Media and Gay Culture
After reading the article “Should gay people seek to cultivate representations of a unified gay identity in the media, or is this counterproductive?” I began to think about gay culture. I have a number of gay friends who I am extremely close too. I have also gone to a number of gay bars. I also stayed with my friend in the gay village in Vancouver. I have a gay friend who has been living out there for a number of years so I go out and visit him. The neighborhood that he lived in seemed really close. It is such an interesting area because even the grocery store has the rainbow banner. There was also a gay bookstore and a number of gay bars. I didn’t know anyone there but they all seemed to be connected. Maybe its because they have to deal with untrue gay stereotypes portrayed by media every day. Or maybe the fact that they lose friends and family due to their decision to come out of the closet. Or maybe because they have to deal with homophobic people on a daily base. I loved being in the gay village because they were very accepting of everyone. The gay village and the people in it were nothing like what the media portrayed. There were a few media stereotypes that were true. For instance there was a leather kinky bar, and another nightclub that had a Cher night. But my gay friend does not fall into any of those categories. He is a 4th year business student who does not come across as feminine at all.
The only media representation of gay people that I think is semi-correct is “Will and Grace”. I think this because my gay friend in Vancouver is quite a bit like Will. Another one of my gay friends is a bit like Jack. He is not nearly as extreme as Jack but there are definite similarities. Also a number of the situations that in “Will and Grace” have happened in my friendships with these people. I think that show is quite accurate sometimes. But other times the show is just completely off and really funny. The following is a clip of one of these episodes that goes past the gay stereotypes.
