Torch Song Trilogy

Sexuality is a big issue in today's society, although homosexuality has gained more acceptance within our culture, the majority of people frown upon the idea. "Torch Song Trilogy" by Harvey Fierstein gives the reader, or viewer, a chance to see inside a homosexual relationship and also a heterosexual relationship. Finally being able to compare the two, one may find that they are genuinely similar, sharing the same conflicts and intimacies. Fierstein is trying to give the world an idea about homosexual relationships, proposing that all relationships share the same affection, friendship and understanding. He also offers a view of the fear that is tangled into a homosexual relationship caused by our culture's norms and ideas about sexuality.

The main character Arnold is a hopeless romantic, looking for love, it seems, in all the wrong places. He states "I have slept with more men than are named and/or numbered in the Bible and not once has someone said "Arnold, I love you..." that I could believe."(pg 17) He wants "The International Stud...a guy who knows what he wants...and a guy who satisfies his every need...A guy who would be happy being what he wants you to be."(pg 17) Sounds a lot like what women want in men. And so the story goes, he meets a man named Ed who truly seems interested in him right away. There is an awkward start to the conversation, "My friends call me Ed. I'm a Sagittarius."(pg 18) and the conversation continues with a lot of very forward and open flirting. The beginning of a long relationship has just begun, however, months later Ed has some unfortunate news for Arnold. Ed is becoming involved with a woman. In the first two scenes I think it is obvious Fierstein is already showing us the similarities between homosexual and heterosexual relationships. In our culture there are constantly disputes over homosexual relationships being right or wrong. I think those who oppose these types of relationships do so because they were likely raised to take part in heterosexuality and they cannot understand such a drastic variance in cultural normality. They do not know what its like and are afraid to accept it. Act I is depicting how being homosexual and heterosexual are similar and therefore aggravating our culture and its ideas about sexuality.

In scene three of Act I it is months after Arnold and Ed meet. Arnold has not heard from Ed in a few days and is waiting by the phone for his call. Very similar to what woman do when they are waiting for their man to call. Finally Arnold calls Ed, Ed explains that he does not need Arnold as a lover, but needs a friend. Ed has found a woman he is falling in love with and Ed and his lady friend are going to meet Ed's parents over the weekend. A very normal affair for a heterosexual couple to meet each others parents when they are seeing each other. However, for a homosexual couple I think it is a bit harder to introduce a significant other to the parents because of our cultural norms frowning this behavior. I am sure it can be a very scary thing to finally confess to those who have raised you that you have rebelled against society's norm and that is how Ed is feeling. Arnold calls him out on it, "And you're still going to tell me that they [Ed's parents] have nothing to do with this sudden burst of heterosexuality?...What's the matter? Catch your tongue in a closet door?"(pg 29) I believe everyone has their own limits of challenging cultural norms about sexuality and Ed has met them. He is not ready to tell the world, starting with his loved ones, that he is gay. Ed even says, "I can't be happy...scared that someone will find out that I'm gay and maybe get me fired."(pg 31) What do most people do when they are afraid of something? They run away, just like Ed ran away from Arnold and his relationship with him because