This week in class we spoke about the portrayal of gay men in media, specifically television shows and movies. In all the cases we discussed it seems as though viewers, although maybe slightly uncomfortable, accept (and sometimes even welcome) gay characters... as long as these characters don't explicitly display their homosexuality physically on screen. A kiss shared between two gay men is something rarely seen on television. Even in "Will and Grace," the only homosexual kiss scene is between Jack and Will as they protest the deletion of an onscreen kiss between two lovers on a soap opera. TV and film critic Rahul Gairola writes about the kiss:

In an episode called "Acting Out," which is based on a real life incident on The Today Show, Jack and Will appear on NBC's Today Show to protest the yanking of a gay kiss from a sitcom episode. Jack whines and coos to Al Roker, who is, as usual, greeting the crowd outside the studio; then Will impulsively grabs Jack and French-kisses him. Though Jack enacts the first gay male kiss on television (aside for the real life episode that inspired it), he is almost too cute. And we might wonder whether the comic context and behavior undermine the potential political point of the kiss?

In fact, most of the gay characters in "Will and Grace" are more comic representations of homosexual characters than actual real-life representations of gay men. Even in the films we discussed, the gay men portrayed were either in the position of a best friend, or "forbidden love." On screen gay romance was never discussed as becoming accepted.

The 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain" showcased the romantic relationship between two men over the course of thier adult lives. The film was very controversial not only because of the subject matter but also because of the physical scenes between the men. However, it was perhaps this same homophobic controversy that gained the attention for the film to win oscar nods for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Lead Role, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress.

"Brokeback Mountain" may be an exception to the idea that only comedic portrayals of gay men will by the majority of viewers in the media. Most recently, Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor star in "I Love You, Phillip Morris" which follows the relationship of Carrey as he is put in jail and subsequently falls in love with his male cellmate, McGregor. The trailer is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoFANivV44g

The film has been labeled as a "dramatic comedy" and players in the making of the film call it a love story rather than a story about being gay. While the film is meant to be entertaining, the gay characters themselves are not meant to be seen in the same light. Unfortunately, the U.S. release date for this film was pushed back from March to the end of April, and most recently it has been postponed indefinitely. No one can quite solve the mystery as to why the film which got rave reviews at Sundance, has an A-list cast, and garnered much buzz in the media. Money cannot be the issue, as the film has opened highly successfully in Europe and has people begging for the release in the states. Most have come to the conclusion that it is because of the gay content of the film. Maybe, if comedy was focused on the relationship, or if the "normalization" of a gay romance wasn't the objective of this film it would have been released already. I think it is false to say that our society is now more accepting of gay characters on TV and in movies... I think these characters are accepted only so long as they don't show physical affection towards one another, or act as though their sexual orientation is completely normal--not something that sets them apart.