Portrayal Of Homosexuals In Film example essay topic

The word "homosexual" means pertaining to, characteristic of, or exhibiting sexual desire for others of one's own sex (Mifflin 1980). Other terms that are synonyms for this word are gay or lesbian. The word "gay" usually pertains to a male while the word "lesbian" pertains to a female. Homosexuality on the whole is shunned by American society. People sometimes tend to take a holier than thou attitude when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. A plethora of myths surrounds the entire concept of same-sex relationships.

Some theories are that homosexuality is wrong and unnatural, and also that people who are homosexual choose to be that way only to go against the grain of the so called normalcy of heterosexuality. In other words, it is implied by these theories that homosexuals seek to purposely be outcasts in society. The last century has been a time of change in the construct of homosexuality; the oppression and liberation of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals; and in entertainment media portrayals (Holtzman 2000). The Celluloid Closet directed by Robert Epstein in 1996 explores and challenges the perspective of homosexuality.

It also explodes sexual myths and explores how attitudes about homosexuality and sex roles have evolved throughout the century. The Celluloid Closet tracks and evolution of stereotypes (Johnson 1996). In Hollywood, the plot in movies concerns the problem of the accusation of homosexuality, not the actual presence of it in the main character and the film. Therefore, it goes as being a subject that is silenced. Pretend it does not exist, and it will go away.

This is the attitude that meticulously lingers throughout Hollywood as well as American Culture. "The Way We Weren't: The Invisible Years" explodes the effect of the institution of the Production Code and censorship of "perversity" in Hollywood films: sissies went underground and homosexuality was treated obliquely (Wu 1998). As coded censorship into play in films, these so-called "coded" gays are inevitably burdened with the great anguish and desire for "normalcy" (Wu 1998). In other words, if homosexuality exists, it must be assimilated within heterosexual ideology as to indirectly hide its existence. Therefore, a film containing homosexual subject matter has an unfair disadvantage to its "normal" heterosexual film. A film that could potentially have shown the deleterious effects of homophobia instead resolves the specter of gayness with the improbable-yet much less "frightening" to straight sensibilities-suggestion that all a homosexual man needs is a good woman to "cure" him (Wu 1998).

This plight is used to downplay homosexuality. Hollywood's representations are unkind and unfair to gays and lesbians. One might argue that screen representations do not directly correlate to reality. However, by attacking the image that already exists, the implication is then that somewhere there is a more "acceptable image". Thus winning the battle may mean projecting more positive representations of homosexuals on screen (Wu 1998). Nevertheless, the correlation among homosexual portrayal in films, blaxploitation, and women as submissive objects of sexual desire must not be forgotten.

The cycle of oppression continues in these other genres of film. This genre of film has ambiguity in both message and production. During blaxploitaiton, blacks are depicted as villains, and pimps. Most of the films are action based featuring defiant black male heroes victorious over white people and sexually conquering black women (Holtzman 2000).

The blaxploitation plight can be compared to the portrayal of homosexuals in film as both groups are undoubtedly oppressed. The fabric of oppression describes the vast majority of those who are targeted by oppression (Holtzman 2000). People in this category include gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, women, people of color, and non-Christians. Because oppression limits the human possibilities of all people-those with greater and lesser advantage-it is to everyone's advantage to pursues information and activities that will dismantle this system of oppression (Holtzman 2000).

As young children many people are pumped with preconceived notions, misinformation, and stereotypes of how certain "things" are supposed to be. Therefore anything outside of what is taught is automatically wrong. For example, young children are taught that boys war blue and are supposed to be tough and outspoken, while it is taught that girls wear pink and are supposed to be dainty and submissive. So, anything outside of this preconceived norm is considered wrong or abnormal.

Therefore homosexuality is definitely looked upon as being abnormal. In order to stay in accord with the majority, the logic behind Hollywood representation of homosexuals collapses real life struggle with reel life struggle. As far as gay liberation goes, it seems somehow like putting the cart before the horse to complain of negative Hollywood representations when everyday life for gays is often the object of negativity from the middle American mainstream (Wu 1998). The bottom line in Hollywood and the film industry is money and the heart of Hollywood's interest. Therefore, nothing less should be expected of mainstream movies than appeal to popular misconceptions. However, this does not imply that images are inoffensive or any less degrading.

It does suggest that the terms of the debate over Hollywood representation needs to be recast (Wu 1998). The Celluloid Closet is instrumental in finally and definitively iterating that the question of gays and lesbians on screen is not to be ignored (Wu 1998)... Homosexuals and Film

Bibliography

Holtzman, Linda. Media Messages, Sharpe 2000.
Wu, Harmony H. The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality and the Movies, Harper&Row 1987.
Johnson, Brian D. Tracing the Movies Treatment of Homosexuality, Maclean 1996.
web Mifflin, Houghton. Roget's Thesaurus. Mifflin 1980.