Rupert Everett helped bring the bitchy gay friend to the mainstream in My Best Friend’s Wedding

In the past I’ve written about a number issues I have when it comes to gay men in films and films that are gay-centric in particular. One of these issues is that they are usually sold on sex, making us all fit into the sexual deviant paradigm that so many people have afforded us, the other issue I’ve written about is why we have to have gay films – after all why can’t they just be films.

This being said, ‘gay films’ are here and for the foreseeable future they are here to stay, because let’s face it, many Hollywood studios are still reluctant to release a mainstream gay-centric film, despite the success of Brokeback mountain almost a decade ago. This then brings up the issue that most of the gay men that we see in films are the flappy, fashion conscience, witty, bitchy character whose retorts and comments are used for comic affect.

These characters can be found in many rom-coms, such as Bridget Jones’ Diary, as well as teen flicks like Mean Girls. We are undoubtedly being put into more films now and being allowed to be openly gay – and all exposure is good exposure in a way, I suppose. Even if the studios are still a little worried to make us the leading star, at least we are there.

However, I can’t get over the fact that many gay-centric films made by LGBT production companies and filmmakers have to use these characters as well. I’ve reviewed and watched a few films recently that heavily feature characters like this. Yes, there are gay people like this, but would it hurt the filmmakers and studios to feature more down-to-earth, non-stereotyped gay characters in a gay movie? After all, we’re bombarded with these stock characters in nearly every romantic comedy that gets churned out.

It looks as though whilst we are getting some representation in mainstream movies, the issue of being stereotyped will always be there. It’s just a shame that gay centric comedy films and rom-coms don’t display enough diversity, to show other gay men and people in Hollywood that we aren’t all like that stock character they know so well. Perhaps if the entertainment made for the gay community were more varied in its depiction of gay people, a little more of that diversity would seep through into the mainstream.

I’ve previously written a number of articles about gay men in films and on television, such as why it’s important that gay people are featured in the medium of both film and TV and why it is important that we have films that centre on gay people. I do believe that this is important, but as a gay man I also have a number of issues with many LGBT films.

The problem I have with many gay movies is they look just like soft-core pornography. I say this because after moseying around a branch of HMV, I came across a gay orientated film, however the synopsis and even the name of the movie have failed to stick in my mind. This is due to the fact that after looking on the back of the DVD I was greeted by a number of images of half naked men, some of which clearly depicted a sex scene, and this wasn’t an isolated incident to this one particular film.

I’ve watched and seen advertisements for a number of gay specific films that heavily feature naked men, guys wandering around in speedos or underwear, or full-on sex scenes. Now I’m not a prude or have any issue with seeing half naked men, but it does make me wonder, what happened to a good storyline? Now it’s possible these films do have okay plots, but the marketing suggests the only thing the viewer cares about is the beefcake (and quite a lot of the gay-themed movies themselves seem to think the same).

I say this because there aren’t that many films that feature primarily straight characters that are mainly sold on semi-nakedness and people having sex for no apparent reason, but it often feels that the majority of gay films seem to think titillating the viewer is necessary to get them to watch. Of course there are those films that are on late at night on some of the lesser-known movie channels that are solely about straight sex, but the less said about those the better.

Many gay films are like this, which is perhaps one of the reasons LGBT-themed films only have a very limited audience that doesn’t even encompass all gay people. They just sit on a DVD shelf in a shop and gather dust, only to suffer the fate of the bargain bin. It’s probably one of the reasons why a movie like Brokeback Mountain is such as success as – aside from having big name stars in it – it has a good plot and the sex scenes are used to push the story along. [Read more...]

We’ve been giving thanks to a number of different people from behind the scenes of various television shows that have helped bring LGBT characters into the mainstream over the years, and in their own way helped us become more accepted in society.

This week we’re taking a look at Ryan Murphy, who after working as a journalist for a number of years moved into television in the late 90s. After the success of his teen comedy series Popular, Murphy then went on to create the extremely popular Nip/Tuck and also worked on a number of film projects.

During this time he created the pilot Pretty/Handsome, which dealt with a transgendered storyline, however the show didn’t get picked up and we can only assume that maybe audiences weren’t quite ready for a show like this.

However, audiences who may have been upset by this needn’t be worried, as the forward thinking Murphy soon unleashed his monster hit Glee on the world. The up-tempo original musical television series was an instant hit with audiences and introduced a whole new generation to musicals. But it is his inclusion of a number of LGBT storylines that we have to give him credit for here.

The show includes openly gay and lesbian characters and relationships and deals with the issues of closeted homosexuality – as well as being young and openly gay. Also, during the wake of the It Gets Better Campaign he created a storyline that showed audiences just how harmful homophobic bullying can be, and showed young people that they could be themselves in the Born This Way episode.

In the most recent series he has also introduced the character of Wade Adams, who has to deal with the issues that come with being trans, something that hasn’t truly been tackled on a scale like this on American television, especially with such a young character.

It doesn’t stop there though as Murphy has since gone on to create two more hit shows; American Horror Story and The New Normal. The former, despite being a nail biting, eye hiding horror story, has incorporated a number of LGBT characters throughout the first two series, and even demonstrated just how hard it was to be gay back in the 1960s during the second season. The New Normal on the other hand shows us just how far our society has come as it centres on what is by all means a new normal in society, an LGBT couple having a baby, which is told in both a funny and heart warming way.

Yes it’s easy to say that for the last few years Ryan Murphy has helped shape a number of attitudes when it comes to LGBT people in society, and has helped tackle the issues faced on a vast scale in funny, horrific, touching and beautifully laid out stories.

In the same way that gay characters have gained prominence in an abundance of television shows they have also gained exposure in animated television comedies. This is why the person we’re giving thanks to this week is Q Allan Brocka.

There have been a selection of gay and lesbian themed shows around the world in recent times and gay characters have gained prominence in a wide variety of television series – just look at British soaps. But one genre that has increased over the last 10 years is the animated comedy show. Initially we had The Simpsons and then South Park, and then along came Seth MacFarlane with a whole host of animated shows in the shape of Family Guy, American Dad and The Cleveland Show. But there has only been one gay-centric animated comedy, and that was thanks to Brocka.

Originally born in Guam, Brocka developed a love of film at a young age before moving to America. While growing up in States he gained a Masters in film from the California Institute of Arts.

After this he directed a queer public access television show for a number of years, and then in 1999 his animated short Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple In The World made its debut, when he submitted it to Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. It went on to win several awards at a number of different film festivals.

Nearly ten years later in 2007, an animated series based on the short debuted on the Logo cable network in the US and ran for two seasons. The show itself was original as it focused on a group of gay characters in an animated world. Gay characters had been used in animation before, but it was mainly for extra comic effect. This was the first time an animated comedy show centred on gay characters.

Brocka has also contributed to a number of LGBT live-action films during his career, such as the romantic comedy Eating Out and the drama Boy Culture, both of which he wrote and directed. Those films did extremely well on the festival circuits and won a number of awards. Eating Out spawned a number of sequels, including Eating Out: Drama Camp and Eating Out: The Open Weekend, which Brocka co-wrote and directed in 2011.

As well as his work for the screen, Brocka contributes a column to the gay magazine, The Advocate. It’s easy to see that over his career Brocka has dedicated himself and much of his work to proving that sexuality is an important subject that should be depicted more on both film and television, and that gay people deserve entertainment specifically made for them.

It’s a shame that his animated gay-themed comedy didn’t run longer, but then again Family Guy got cancelled before it came back, so perhaps there’s still hope.

This week I’m heading across the pond back to America to give thanks to one of the gay heavyweights working behind the scenes in film and television, Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe award winning film, theatre and television producer, writer and director, Alan Ball.

After finishing college in 1980, Ball began working as a playwright at the General Nonsense Theatre Company in Sarasota Florida. Although we may be skipping a few years ahead, by the 1990s he was working in television and contributed to a number of shows such as Oh Grow Up, Grace Under Fire and Cybill, which starred Cybill Shepherd.

In 1999 Ball’s first film as a screenwriter, American Beauty, exploded at the box office grossing over $350 million worldwide and won five Oscars at the 72^nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and a Best Screeplay gong for Ball. Although the film was a huge success, most of a hefty gay subplot was removed from the film until the very end, which is slightly disheartening, but luckily for the LGBT community it wasn’t entirely ripped from the film.

Venturing back into television, Ball created the hugely successful HBO drama series Six Feet Under, which was a rating’s smash and ran for five series. The show included a major gay character that broke the mould of the traditional stereotype, in the shape of David Fisher, played by Dexter’s Michael C. Hall. After the series ended his next huge hit came in the shape of vampire series True Blood.

Throughout the show a number of LGBT issues have been at the forefront, with the openly gay Layfayette, a lesbian relationship involving Tara, and at the end of the latest series a blossoming vampire lesbian relationship between Pam and Tara. We’ve even seen male vampires engaging in sex together, which despite them being dead all helps towards normalising LGBT characters on TV.

The whole show has been read as an allegory for LGBT rights, with vampires ‘coming out of the closet’ and fighting for equal rights. Although Ball has dispelled this comparison as laziness, the author of the books the show is based on has said this was the case when she wrote them. Either way it’s great to be able to see the fight for gay rights being represented in a way that isn’t overly forceful on an audience.

Along with all this Ball been named one of the most impressive gay men and women in Out magazine’s annual 100 list, and has been lauded as a strong voice for the community. As he left his position as show runner at the end of series five of True Blood, it will be interesting to see what Ball does next and whether he will continue to channel gay characters on his shows and challenge stereotypes that have existed for far too long.

Writer: Lewis Shepherd

Once again I’m giving thanks to those working behind the scenes in film and television who have helped gay people gain a prominent place on the screen. Last week I looked across the pond at American director and producer Angela Robinson. This week I’m returning to the UK to take a look at one of the best known people who has helped LGBT characters burst into the mainstream – Jonathan Harvey.

Harvey began writing plays in his teens and garnered much success after writing The Cherry Blossom Tree, Mohair, Wildfire and Babies in the late 80s and early 90s. These works also won him several awards, including the George Devine Award. However, it was his 1993 play Beautiful Thing that garnered him huge attention and helped bring a new side of the LGBT community to the public. Unsurprisingly, the play has been staged numerous times since its debut. [Read more...]