Last week, one of the arts reporters asked me to name a few of my pet peeves and, at the time, I didn’t have anything to say. I’m too laidback to get upset at much.
But as I was sitting in a theater to see “The Hours” at Marcus Crosswoods Saturday with outgoing editor Shelley Davis and Lantern reporter and film critic Jordan Gentile, a group of old women in front of us reminded me of not one, but two of my biggest pet peeves. Not only did they attempt to hold conversations during the emotional ending (pet peeve No. 1), but they also had to loudly say “Oh, here we go again” and shield their eyes when the kissing scenes came up, just because the kisses were between two women.
I like to think of myself as a rather tolerant guy, but if there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s bigotry. That’s part of the reason why I’ve always liked the arts — they’ve always been on the forefront of fostering social change.
Movies, music and live shows often have dealt with issues of acceptance and have tried to show that gay men and women are no different from anyone else.
Perhaps that’s why these women’s reaction to the three kisses — between Nicole Kidman and Miranda Richardson, Julianne Moore and Toni Collette, and Meryl Streep and Alison Janney — was so despicable. It contradicted part of the beauty of the scenes. The film wasn’t using a lot of bells and whistles to spread propaganda, either in promotion or defiance of being gay. Instead, they were just tender moments between each pair, no different from any kiss in any other movie.
The movie’s lack of dazzle is actually one of the better ways to spread change. When television series creator Joss Whedon had one of his characters on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” come out as gay, he did it without fanfare. He first dropped hints at Willow’s sexual orientation during season three, when her doppelganger, a vampire from an alternate reality, kept trying to hit on the real Willow.
It wasn’t until season four that she met Tara (Amber Benson), the girl she would date until Tara’s death last spring at the end of season six. During that time, the couple did the same things every other couple on the show did — watch movies, slow dance, save the world from the apocalypse — and they did it without any extra attention placed on their relationship.
Around the same time Willow came out, “Party of Five” did a story arc with Neve Campbell kissing a girl. The difference is this show promoted the Campbell-Olivia d’Abo kiss to death, and it came off as a gimmick to get horny teenage boys to watch the show.
It’s actually this type of behavior that’s setting things back by turning lesbians into a sweeps week event (the period where networks try to boost their ratings with big events).
But there is still hope things may change soon. Considered both revolutionary and risky upon its debut, NBC’s “Will and Grace” has actually become one of the network’s highest-rated shows, ranking on the top of the Nielsons with “Friends” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”
Part of what makes the show so revolutionary is its depiction of both Will and his friend Jack. While Jack is the stereotypical gay man — he’s a fashion guru, man-crazy and obsessed with Cher — Will is the opposite. He could be plucked out of his show and placed into any other primetime sitcom without any conflicts. He doesn’t wear his sexual orientation on his sleeve — he’s just your average guy who also happens to be gay.
While “Party of Five” may bring national attention to the issue of sexual orientation, shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and characters like Will are really making a difference. While it’s not clear when the battle for open acceptance will end, it is nice to know there are people on the front line waging an important war against this form of bigotry.
Todd LaPlace is a junior in journalism and The Lantern arts editor. In Spanish, his name means “the” place. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
