Gay and Lesbian Film

Gay and lesbians have been included in films for a while, however many times they were included as very flat characters that were looked down upon or simply included in the film to provide comic relief. Some critics say that any type of visibility of gay or lesbians in film is better than none at all whereas others disagree. Stereotyping of homosexuals was very common in films. Many times homosexuals were portrayed as “the sissy, the sad young man, the gay psychopath, the seductive androgyne, the unnatural woman, or the lesbian vampire.” Critics argue that the focus is not to eliminate stereotypes and replace them with positive images. Rather, the idea is that homosexuals should be represented as more complex and diverse rather than just simplistic and entertaining. During a certain time in Hollywood, it was deemed inappropriate to depict homosexual relationships. So, instead filmmakers used metaphors and symbolic scenes to subtly hint at homosexuality. Critics also argue that many films have homosexual undertones because obviously if a male body is shown and the audience is a mix of men and women then the males watching the film will view it as well and vice versa with a female body.