Glbt On Tv

Lesbians on TV: Illusion of Progress

When television first appeared back in the 1940's, times were very different. What we would consider completely normal today would have seemed quite taboo just a few decades ago. For example, in 1953, Lucille Ball was not allowed to say the word "pregnant" while she was expecting baby Ricky and it wasn't until the 1960's show Bewitched, that we saw a married couple actually sharing the same bed. Considering how conservative the television networks were back then, it is not hard to deduce that something as controversial as homosexuality would be far from discussed or portrayed at any level. It was only in 1973 that television premiered its first homosexual character. Over the next three decades the emergence of gay and lesbian characters in television has increased and decreased as the times have changed. Due to the resurgence of conservatism that came back in the early 1980's, homosexual topics were again reduced to a minimum. Since that time though, as many people can see, there has been a rise of gay and lesbian characters on television. One might think after a first glance at the previous sentence that there has been progress among gay and lesbian communities to have a fair representation in the media. However, if one looks hard at the circumstances surrounding their portrayal, many people may start to believe that if there has been any progress then it has been quite minimal.

In the 1990's there has been what is called a "normalized movement"(Warner 41). This so-called movement has permeated into all aspects of the Gay and Lesbian movement's agenda. It has become increasingly clear in the realms of the media such as television, movies and magazines. The major objective for the proponents of this movement is to make the homosexual seem "normal." This would be done by not focusing on the sexual nature of the homosexual. Since their sexual behavior is considered deviant by society, any outward expression of it will be looked down upon. So, it has been the goal of some leaders of the movement as well as those who control the media outlets to separate the identity and sexuality of the homosexual as far as possible. If this is not done, it will not go unpunished.

As Sara Schulman says in her essay "Selling AIDS and Other Consequences of the Commodification of Homosexuality", we face a "tolerance" in this country. This tolerance allows for the American public to believe that what they are doing for minority representation in the media is good. In reality though, the representation isn't worth much. If you examine the way in which Lesbians are portrayed you will see the point. In the article written by Marguerite Moritz called, "Old Strategies for New texts: How American Television Is Creating and Treating Lesbian Characters", she says that some of the old techniques of the cinema's portrayal of women have crossed over into the way women, particularly lesbians have been portrayed on TV. There are some cases in movies called textual ambiguities in which the fate of the heroine is unclear so that the "texts can simultaneously appeal to audiences that want to see patriarchy challenged and those that expect to see it restored"(125). If the text of the movie does not allow for any ambiguity or for the woman to be recuperated back to her "normative female role" then because she has defied society's norms of patriarchy, she will be punished(124). This relates to lesbians in that if a lesbian does not fall back into the subservient position as a homosexual in a "heterosexist" world, then she too will be punished. How can a lesbian not be subservient? Well there are several ways on how this can be as Moritz notes. One if the lesbian character in question makes clear of her sexuality and is seen as being passionate with a member of the same sex. By doing this, the lesbian(s) is giving the patriarchic dominant heterosexuality a slap in the face. Two, if the lesbian(s) is vocal about her personal rights then that too can be perceived as a problem. If the lesbian notices that she is being denied basic rights and wants to challenge the limitations imposed on her by society then she will be seen as insubordinate to the "patriarchy". Third, when a lesbian boldly discloses her sexuality it also is perceived as a no-no. When a lesbian voluntarily discloses her sexuality, she may be seen as too bold and it may look as if she is shoving it down everyone's throat. So one can see that if coming out as a lesbian is so taboo then clearly it is still not totally socially acceptable to be a lesbian in society. Also, you should note that these 3 cases also allow for no ambiguity because the audience knows more than it wants to know about the lesbians.

Moritz gives several examples of shows that employ the theories dealing with recuperation and ambiguity. One example is with the show Hotel. This show is about people working in a San Francisco hotel. Among the characters there are 2 lesbian lovers, Carol Bowman and Joanne Lambert. The relationship between the two is made public after Joanne dies in a car accident. After her death, her father comes out to California to collect his daughter's personal items. The father, when he finds out about the sexuality of his daughter, was outraged. He blamed Carol for "corrupting" his daughter. But, by having one of them die, they are no longer in an "illicit relationship"(130) and by not being in a relationship, one can not witness the passion that the two might have felt. Only simple memories of them on the beach and riding bikes with two other men (which then they could be seen as heterosexual) are shown (pg. 136). You never see them hugging, kissing or even holding hands. Here, there is ambiguity of how physical their relationship was because you never saw anything dealing with it. As with personal rights, one can see how submissive Carol is. The father plans on "outing" Carol if she plans to sue for Joanne's estate. Carol goes to a lawyer to ask his advice, but it is not encouraging. Carol knows now there is nothing much she can do and just sits back and gives into the demands of the father. She, in fact, comforts him in the reconciliation scene yet again showing how she as a lesbian is being subservient to the man's needs. All and all, Carol does come off as a good person, but it's at the expense of being dominated by the "man's world"

Another example of this happening is in the show Heartbeat. In the episode in question, the daughter of the lesbian character, Marilyn is getting married. The daughter asks her mother