LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Student CAMP: We're Queer, We're Here, We're... Everywhere? |
by Kristen Minor |
You know what I would like to see? Gay characters on television. Real, developed characters. Not "I'm a big swishing gay guy, hear me flame." Not "I'm a bulldyke who's going to get what's coming to me." And please, please, please not a "very special coming out episode in which someone who you never would have guessed is sprinkled with fairy dust!" You know the kind... where someone who has been dating a supporting character comes out and the entire cast reaches the ephiphany that gay people aren't monsters. "Oh, my God!" they say. "If <insert name here> is gay, that means that all gay people must be... like us!" For once, it would be nice to have a character who stays gay throughout a series. "This is Jill... this is her girlfriend... no big deal, let's move on." And for the love of god, let's have some same sex smooching! It's not the end of the world! It's not supposed to be used to get ratings! (Ally McBeal much?) Just two girls or two boys having a moment, and then on with the show. I'd pay to see that. I do look for non stereotypical gay characters on television. There's the wonderful African-American gay guy on Spin City, for example. (Please feel free to insert comments about how utterly white television is, also. They need to be said.) I still mourn the death of My So Called Life. My favorite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has a character, Willow, who currently seems to be starting a relationship with another girl. (Further bulletins as events warrant.) And then there was If These Walls Could Talk 2, which I'm told was excellent. I missed it, because my family doesn't get HBO. Cable is a different world entirely, though, and it would be nice to have one of the major networks deal with gay characters as they deserve to be treatedfairly and honestly. I mean, really, how many more "Xena and Gabrielle long and poignant looks" can the queer viewing public take? I'm depressed to say that I find little distinction between gay movies and television. Show me a movie that has more than one or two kisses, isn't about a bisexual woman or man caught between two people of the opposite gender, or some person coming out in high school/ later in life. (Note to movie makers: sex doesn't equal plot.) It's all been done, and considering the huge diversity of gay experience, one would think that there would be some gripping tales out there. Not to mention tales with better writing. "I think I'm gay", said the young queer. "No, you're not," said the young queer's father. Next frame: pathos. Of course, I've probably missed the gems out there. Broke seventeen year olds do not make for movie connoisseurs. Also, the aforementioned plots are archetypes. It's been said that there are only a handful of stories in the world, and that the point is in what way they are retold. Speaking of gay representation, I'm wondering where the 10-percenters are at my high school. The only lesbians I know about, save a few teachers, are myself and my girlfriend. (Oh well, at least no one is going to try to take her from me.) Everyone I know of who is gay, lesbian, or bisexual is involved in band, music, or theater. Which shocks everyone, I'm sure. Experience has led me to believe, however, that there are some deeply closeted football studs out there. I'm looking forward to the 20 year high school reunion so I can see who turned out fabulous. Watch it be the homophobic idiot who sits near me in Calculus... Now that would be an interesting movie. "Phobic football stud befriends sensitive lesbian theater rat. Both go on to find sweet, non-exploitive gay love." I can see it. In all seriousness, the lack of openly gay people at my school bothers me. The gay straight alliance is bordering on defunct at the moment because everyone in it is involved in theater. We exist, but we don't really do much. There's a huge part of me that thinks that it won't change much if we are active. Call me a pessimist, but I don't think that seeing myself, my girlfriend, and my flaming gay entourage is going to change the opinion of any teenager who has grown up around Rehoboth. If someone stopped to get to know us their opinion might change, but that's a universal thing. I don't even know how to address it. "Meet a queer day"? Recently, the Advocate and other news organizations have been reporting GSA happenings around the country. I know several of the kids who have been in battles over their high school GSAs because of the internetAnthony Colin and Marty Pfeiffer, for instance, have been members of the email list I work for. The thing that strikes me about everyone I've met who has become a GSA crusader is how...well...normal they are. What I mean is that they just want to start a club where queer kids can meet each other. It's not meant to be radical. Sometimes the clubs start with almost no comment, as they have in many schools, and sometimes the town freaks out. I think being a gay activist has a lot to do with happenstance and accidentif some of these kids hadn't been pushed, I doubt they would be in national magazines proudly announcing their sexuality. I think it's wonderful. Looking back, I can see that I was pushed into activism. When I was in 8th grade, most of the school didn't speak to me because I was rumored to be gay. The worst part was that anytime someone asked me, I said that I wasn't. It came to a point where I realized that this was no way to live, so I started coming out. Coming out led to activism. The thing that gets me about coming out is how subtle it is. What I mean is that I don't think that the knowledge that I am gay has caused anyone in my high school to reach a massive discovery about their sexuality. I still am one of the only openly gay teenagers at my school. And yet, I think the bit by bit realization that yes, there are gay teenagers, yes, they are basically normal, and yes, it's okay to say hi to them in the hallways, has shifted some people's opinions. Simply put, there are always small pebbles before the landslide. As I write this, I have a little over a month before I graduate. I turn 18 soon. When I was 12, I sat down and planned out my life. I didn't want to tell any of my friends that I was gay until my senior year in high school. I didn't want to tell my parents I was gay until college. Funny how things change. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 4, May 5, 2000. |