Gender Stereotypes: Gay Man And Homosexual Characters

If someone were to give you the task to pick out a homosexual character in a television series or a movie, most of us would be able to pick off who that character would be almost right away, but why is that? How is it that we’re able to determine the sexuality of a person just by looking at their appearance, listening to them talk or even just by looking at who they associated themselves with. Ever since the first appearance of a same sex couple on the big screen in 1895’s “The gay brothers” directed by Edison Short, every large media outpost has sought to put their own spin on their portrayal of the average gay man and lesbian women. Although many popular media outposts have attempted to create well-versed gay or lesbian characters, trying …show more content…
Through voice and tone we can tell if someone is happy or sad, we can also tell if someone is from a different country attributed from distinct accents around the world, Today’s modern generation has given another aspect to language and that is the tone of ‘sounding gay’ in that an individual’s voice is also a determinant of their sexuality, like a big arrow pointing saying “I’m gay”. In fact, this area of stereotypes is found to be a large anxiety provoking area for many people, creating self-consciousness and feelings of nervousness, Judith Butler who is a homosexual herself reports feeling certain characteristics of anxiety when she thinks about what it means to “be gay” (Judith Butler pg.2). She explains her feelings toward the representation of the gay community, assuming predominately in the media, and how these assumptions can serve to affirm and coerce one’s identity that is in correspondence to the homophobic stereotypes that exist in today’s society. With this thought process in mind, then what exactly does it mean to sound gay? Documentarist David Thorpe also feels strong anxiety and embarrassment when he thinks about especially his voice in relation to “being gay”. Through his documentary we see him go through multiple steps to try and ‘correct’ his gay voice, saying that he never really knew how he started talking the way he did, but that he remembers it always being that way. “Do I Sound gay” the documentary gives an inside personal view of how an average homosexual individual has been negatively affected by the stereotypes that have been constructed by society. We also get a description of what the “gay voice” is to compare to examples represented in the media; being very nasally with precise pronunciation and a slightly feminine undertone (Do I sound gay). Helene A. Shugart agrees with this descriptor in her journal