PRINTStereotypes on screen
A look at the current state of LGBT characters
Courtesy of NBC Universal
Will & Grace brought gay characters into the mainstream, though it’s been criticized for reinforcing stereotypes.
April 24, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
When Ellen DeGeneres came out in April 1997, conservatives protested Ellen and ABC. The network ran a parental advisory warning before the show. Today, such a dramatic response from the public would be more surprising than a TV character or celebrity coming out. Representations have progressed since the first out LGBT characters, but how far?
Representations
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s 12th Annual “Where We Are on TV” report analyzes the number of LGBT characters on television. It shows that the number of LGBT characters on the broadcast networks is declining, but the quality of the characters is improving. ABC’s Ugly Betty, for example, features regular LGBT supporting characters, including one transgender character.
Despite the continuing struggle for adequate representation, television can still incorporate LGBT characters more easily than movies. TV shows typically air 22 episodes per season, so writers can explore a character’s relationships in ways a two-hour movie cannot.
One character does not fit all
Although visibility of LGBT characters has been improving, stereotypical characters still do exist. Jack on Will & Grace is a portrayal of a flamboyant gay man. “Jack fits the stereotype that many gay men act very feminine, are insecure and promiscuous and live a wild lifestyle,” says Clayton Hayes, a member of PFLAG. But Damon Romine, GLAAD entertainment media director and 1988 MU journalism grad, says that Jack’s portrayal alongside Will’s showed “two different kinds of characters and in many ways expanded people’s perception of gay men.”
Another stereotype is the violent gay man. In 1980, gay community members condemned Cruising, a movie about a serial killer targeting gay men. More recently however, both The Sopranos and Oz featured a different take. “They are not flamboyantly gay, and they are not on crime sprees because they are gay,” Romine says. “These are characters just like all the others on their respective shows with flaws, but the flaw isn’t that they are gay.”
Lesbian characters most often fall into the lipstick lesbian category. Caitlin, from ABC’s Cashmere Mafia, started her first relationship with a woman this January.
However, emphasizing lipstick lesbians is misleading. Columbia resident Amy O’Bryan says that butch lesbians are not portrayed as often as they appear in real life. Although some might consider Shane from The L Word butch, MU senior Jennifer Miller disagrees: “I’ve been watching The L Word for a while now, so I see her as a more complex character than just butch.”
Romine finds some of the most diverse representations in unscripted or reality programming. “Reality programs present an opportunity to show LGBT people not as stereotypes or imagined characters but simply as very real people sharing the same strengths, weaknesses, fears and dreams as anyone else,” he says.
Double-edged sword
Although stereotypes still exist in the media, Miller says it is important to not dismiss stereotypical characters. Deeming one role inaccurate invalidates the experiences of individuals who can relate to that character.
GLAAD encourages a variety of portrayals because it helps create a broader impression of the community. “With Will & Grace,” Romine says, “many people were introduced to gay characters in a non-threatening, humorous way, creating a sense of comfort and acceptance between the gay and straight community that wouldn’t be there if that show had never existed.”
