homophobia pisses me off
Nov. 12th, 2009 09:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gmonkey42Finally a post where angry!Sylar icon is appropriate!
So Zach Quinto is tentatively attached to a "romantic dramedy" indie film and a shitload of fans are reacting like "LOL, I hope he seduces the son instead! I couldn't imagine him in a straight role! Because he's so incredibly gay!"
Like here:
http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_startrek/949249.html
If he is in fact gay, it's exactly this kind of shit that prevents him from being 100% out to the public. That is why gay actors have to "not talk about their personal lives," because straight assholes think gay actors can only play gay roles!
He has already been completely believable in two straight roles: Sylar and Spock! They're both straight! How could anyone not see that?
"I wouldn't find him believable in a straight role" isn't cute. It's not just because you're a slash fan. It's homophobic and it sucks. Do we think he's actually a superpowered serial killer IRL? And simultaneously an alien scientist? An actor doesn't have to have any traits in common with their character (OK, except physical appearance), that's the whole point!
It would be great if there were more movies where the main character is gay. But for the sake of his career, he needs to play a straight romantic lead - WHICH HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO IF EVERYONE WEREN'T REACTING THE WAY THEY ARE.
Someone cool in the ontd_startrek thread made the excellent point that straight actors are allowed to play gay roles, like Sean Penn and Heath Ledger. What it comes down to is straight people are seen as multifaceted, being straight is just one part of their whole identity. But society sees gay people as being defined by their orientation. They can't be anything else, they're just A Gay. That's why people think gay characters are inappropriate for children's books/movies, because knowing that a gay person exists makes people think about weird freaky sex, because in their minds that's all we're about. We're one-dimensional, we don't get to be seen as whole people.
And that is why I am pissed off today by well-meaning but clueless straight people.
So Zach Quinto is tentatively attached to a "romantic dramedy" indie film and a shitload of fans are reacting like "LOL, I hope he seduces the son instead! I couldn't imagine him in a straight role! Because he's so incredibly gay!"
Like here:
http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_startrek/949249.html
If he is in fact gay, it's exactly this kind of shit that prevents him from being 100% out to the public. That is why gay actors have to "not talk about their personal lives," because straight assholes think gay actors can only play gay roles!
He has already been completely believable in two straight roles: Sylar and Spock! They're both straight! How could anyone not see that?
"I wouldn't find him believable in a straight role" isn't cute. It's not just because you're a slash fan. It's homophobic and it sucks. Do we think he's actually a superpowered serial killer IRL? And simultaneously an alien scientist? An actor doesn't have to have any traits in common with their character (OK, except physical appearance), that's the whole point!
It would be great if there were more movies where the main character is gay. But for the sake of his career, he needs to play a straight romantic lead - WHICH HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO IF EVERYONE WEREN'T REACTING THE WAY THEY ARE.
Someone cool in the ontd_startrek thread made the excellent point that straight actors are allowed to play gay roles, like Sean Penn and Heath Ledger. What it comes down to is straight people are seen as multifaceted, being straight is just one part of their whole identity. But society sees gay people as being defined by their orientation. They can't be anything else, they're just A Gay. That's why people think gay characters are inappropriate for children's books/movies, because knowing that a gay person exists makes people think about weird freaky sex, because in their minds that's all we're about. We're one-dimensional, we don't get to be seen as whole people.
And that is why I am pissed off today by well-meaning but clueless straight people.
