THT: Gays in the Media

I've thought a lot about how gay people are represented in the media. Until recently, gay people were  pretty much used for entertainment value. They are funny. We can laugh at them. Laugh with them. We all love gay people when they are entertaining us on television, but present a gay drama and you can count most people out. Think of all the sitcoms and shows that involve a gay character. I think it is much like blacks were somewhat respected as entertainers, but not much more than that before the civil rights movement. It was okay for them to preform jazz, but not share a bathroom.

But today, the popular television show Glee presents a gay character who is played by a gay guy who deals with dramatic issues. Granted Kirt is still an entertaining character who sings and makes us happy, but he also struggles with real-life issues. Brokeback Mountain was also groundbreaking film. It is a drama, not a comedy. It presents the raw, real-life struggles of two men in love. I think there is still a long way to go.

"Happily-ever-after" is still defined by boy-meets-girl. The "American Dream" is still the wife and kids, a house with a white-picket fence, and a SUV. Our music, our fairy-tales, our movies, the majority of media still leave boy meets boy or girl meets girl outside of "happily ever after." Obviously we can't expect this alternate happily-ever-after to become as prominent as the traditional ideology, but I do hope that more quality media will be made so that gay kids don't grow up feeling as though there can be no happiness for them.