LGBTQ+ in Hollywood

[Margo]

Hmm, I don't quite agree (seems to be a pattern with us).

If you're a victim of some kind of prejudice, it often happens that you perpetuate it. If it's about your skin colour, then you can't carry it on in exactly the same form, but you can apply a different prejudice (sexual orientation in this case). I'm frankly too lazy to cite studies on this, but if necessary I'm sure I could find some on stuff like sexual abuse, and how victims of sexual abuse can become perpetrators in the next generation (I'm extending this case to this situation). So yeah, I think the situation sucks, that a member of a group that has long been opressed is prejudiced towards a member of another group that has long been opressed. But I'm not more upset, or surprised at all by this.

[ladymadonna]

I'm not trying to excuse homophobia in any context, by anyone, but I just think it's worse when it comes from groups who have themselves been the victim of bigotry.

Well, FWIW, I have known plenty of women of all races speak openly of their disgust for "gays". You'd think that being discriminated against just for being women would give them some empathy for what it must be like to be an "out gay", but apparently not.

Gay rights is one of the areas that I feel VERY very VERY very strongly about, because I think it is absolutely unconscionable (sp?) to hate someone just because of their sexual orientation. The girls I work with joke and call me a lesbian because I champion gay rights so strongly, and yet I am straight. It's like they don't understand my outrage and yet they are a bunch of women who are fervent feminist activists. I don't get it. Feminism, civil rights, and equal opportunities for the gay community are all SO intertwined. We're all fighting for the same thing! Why can't we all just get along?! ;D


Topic? I am ALL for more man on man/woman on woman sex scenes. Give it up, Hollywood!


ETA:

If you're a victim of some kind of prejudice, it often happens that you perpetuate it. If it's about your skin colour, then you can't carry it on in exactly the same form, but you can apply a different prejudice (sexual orientation in this case). I'm frankly too lazy to cite studies on this, but if necessary I'm sure I could find some on stuff like sexual abuse, and how victims of sexual abuse can become perpetrators in the next generation (I'm extending this case to this situation). So yeah, I think the situation sucks, that a member of a group that has long been opressed is prejudiced towards a member of another group that has long been opressed. But I'm not more upset, or surprised at all by this.

I can see what you're getting at. It's kind of like some children who are abused who turn out to be bullies to other children. They turn around and bully someone weaker than they are to regain some semblance of power in their lives, although it is misguided. I actually think this happens a lot with women, but I'll save my thoughts for the feminism thread.

[thetigs]

I'm inclined to agree with Kafka, in that, logically, one should not be prejudiced against another if they have experienced it themselves. People should be more empathetic.

Mainly though, when I read this guy's comments, I felt that he's just a plain ol' idiot.

[thecupcakekid]

Maybe there is more going on at Grey's Anatomy then we know about? What Washington said was terrible, but you don't just choke a person and hurl hateful words out of nothing. I'd like to know more about what led up to it.

I love the TR guy's statement. I think it's a fabulous way to make his orientation a non issue. It's a touchy subject all around, I'm sad for him if he was forced out of the closet by the McDreamy choke fight, and hope his career isn't affected in anyway.

[kafka]

ladymadonna said:

Well, FWIW, I have known plenty of women of all races speak openly of their disgust for "gays". You'd think that being discriminated against just for being women would give them some empathy for what it must be like to be an "out gay", but apparently not.

LadyMadonna, do you think some of that stems from the area and state in which you live?

Margo, I'm fully aware that the abused perpetuate abuse. That's not the sort of abuse or victimisation I was talking about in this case. And my point was not about the sociological realities of the situation but about simple human disppointment.

[ladymadonna]

People should be more empathetic.

If we could get more people in power to be empathetic, we would never have problems like poverty, racism, domestic violence, gay bashing, etc.

How in the world do we get the world to be more empathetic?

ETA:

LadyMadonna, do you think some of that stems from the area and state in which you live?

That could very well be. The town I live in is NOT very tolerant of gay folk.

[thetigs]

Oh, ladymadonna, I truly wish I knew the answer to that. It's what frustrates me the most about people.

[Auroranorth]

kafka said:

I'm fed up with all the constant Hollywood obsession with who is gay and who isn't. I'm even more fed up with the belief by some (see, e.g., that arse Perez) that "the need" to out people is akin to the release of information that will save the world.

I can understand why people want to "out" others in politics- the hypocrisy issue (Mr. Family Values is getting some on the side), etc. And if someone ever outs Tom Cruise, I will laugh. However, for the other 99% of the world, it isn't relevant so leave them alone.

[180deg]

Cheers to T.R. for handling this so impressively. Jeers to the Enquirer for not giving him a choice.

11th October:

According to The Enquirer's source, the unscripted drama played out like this:

"What are we waiting on?" said Isaiah.

"Not me," said Patrick. "I'm always ready."

"At that point," said the source, "Isaiah said something mean to T.R. Knight" (who plays mild-mannered Dr. George O'Malley).

18th October:

At one point, Isaiah yelled, "I'm not your little f****t like (name deleted)," according to the source. Those who heard him were stunned.

Because of the extreme nature of the slur, The ENQUIRER is withholding the name of the co-star targeted by Washington.

Withholding the name doesn't count if you've already printed the name, you bottom-feeding hypocrites.

[Deleted]

...and if you think homosexuals, because they know very well what it's like to be discriminated against, don't have among them those who exhibit the vilest racism and misogyny, think again. As well, in order to protect their closet, they often come up with some brutal antigay slurs. But back to Hollywood...

I understand your frustration, Kafka, with the whole, "who's gay/who's not" mentality in certain quarters. It shows a real lack of sophistication to care about someone else's sexual orientation to those degrees, I agree. On the other hand... speaking about an entertainer's heterosexuality is the coin of the realm, so to speak. Every time so-and-so is reportedly dating so-and-so-ette, every time you read of a steamy on-set romance, every time a Hollywood couple gets married, every time they have children... these are coded -- sometimes deeply, sometimes not at all -- signifiers of heterosexuality.

And we certainly can't go 30 seconds on an entertainment news feature without mention of this coded heterosexuality. I hope this is a phase, this seemingly all-encompassing obsession with the nonheterosexuality of performers. Until, at least, calling someone "gay" is as harmless -- and as dull -- as calling them "straight".