideas behind homosexuality.
“I think it is positive to have gays and lesbians visible in the media,” Cooper said. “However, what have we really accomplished if we are there to make people laugh at the gay best friend or to make people cry as we die of AIDS?”
On several popular television shows, homosexual characters are becoming more mainstream, but Gaither said media set stereotypes for the gay characters.
“In television, you always have the funny gay person or the gay best friend,” Gaither said. “If you watch ‘Will and Grace,’ how many relationships has Grace been in compared to how many relationships Will has? And then you have Jack, who is sleeping around with everyone. It’s these stereotypes that they play out.”
While gay and lesbian love stories have been acted out between adults before, homosexual public displays of affection are now being seen among youth in the media.
Several critics and parents chastised FOX’s “The OC” for inducing a lesbian relationship between two high school students, but according to Nielson Media Research, it didn’t keep people from tuning in Thursday nights as ratings soared.
“I think it was handled better than a lot of other lesbian storylines I’ve seen,” Griffin said. “I also think that it was done primarily for ratings.”
The media may be just a starting point for exposing Oklahomans to homosexuality.
“I think there’s a lot of room for improvement as far as the portrayal of gays and lesbians go,” Griffin said. “But it is a step in the right direction.”
This week is Gay Awareness week at Oklahoma University, sponsored by Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Friends.
from OU Daily