So it seems that blacks can be either tough cops, tough thugs, masculine athletes or drag queens, without much in-between.
"5 stereotypes that (apparently) it's okay to have fun with (if you do it the right way*): The Nance, The Gal Pal, The Rebel, The Men in Wigs, The Neo-Revolutionary."
Upon reading this (and the NYT article) my first thought was that these are mostly white gay stereotypes.
My guess is that it is easier to do gay stereotypes if you keep it vanilla (in multiple meanings). To have a black gay character be, say, The Nance might be crossing the intersectionality wires, and adds problematic complexity with complexion. Is the average black audience woke enough to accept the black Nance?
From an article "The 13 Best Male Black Gay/Bisexual Characters …EVER!" (I am choosing from TV series):
12. “Officer Julien Lowe” [Michael Jace] – The Shield (TV Series)
"...he defied stereotypes by being a tough cop, not a fashion stylist...His rise from a beat cop officer to a detective was overshadowed with his inner conflict and repression, leading him to live a down low lifestyle. The horrible decisions he makes all stem from him being extremely closeted and paranoid."
11. “Boo” [Oneil Cespedes] – The D.L. Chronicles (TV Series)
"...The D.L. Chronicles‘s most popular character has to be the down low thug, Boo..."
10. “Calvin Owens” [Paul James] – Greek (TV Series)
"...the creators of the show made a point to add a masculine black gay character named Calvin Owens who was an all-state hockey and football player..."
7. “Carter Heywood” [Michael Boatman] – Spin City (TV Series)
"...Way back then we had an Out and Open professional black gay character that wasn’t a hair stylist or an In Living Color snap queen. By the end of the series, Carter Heywood even becomes a father, adopting a baby boy named Sam."
4. “Captain Ray Holt” [Andre Braugher] – Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV Series)
"Who would have thought that masculine openly gay black film/TV characters could be believable and hilarious without loudly emulating women or acting like 15 year old ratchet Black/Latino girls?"
2. Omar Little [Michael K. Williams] – The Wire (TV Series)
"Say what you will about The Wire’s tough black gay character Omar Little being a negative stereotype of black gay men, he was far from a one-note caricature. Michael K. William’s portrayal of the feared outlaw that robbed drug dealers for a living..."
1. Keith Charles [Mathew St. Patrick] – Six Feet Under (TV Series)
"Hands down, openly gay Los Angeles Police Officer and Bodyguard Keith Charles on Six Feet Under is the best black gay character ever depicted on film or television."
I see a lot about cliches these characters aren't ("that wasn’t a hair stylist or an In Living Color snap queen", "without loudly emulating women or acting like 15 year old ratchet Black/Latino girls?"), but I don't see any Gal Pals.
I also notice an abundance of police officers and thugs ("he defied stereotypes by being a tough cop,", "the down low thug, Boo", "openly gay Los Angeles Police Officer and Bodyguard"), and a lot of emphasis on masculinity ("masculine black gay character named Calvin Owens who was an all-state hockey and football player..."): it seems to be that to be one of the "Best Male Black Gay/Bisexual Characters …EVER" you have to be tough, or at least not soft.
The NYT article does mention race once:
"The Men in Wigs" : "...It’s worth noting that this category is particularly racially diverse, from Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo in “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” (1996), the still-rare Hollywood film to feature drag queens as leads, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as a working-class queen in “Kinky Boots” (2005)..."
So it seems that blacks can be either tough cops, tough thugs, masculine athletes or drag queens, without much in-between.
Maybe there could be a black "Will & Grace", but would there be a black Jack McFarland to mince and ponce?
Alternate headline: Gay Stereotypes exclude Minorities.
Upon reading this (and the NYT article) my first thought was that these are mostly white gay stereotypes.
My guess is that it is easier to do gay stereotypes if you keep it vanilla (in multiple meanings). To have a black gay character be, say, The Nance might be crossing the intersectionality wires, and adds problematic complexity with complexion. Is the average black audience woke enough to accept the black Nance?
From an article "The 13 Best Male Black Gay/Bisexual Characters …EVER!" (I am choosing from TV series):
12. “Officer Julien Lowe” [Michael Jace] – The Shield (TV Series)
"...he defied stereotypes by being a tough cop, not a fashion stylist...His rise from a beat cop officer to a detective was overshadowed with his inner conflict and repression, leading him to live a down low lifestyle. The horrible decisions he makes all stem from him being extremely closeted and paranoid."
11. “Boo” [Oneil Cespedes] – The D.L. Chronicles (TV Series)
"...The D.L. Chronicles‘s most popular character has to be the down low thug, Boo..."
10. “Calvin Owens” [Paul James] – Greek (TV Series)
"...the creators of the show made a point to add a masculine black gay character named Calvin Owens who was an all-state hockey and football player..."
7. “Carter Heywood” [Michael Boatman] – Spin City (TV Series)
"...Way back then we had an Out and Open professional black gay character that wasn’t a hair stylist or an In Living Color snap queen. By the end of the series, Carter Heywood even becomes a father, adopting a baby boy named Sam."
4. “Captain Ray Holt” [Andre Braugher] – Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV Series)
"Who would have thought that masculine openly gay black film/TV characters could be believable and hilarious without loudly emulating women or acting like 15 year old ratchet Black/Latino girls?"
2. Omar Little [Michael K. Williams] – The Wire (TV Series)
"Say what you will about The Wire’s tough black gay character Omar Little being a negative stereotype of black gay men, he was far from a one-note caricature. Michael K. William’s portrayal of the feared outlaw that robbed drug dealers for a living..."
1. Keith Charles [Mathew St. Patrick] – Six Feet Under (TV Series)
"Hands down, openly gay Los Angeles Police Officer and Bodyguard Keith Charles on Six Feet Under is the best black gay character ever depicted on film or television."
I see a lot about cliches these characters aren't ("that wasn’t a hair stylist or an In Living Color snap queen", "without loudly emulating women or acting like 15 year old ratchet Black/Latino girls?"), but I don't see any Gal Pals.
I also notice an abundance of police officers and thugs ("he defied stereotypes by being a tough cop,", "the down low thug, Boo", "openly gay Los Angeles Police Officer and Bodyguard"), and a lot of emphasis on masculinity ("masculine black gay character named Calvin Owens who was an all-state hockey and football player..."): it seems to be that to be one of the "Best Male Black Gay/Bisexual Characters …EVER" you have to be tough, or at least not soft.
The NYT article does mention race once:
"The Men in Wigs" : "...It’s worth noting that this category is particularly racially diverse, from Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo in “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” (1996), the still-rare Hollywood film to feature drag queens as leads, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as a working-class queen in “Kinky Boots” (2005)..."
So it seems that blacks can be either tough cops, tough thugs, masculine athletes or drag queens, without much in-between.
Maybe there could be a black "Will & Grace", but would there be a black Jack McFarland to mince and ponce?
Alternate headline: Gay Stereotypes exclude Minorities.
Comments
Post a Comment