Wisteria Lane Welcomes Bob and Lee

Recently in the hit series, Desperate Housewives, the first gay couple was introduced onto Wisteria Lane. The two men, Bob and Lee, are living together as life partners, and since they are featured characters, they introduce their own web of sub plots. However, a gay couple being featured in prime time is nothing new, as we discussed in class. The methods by which they’re being presented is nothing new either. They are presented with stereotypical “gayness” and a definite balance between the two men is seen—Bob being a more masculine, “butch” gay man and his counterpart, Lee, being more feminine and flamboyant, and often times needs to be reeled in by Bob. As we discussed in class, this same sort of situation was portrayed in the hit sitcom, Will and Grace, through the characters of Jack (flamboyant) and Will (level headed, “straighter”).

In this clip, ideas of “how one would appear straight” (through dress, vocal tone, body language, etc.) are explored. Gaby (Eva Longoria) propositions Bob to appeal to a prostitute, since he is probably more able than Lee to “pull off straight.” When Bob is hesitant, Lee offers to act the part, but both Gaby and Bob laugh and ignore that request, saying that Lee would never be able to convince the woman that he’s straight or remotely interested in being sexually involved with her. On a side note, Lee is involved in musical theatre, perpetuating two stereotypical ideas: a) all gay men are into the arts and/or theatre and b) any man involved in theatre is flamboyant and homosexual.

In this clip, Bob and Lee’s relationship takes on heterosexual qualities, therefore, legitimizing their relationship in the public eye. At the dinner party, it was Lee (who would represent the “wife” to the heterosexual gaze) who prepared the dinner and dessert, while Bob went off to the office. A typical (heterosexual) marital spat ensues—Lee asked Bob to pick something up at the grocery store, and he forgot…leading to Bob claiming that his job is actually “work”. To cap it all off, Lee presents his “feelings journal” that he uses to vigorously scratch criticisms of Bob in. It is obvious to the viewer that the concept of a marriage (including a woman and a man) is illustrated here, only this time, using a gay couple. The dialogue argues that any household must have a feminine and masculine personality in the partnership for it to work.

These clips are frustrating because they perpetuate gay stereotypes and only let a gay couple exist through the heterosexual norms that dictate them.