Disclaimer: I wrote this back in 2020 for a company I was writing for. The person in charge left me hanging after I sent in the article. I have no idea whether he ever did publish this anywhere or not. So if you see this anywhere else, it better credit me, McCartha Evita, because I wrote it. I signed no contract, so I feel like I have a right to post it here, since this is one of the best things I have ever written.
The big lie about lesbians and gay men is that we do not exist. - Vito Russo
Entertainment today has represented more people than ever before. Shows like Queer Eye, Will and Grace, Queer as Folk, and the upcoming, Love, Victor, portray queer characters in a positive light. Films such as Love, Simon, The Danish Girl, and Rocket Man has told queer stories. Not only are queer films and shows becoming part of the norm, but so are recognizing queer filmmakers and actors. Jodi Foster, Janelle Monae, Zachary Quinto, Keiynan Lonsdale and Kate McKinnon are just some of the names of popular queer actors. The Wachowskis, famous for The Matrix, V is for Vendetta and Cloud Atlas are two trans women. John Cameron Mitchell's rise to fame was through his stage musical turned film, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, about a gender queer rockstar.
However, the road to get here hasn't been an easy one, and despite the progress, the queer community still had so far to go. Evolving from humiliating stereotypes and comedy relief characters to well-written and respected characters in the past century.
The earliest portrayal of queer people in film goes all the way back to 1895 with The Dickinson Experimental Sound Film. The film portrayed two men dancing together. Despite shocking audiences, at the time it was not seen as queer or even flamboyant. In the age of silent films, a lot of male characters seen as homosexuals were labeled pansies. Thus, where the stereotypes of gay men in film began.
Often forgotten are early "gender-role reversal" films. Including titles such as A Woman, Charley's Aunt, Morocco, Glen or Glenda, Some Like It Hot and various others. These films portrayed actors in drag. Mostly for comedic affect.
During the second World War, Hollywood portrayed queer people as villains because of censorship rules. The rules only allowed "sexual perversion" in film if it was portrayed in a negative light. At this time, homosexuality was seen as a mental illness and was criminalized in most if not all parts of the world. Queer people were constantly being harassed by police.
Following the war, the censorship rules changed, allowing for a more liberal rules and regulations regarding censorship of entertainment. Reportedly, for the film Lawrence of Arabia, director David Lean wanted Peter O'Toole to play his character, the hero of the film, as a gay man. This was revolutionary. It is one of the earliest examples of a film portraying a queer lead character without stereotypes or overusing innuendos.
The Stonewall riots of 1969 changed the game. in 1970, Hollywood made their first attempt as a film marketed to the queer community with The Boys in the Band. Despite the film being a landmark film for the queer community, it was often criticized for portraying stereotypes and showing the queer men of the film as miserable, as that was a common occurrence in the past portrayals of queer characters.
Hollywood continued portraying queerness as a joke or an insult. Sometimes they would return to the old depictions of queer people as villains. Despite the growing tolerance and acceptance, the queer community still felt left out and unrepresented.
Due to the rise of organized religious-political groups opposing queer rights, Hollywood saw depictions of strong complex queer characters and stories as a liability and a risk. Now there was a movement of people who could potentially boycott those films, so they didn't want to risk it. So continued the pattern of queer characters who were just for comedy relief or villains.
Another factor that added to the lack of decent representation in film for queer people was the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Due to ignorance, it made queer people easy targets for wrongful depictions of the disease.
The 1990s welcomed a new wave of queer entertainment. These characters were being written or directed by queer people who understood them and their struggles. Most films were independent, but accurately represented the community. Mainstream still struggled with accurate portrayals, but they were willing to try. Drag portrayals in films made a comeback in films such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Too Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar and others. Queer characters were becoming to become a part of the community as a whole. Not just a group of outsiders.
Despite the progress, intimacy between queer characters was still very taboo and rarely, if ever, shown on film or TV. In 1991, television had their firs queer kiss. It was on L.A. Law between two women. This was the start. On April 30, 1997, the two-part episode titled "The Puppy Episode" of Ellen aired. The episode had the show's protagonist, portrayed by Ellen DeGeneres - who had come out, herself a week earlier - coming out.
The 2000s brought films like Brokeback Mountain and Milk, which were mainstream films about queer characters portrayed by famous actors. Grey's Anatomy, has one of the longest standing queer characters with Callie Torres, portrayed by Sara Ramirez, who identifies as bisexual in real life. Glee portrayed several queer characters and even had a double gay wedding in one of their final episodes. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a more recent show, has Rosa Diaz who had a coming out story arc.
More recently, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, portrays trans character Theo Putnam who is portrayed by Lachlan Whatson who is credited as one of the youngest non-binary actors in Hollywood. Also recently released is Rocketman, a musical biopic about Elton John, an openly gay artist. The film was a huge deal because it was a mainstream film that explicitly depicted a sex scene between two men. The film went on to be nominated and win a few Golden Gloves. Queer stories are being told and queer people are being represented as they should be after a century long battle of trying to be seen.
There is a long list of queer celebrities who chose to only perform roles that amplify queer stories. Jim Parsons feels strongly about being who is is, telling Variety, "Once it was out in the public, I was like, 'Well, fuck you! If you still have a problem with gay people, you directly have a problem with me.;" Tessa Thompson has been outspoken about wanting her Marvel character, Valkyrie, to be bisexual. Billy porter had been advocating for this community in film and television for years. He strongly playing stereotypes and fights for better queer roles. Evan Rachel Wood had fought against bi-erasure, as it is a huge issue both inside and out of the queer community.
Despite how far the queer community has come to be visible, there is still a very long way to go. Though queer stories are being told, queer actors are not given the respect they deserve. Filmmaker still cast straight cis actors to portray queer characters.
While I admired Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Lili Elbe in the 2015 film, The Danish Girl, he is a straight cis man. In 2018, Scarlett Johansson dropped out of the film, Rub & Tug after she was casted to play the trans Dante "Tex" Gill. In 2013, Jared Leto, another cis straight man, portrayed Rayon, a trans woman, in Dallas Buyers Club.
Hollywood needs to do better.
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