The 'Gay Culture' Problem
I just saw the preview of Madonna's "Girl Gone Wild" video, and I have to say that I was a little offended; not because she seems to be cashing in on the "gay is now" fad that seems to be on every public figure's agenda at the moment, but because of the way it remains to be protrayed.
I get it, people want to reverse the image that two girls making out is sexy but two guys making out is disgusting. I, just as much as many other people, want homosexuality to become an accepted and de-stigmatized sexual orientation in society, but I'm very tired of the way it is being presented. Too often, the "gay culture" that is displayed in videos, or in reality tv and the like is stereotyping and perpetuates this idea that gay men are all overly promiscuous and sex crazed beings that are into casual intercourse and scandalous "fetish" acts. The image is that they like big beefy, muscular counterparts and flip their wrists, talking with exaggerated "OMGs" and "SHUT UPs." Having sex all the time and running around in as little clothes as possible.
This idealogy is both damaging to orientation equality cause and to gay men themselves. Firstly, you're not going to sway any opposers opinion by demonstrating the sort of lewd, innappropriate behavior they associate with homosexuality. All that does is solidify in their minds the sort of conservative opposition they have to the subject in the first place.
Secondly, in terms of its negative effects on the homosexual persons itself, it presents and unnrealistic and danngerous example to fulfill. To be a gay man, first off, you have to want to get into the pants of every human being with a penis. You can't be bothered with being tied down in an exclusive relationship. You have to be loose, and that's okay, right? On the other side of the spectrum it's alienating, and presents a reluctance to those discovering their sexuality. I have heard someone say that they wanted to badly not to be gay, and thought they couldn't possibly be gay because they did not have the sexual drive and promiscuous tendencies that had been presented to them as the gay norm.
I realize that maybe, for some gay men, these tendencies may be very real and are not influenced by the "gay culture" of the media. But that is a select percentage of the homosexual population, not ALL the homosexual population. Therefore, they should not represent the gay population. I'm tired of seeing this gay stereotype everywhere. Maybe, if it wasn't presented in this fashion, more people would be okay with it and some of the stigma would wane. Just a suggestion. Maybe I'm wrong, but either way it still gets on my last nerve.
And another things that really ticks me off. Just because a male is gay, does not mean he is not "a man." That's such an archaic and gendered notion that is strictly promoted by our society's limited views. Just because someone is gay doesn't mean they want to be womanly or a woman. It does not take away their masculinity. It does not mean they are no longer male. It's offensive and annoyingly close-minded.
I get it, people want to reverse the image that two girls making out is sexy but two guys making out is disgusting. I, just as much as many other people, want homosexuality to become an accepted and de-stigmatized sexual orientation in society, but I'm very tired of the way it is being presented. Too often, the "gay culture" that is displayed in videos, or in reality tv and the like is stereotyping and perpetuates this idea that gay men are all overly promiscuous and sex crazed beings that are into casual intercourse and scandalous "fetish" acts. The image is that they like big beefy, muscular counterparts and flip their wrists, talking with exaggerated "OMGs" and "SHUT UPs." Having sex all the time and running around in as little clothes as possible.
This idealogy is both damaging to orientation equality cause and to gay men themselves. Firstly, you're not going to sway any opposers opinion by demonstrating the sort of lewd, innappropriate behavior they associate with homosexuality. All that does is solidify in their minds the sort of conservative opposition they have to the subject in the first place.
Secondly, in terms of its negative effects on the homosexual persons itself, it presents and unnrealistic and danngerous example to fulfill. To be a gay man, first off, you have to want to get into the pants of every human being with a penis. You can't be bothered with being tied down in an exclusive relationship. You have to be loose, and that's okay, right? On the other side of the spectrum it's alienating, and presents a reluctance to those discovering their sexuality. I have heard someone say that they wanted to badly not to be gay, and thought they couldn't possibly be gay because they did not have the sexual drive and promiscuous tendencies that had been presented to them as the gay norm.
I realize that maybe, for some gay men, these tendencies may be very real and are not influenced by the "gay culture" of the media. But that is a select percentage of the homosexual population, not ALL the homosexual population. Therefore, they should not represent the gay population. I'm tired of seeing this gay stereotype everywhere. Maybe, if it wasn't presented in this fashion, more people would be okay with it and some of the stigma would wane. Just a suggestion. Maybe I'm wrong, but either way it still gets on my last nerve.
And another things that really ticks me off. Just because a male is gay, does not mean he is not "a man." That's such an archaic and gendered notion that is strictly promoted by our society's limited views. Just because someone is gay doesn't mean they want to be womanly or a woman. It does not take away their masculinity. It does not mean they are no longer male. It's offensive and annoyingly close-minded.