Do you find this offensive?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GaySearch4Sex

I think its pretty lame... I mean queens can be funny (of course) but just gets old when its the same thing, targeting a straight audience.

And while it was much worse, it reminds of me of most black characters on tv and in the movies in the 50s.... like 'look at the silly black people making the white people laugh'

however, I wonder if stereotypical gay characters are better than no gay characters

---

What did Harvey Firestein say in The Celluloid Closet? (I'm paraphrasing here) "I like the sissy... because I am one. But it's always been my belief... visibility at any cost." Or something like that.

Can I just make a comment. Gay men get so freaked out by people like Carson on Queer Eye and Jack on Will & Grace because they don't want to be seen as being someone like that. But there ARE people like that and those characters are funny because of the things they say and do. They're in on the joke. We are laughing with them not at them. Even Paul Lynde, Charles Nelson Reily, Alan Zeus and the countless others who's effette mannerisms added to their humor but was not the focus of it. When Howard Stern affects a lisp and starts prancing around, that's the joke. That's it. There's nothing funny about it. It's an attack on us, that's all. But why get mad at someone who's funny just because they are femme?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GaySearch4Sex

I think its pretty lame... I mean queens can be funny (of course) but just gets old when its the same thing, targeting a straight audience.

And while it was much worse, it reminds of me of most black characters on tv and in the movies in the 50s.... like 'look at the silly black people making the white people laugh'

however, I wonder if stereotypical gay characters are better than no gay characters

---

You bring up a good point.

I think the path goes from no acknowledgement, to stereotypical acknowledgement, to acceptance.

Things were really looking up for the Gay community after stonewall until AIDS hit and was labeled a Gay disease by the reagan republican administration. After that we were shamed again for what we are and put back in the closet. After all nobody wanted to get AIDS by talking to, or touching, a Homosexual. Now Homosexuals are viewed as sex ravaged, crystal meth taking, diseased individuals.

This same sort of scenario hit the Black community when VD and drugs hit their minority. After that being around black people you were likely to get addicted to drugs, raped, or get VD. The Black community is still fighting this stereotype.

Odd similarities in our stereotypes don't you think? Kind of a stay away or something bad will happen to you. If you're with them you will be tainted. Or looking at that helpless non threatening funny Gay and/or Black man making us laugh. :toff:

Not sure who came up with this, but it's often said that "all press is good press." It just might work in this scenario as well. :)