Just Folks - Media Portrayals

Dateline: 09/26/97

One of my favorite new shows of the season is a show called The Practice from the offbeat and insightful David Kelley (creator of Picket Fences and Chicago Hope amongst other shows).

Last Tuesday I sat down to watch the show with T and was entranced by a case of murder, complete with a love triangle, manipulation, pathological lying and a typical Kelley conclusion (nobody was happy at the end except the bad guy).

Oh yeah, and the bad guy was gay.

"Oh no!" you say, "Yet another homosexual portrayed as evil."

Except, he wasn't evil because he was homosexual. His crime wasn't related to his orientation (beyond the fact that the victim was one of his two lovers, but I'll deem that a "gay crime" when non-gay people stop killing their partners). He wasn't a suspect because he was gay. There was no homophobia involved other than one slightly homophobic cop who didn't enjoy being involved in a "homo" case, but the balance of the characters did not like nor respect him because of those feelings.

In other words, the suspect, culprit and victim all just "happened to be gay."

This isn't the first time we've seen this on TV. There are a plethora of gay and lesbian characters who just happen to be there (Waiter on Cybill, Officer Abby Sullivan on NYPD Blue) along with gay and lesbian characters whose orientation is more integral to plots (Ellen on Ellen, Ross' ex-wife Carol Wylick and her girlfriend on Friends). But none of the above are bad guys.

Perhaps the "failure" to portray gays and lesbians as bad guys is as of a result of the backlashes against movies such as Cruising

Personally I think it's a step forward.

We need people to see us as "just folk" - and that includes the bad along with the good.

Speaking of which, I've heard some mutterings from folks that they believe that In and Out reeks of too many stereotypes, and is therefore offensive.

I don't want to give away any parts of the movie, as I know that there are still many who have not seen it (which, by the way, I heartily recommend), but I do want to say that I was not at all displeased with the film.

Were there stereotypes in it? Most assuredly. Stereotypes regarding gay men. Stereotypes of overbearing mothers. Stereotypes of nebbishy school principals. Stereotypes of high school jocks. Stereotypes of small towns. Stereotypes of virginal brides. Stereotypes of fashion models.

In other words, the same type of overdrawn characterizations we often see in romantic farce pieces.

And the audiences are laughing with, and loving, each character and characterization.

How can this be a bad thing?

In Pride,
Deborah

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