“The ‘gay closest friend’ trope is homosexuality on right people’s terms. We deserve better. “
Gays! They’re every-where these times: inside our domiciles, within our groups, within our politics, and flocking together like tropical birds on our truth shows.
With regards to television representation, we’re doing a lot better than before. We’ve got gay wizards, homosexual superheroes and teenage that is gay on our displays. We’ve got trans and sex characters that are non-binary a few tv shows, such as for instance Orange could be the brand New Ebony and clear. But as heartening since it is seeing LGBTQI individuals on display, showrunners continue to have a responsibility to be sure these characters are far more than easy ticks in a field.
We deserve figures that fulfil more function than merely being gay and on-screen. We deserve a lot better than the storied and egregious ‘gay well friend’.
Where There’s A Will (And Grace) There’s A Way
The homosexual friend that is best happens to be a television basic for many years now. If there’s a female on television having intimate problems, you better think there clearly was a sassy homosexual label providing her wise yet arch advice. Think Stanford Blatch from Intercourse as well as the City, who was simply defined by an endless hunger for Carrie’s non-stop drama and bad relationship choices. He had been the template for the homosexual friend that is best — the Platonian ideal.
They constantly appear to be males also, because of the few samples of lesbian closest friend handling to fall beyond your faculties with this trope. This really is most likely because lesbian presence on tv is significantly lower than homosexual guys (imagine if Buffy began a trope of lesbian close friends whom like to flay guys with dark miracle).
The gay closest friend is fundamentally defined by exactly how much of a accessory he could be towards the right protagonist. He’s basically just pulled down for unique occasions, whenever some one requires an ear that is sympathetic a shopping montage, or maybe some gossip in a cocktail club. In Intercourse therefore the City’s heyday, the homosexual friend that is best became an indication of status when it comes to cultured, inner-city woman — because essential as a set of Manolo Blahniks or even a Cosmopolitan.
“It’s homosexuality on right people’s terms. ”
The situation with this specific trade in stereotypical homosexual guys is the fact that it implicitly describes just just just exactly what an ‘acceptable’ kind of homosexuality appears like — plus in television, that is defined by what’s commercially viable. Even though the GBF is inherently bound up in notions of sex, they have been hardly ever viewed as intimate beings. The work of homosexual intercourse continues to be tip-toed around on plenty of tv, specially commercial sites which can be directed at ‘families’. This can even extend to displays of homosexual affection in some cases.
While nevertheless being represented, the homosexual friend that is best becomes concealed behind an outdated pair of actions and behaviours, cloaked by acceptable, non-threatening stereotypes.
Most of the conservative reaction to homosexuality is approximately ‘not forcing it down people’s throats’. Aside from becoming an overtly intimate terminology, this is often the sort of homophobia that the GBF trope usually plays into. It is homosexuality on right people’s terms, in place of real representation of exactly just how people that are gay.
Once the just person that is gay a show is offered unequal time because of their relationship — or their love life is also addressed since the comic relief, we’re overtly being told that straight people’s love isn’t only more crucial, but additionally the standard. We’re being told that homosexuality is significantly diffent, the ‘other’. Both Will and Grace had been the primary figures inside their show that is own example — but because revolutionary as that has been at that time — we absolutely heard far more about Grace’s love life.
Too Gay To Work
It is a trope which has had slowly been placed out to pasture, but it is specially interesting to analyse with a lot of programs through the era that is golden of now getting reboots. The SATC that is short-lived spin-off Carrie Diaries had its very own precursor to Stanford Blatch, Gilmore Girls rebooted with a partner for Michel, and can and Grace is on its much too.
Although we don’t want to be complacent, it is like brand new programs are taking more care in developing brand new homosexual figures. The club happens to be raised so high with gorgeously three-dimensional homosexual figures and their complex homosexual romances in programs like Sense8 or Please that it shines a stark contrast on shows that aren’t putting in quite the same effort like me.
This season, Netflix’s new teen-drama Riverdale features a homosexual character into the blandly handsome Kevin. Kevin has also been gay when you look at the Archie comics from where the show ended up being based, although he had been an addition that is late just joining the gang this season (which obtained the comics a GLAAD honor at that time). But the TV is being watched by me type of him like a hawk.
— also referencing the out-of-date cliche by title in a slick burn by syrup heiress Cheryl Blossom — they nevertheless have actually prioritised not merely all of the right individuals romances over their own, but also Archie’s never-ending quest to play ‘Wonderwall’. Each time a bro’s love of electric electric guitar is prioritised on the one romance that is queer a show, I have suspicious.
Everyone’s fave that is problematic Girls, in addition has ignited conversation associated with the trope. Though he’s been the main topic of critique in past times, Hannah’s friend that is best Elijah was handed a lot of development within the show’s final periods.
He was also given space to grow through a complicated and full relationship (with full on-screen sex) as well as a standalone episode that focussed on a potential career path while he was always a go-to for support, bitchy gossip, and coke-fuelled nights out. Elijah is probably not the key focus associated with the show — maybe maybe maybe not being among the titular Girls — but he could be definitely characterised as a complete and person camwithher male cams that is real dilemmas and arcs, whom lives away from Hannah’s dilemmas.
Narratively, it is well worth having this variety of romances — by restricting the GBF to a staid role that is supporting we’re restricting the range of our very very own tales. We’re restricting the worth of y our representation on display, forcing queer individuals into impractical moulds. And we’re restricting what number of hot males we reach see kissing, and that we won’t stand for.
Patrick Lenton is just an author and writer. He tweets at @patricklenton.