Article written by Dylan Bell.
One of the first articles I ever wrote for this blog was my review of Love, Simon – a movie that I adore in almost every way. Now, I did talk about some of the problems I had with that film, but since writing that review I have re-watched it and watched a few other gay centred films, and something I have known for quite a while now has reared its ugly head. What I am about to talk about is not aimed at Love, Simon directly, but at gay films in general (particularly coming-of-age gay films). The one problem I have with western gay films that I have seen is that every time there is a gay character who is also the main character, he is typically a straight-acting, masculine male. Occasionally you will get the more gender neutral gay, but even then, they lean more heavily towards masculine traits. Male leads in general are often not allowed to show their feminine side. This is a problem.
Now, disclaimer: I have not seen every gay centred film so I cannot say if this is true for all gay films, but even if it’s not true for all, it certainly is true for most. Also, another important note: I am only talking about films here, not TV shows, as those are typically better at showing gay characters in different shades. Will and Grace, Grace and Frankie and Modern Family are excellent examples.
When pitching this idea to my team, a fellow writer asked me why this is a problem, surely some less accurate films are better than none, and he is half right. It is true that in the case of gay films, it is slightly more important to have exposure, so that the world can see and accept us. However, I believe that having films dedicated to typically hetero-normal gay men alone is somewhat unfair because that is the only exposure we get in films, unless we are the typical feminine gay best friend side character. It’s not that I dislike these types of characters, or that I think this type of character shouldn’t be shown. Of course not. As I said before, Love, Simon has this very character trait yet I would still rank that film as one of, if not my favourite film of the year, because that character trait suits the themes and the story they are trying to tell. My problem is that it is the only story we ever hear.
You may have noticed that I am referring to these films as gay and not LGBT+. There is a reason for that, which is part of the problem. All of these movies typically revolve around gay men, and that’s it. That is not to say there aren’t any good films about other LGBT+ people, but nowhere near enough for my liking. Also, a smaller problem – but a problem nonetheless – is whenever there is a film centred around a gay character, it is focused around them either coming out and being accepted, them accepting themselves, and/or finding a romantic partner. That’s cute and all but that’s not all we are, and it would be nice for a change to see a gay-centred character with different motivations. I understand the need and importance of these stories, but something different would be nice. Yes, I am aware that there are some fantastic films that are not about those same old story beats – Pride and Birdcage are perfect examples of this – but how often do those films get a wide theatrical release?
So, I have identified the problem for you lovely people, I have identified why this is a problem, but why does this problem exist in the first place? The truth is difficult. I do not believe that this problem is meant with any form of malice or negativity, but it is undeniably a problem. Before approving a film be made, a studio must evaluate the risk of the film either failing or succeeding (keep in mind succeeding to them is purely money-based, sometimes awards-based, but mostly money), and the sad truth is that a lot of studios believe if they make a gay-centred film that isn’t hetero-normal, then they will upset the more… conservative movie goer, and therefore lose their money. What they fail to see is that those people who wouldn’t see a film about a more feminine gay or a more masculine lesbian wouldn’t see a gay film period, but they seem to not understand this small detail.
But, of course, there is the other more unpleasant possibility that LGBT+ films are shut down because of studio heads and all those people who decide if films get made, simply do not want a LGBT+ film due to their own prejudices. I have no doubt that this does exist, but due to the rise of acceptance for LGBT+ people, I believe this is not as common as it once was.
Once again, I am certain that the people who make these films only have good intentions, and I thank each and every one of them from the bottom of my heart to help bring my people into the lime light. Once again, I do not by any means dislike this problem, but I think we can all agree that it’s time for a change. I want more LGBT+ films focused on every spectrum of our community, on every colour of our community. I want studios to not shy away from these stories because they are afraid. I want everyone in my community to see themselves on the big screen, and more importantly, I want people outside the LGBT+ community to these stories, to know that we are not the same typical Hollywood approved stories they have seen for decades. We need, and deserve this – all of us.
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