Brad Jones’ September 16th rant about the negative effects of the recent popularity of gay-related TV shows is extremely misguided. While his frustration with the new trend of ambiguity is understandable, it does little more than trivialize the real problem with the current influx of gay-themed shows.
There are countless gay guys out there who don’t fit the stereotypes that these shows perpetuate. If you don’t think you know any straight acting gay men, take another look around you. Studies show that at least 1 out of 10 men is gay, and this includes guys that you can’t simply pick out of a crowd because of the glitter in their hair. For this group of people, shows like “Queer Eye,” “Queer as Folk” and “Will and Grace” do nothing more than perpetuate stereotypes and make it more difficult for themselves to come to grips with their sexuality. Further, a gay guy who doesn’t fit these stereotypes might be more hesitant to tell people that he’s gay in fear that he will be grouped into the same category as the flamboyant characters that television forces into the public eye.
Mr. Jones’ article is written as if he has forgotten about what life was like before he came out of the closet. I haven’t. However, having the surrounding cast of family and friends that I do, coming out was a relatively easy process in relation to most gay people. For those gay guys not as fortunate as me, coming out can become increasingly difficult when society’s view of gay people shifts further away from reality.
A few Sundays ago, I spent a good portion of the day watching TV with my boyfriend, flipping back and forth between various baseball and football games. Oh yeah, eight of my fraternity brothers were there as well. Would most people care to watch a sitcom about my kind of gay lifestyle, let alone believe that it exists? Probably not. Regardless, that doesn’t mean that television networks should use the ridiculous gay stereotypes to earn a fast buck at the expense of the millions of normal, straight acting gay guys like me.
Anonymous SMG ’05 (215) 990-3805