Newsweek: Is TV Hurting the Gay Community?

What a joke this article is. And the people that may agree with the idea suggested. The only thing hurting the gay community is itself. Take a look at Pride events. Take a look at events like Folsom and Southern Decadence. And Advocate is touting the idea that TV may be to blame for damage to our community? Wake up, gays! Jack McFarland and Will Truman did us some good compared to the fairy dancing in his jockstrap on the pride float or the guys blowing each other in the street at Southern Decadence. When are we going to admit that we're under a societal microscope and that our image DOES matter to the rest of the country? We want equal rights? Take some responsibility; don't blame TV.

It sounds to me like the author of this “article” has a lot of internalized homophobia. Apparently he is embarrassed by effeminate gay men and butch lesbians who have the audacity to be themselves, out loud and proud. Well guess what, you spineless coward? It is the fems and the dykes and the trannies who are the most visible citizens of our so-called “community”. We are the ones who take the beatings for you and the taunts and the outright discrimination and hatred, so we have more than earned our right to show our faces on your television. And don’t forget who threw the first stiletto-heeled punch at Stone Wall. The next time you see a drag queen, you should get down on your hands and knees and beg to kiss her feet, you ungrateful homophobe.

The ignorance and self-hatred on parade in this worthless opinion piece is disgusting. Christian Siriano is an inspiration to young fags all over the world: he showed us that we can be ourselves to the Nth degree and proved that – so long as we have the talent, ambition and drive to back up our fabulousness – the sky is the limit! I adore, respect and admire him, and found him to be one of the most refreshing and inspiring personalities to ever waltz through the mostly soul-draining landscape that is “reality” TV.

"Heterosexual" programing or characters run from Dramas like CSI through to Flavor Flave. The world is diverse, heterosexuals are diverse, the gay community is diverse. This whole discussion bores me actually and I feel the problem has less to do with "them" as it does with those of us still uncomfortable in our own skin. Gay men like Runways Christian exist, we all know at least one, if not more. The problem isn't the heterosexuals, because as many here have already said, this is the kind of gay man most people are comfortable with... the one they can laugh at. Our problem is when WE think THEY think we are all like that. And that's OUR problem, not theirs or Christians. Be who you are and let others be who they are. It only reflects on you if you let it. Plus, this article forgets to mention the many other normal (shudder) gay characters on tv. Brothers and Sisters, Law and Order, Modern Family, there's hardly a Drama on tv anymore without a gay character of some kind.

I think there needs to eb a good mixture and not limit to the stereotypical campy gay charachters. Someone mentioned Willow on Buffy, that she was a character first, and being gay was just a part of who she was..that sums it up to me. I want these types of charachters that are normal everyday people, like me, that just happen to be gay. Their sexuality isnt all they are about. A good example is the gay cop on Southland played by Michael Cudlitz. There are a few glints of his sexuality that only we, the gay community would have picked up on, but we didn't get something more definitive till the season finally, and even it was not absolute. Through the season there wre so many other things going on in his life. If you did not get a chance to see it before NBS canceled it, the good news is TNT picked it up and will start it from the begining on Jan 12 with some additional scenes NBC cut. Check it out and support this realistic Drama, about a cop that happens to be gay

We all want to see ourselves on television. Since there is diversity in the gay world, let there be diversity in the way that gay characters are portrayed on television. But it is true that producers are afraid to present gay characters with fully developed emotional lives. Exceptions do exist. There was Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was a main character who just happened to be gay (and a really powerful witch). And then there is Captain Jack from the BBC series Torchwood (a Doctor Who spinoff). In a recent episode he locked lips with a World War II Flyer Boy after a slow dance in a crowded mixed sex dance hall. Interesting that these are both in the SciFi genre (more or less).

This post-gay label is more dangerous than any of the characters mentioned in the article. I can't stand it and the article is as shallow as the stereotypes it supposedly tries to denounce.

The media playing on gay stereotypes? Let me think about that one while The Advocate hypes-up another headline about Levi Johnston's penis.

I say the article makes a valid point. Flamboyant gays and butch lesbians have been promoted relentlessly on TV, but I think it's less about cheap writing from TV producers/directors/writers and more about the fact the majority of Americans aren't entirely comfortable seeing Brokeback-Mountain-style gay guys, where they actually have sex; and where the emotions of same-sex love actually come through, vs. the silly giggling on Will&Grace. A TV show with a neutered, flamboyant gay can score points for 'diversity' but avoid showing actual gay sex that would offend straight people. However, I think hetrosexuals who know and see 'straight' acting gays in real life treat us better, because it makes them question: 'Gosh, he/she looks so normal; how many others are gay in my life that I don't know about?" NON-gender-conforming GLBT people are a reality, whether we like it or not. I think we should respect all and not look down on someone for the way they dress, act, walk, or talk.

Shows like Jerry Springer have done so much damage for years. The audience is encouraged to laugh at and mock gay stereotypes. Even the talk shows with monologues make gay jokes almost daily. These kinds of programs keep gays in their place and reinforce stereotypes among heterosexuals. Voting for gay acceptance will never happen. The courts will have to have a backbone to give us rights. We must protest unfair treatment in the media. Bruno and the new Adam Sandler movie only make a buck at our expense. No other minority would tolerate what we do everyday. Change will only happen if we boycott companies who sponsor these media endeavors.