Do you gay/bi men feel, as I do, that, when you are watching television (personally, I only watch about 3 hours a week) you are very much an "outsider"? A commercial comes on for a cruise ship getaway; ALWAYS a man with a woman, enjoying a romantic getaway, NEVER two men. Same thing with vacation getaways....ALWAYS a man and a woman together, although, I HAVE seen females together laughing, shopping, at a bar, etc., but NO "male bonding" whatsoever. I mostly ignore commercials, but it is clear from what I see that all of these advertisers have no desire to include gay/bi males, as though they do not even exist. Last time I looked, their money was as good as a heterosexual's. IMHO, I think it is LONG overdue to start seeing advertisers start to depict gay/bi males as a part of SOCIETY....not EVERY man in the world is straight, married, and raising a family. Even commercials depicting two men simply speaking to one another (without a woman present) are few and far between. I've seen "girlfriend" commercials galore (I guess there is nothing suspect about close f/f friendships), but next-to-nothing showing MALES simply enjoying each other's company. I often think of the impact such one-sided advertising has on gay/bi teen males; surely, they do not need to feel even MORE "off the scope" than they probably already do. We are always hearing about "diversity"; regarding gay/bi males, I sure don't see much "diversity". And, even If a GAY male character is a part of a tv series (even in a small role), rest assured he will be depicted in the same, old, stereotypical "flaming fag" (please excuse me, here) manner. Anyway, given this, I feel there is still a long, long way to go where (at least on television) to the days when gay and bisexual males are made to feel that, they too, are also an INTEGRAL part of society........ "Live long and prosper"
Ignore all commercials. They're intentional lies told by professional liars whose sole purpose is to make you feel horrible about yourself, then convincingly lie that you'll feel better about yourself if you buy their products. The "outside looking in" thing that's much more noxious to me is how many in the LGBT community treat Bisexual folk as mere poseurs and dilettantes, not sufficiently Gay enough to be worthy of membership in their exclusive club. People who identify as Bisexual make up over half of those who identify as LGBT. The ‘Double Closet’: Why Some Bisexual People Struggle With Mental Health (Published 2021) I fully expect talking heads on TV to smile to my face, piss down my leg, and tell me it's raining; but I don't know if everyone realizes just how hurtful it can be being "othered" by those you really need to be friends and allies.
You, my friend, as usual, have made some very interesting (and valid) points. "The Double Closet"......... When I was still a "working man" in the big city, I heard MORE than my share of gay and bi jokes (all tasteless) One had one (straight) guy asking another: "What's the definition of a 'bisexual?" The punch line: "A queer whose closet has a revolving door". Meant to be tasteless, and, indeed, was. I heard far too many derogatory "labels" for both gays and bisexuals; if some unenlightened individuals had a hard time even TALKING about homosexual men, they were almost at a loss for discussing bisexual men. It wasn't until not long before I retired that i started to get "vibes" that being "bi-curious" was a bit more commonplace that I had previously thought. Commercials? The ONLY commercials I ever pay attention to are the GEICO commercials, featuring the Gekko, who always gives me a chuckle or two. Virtually everything else are just annoying sales-pitches, fat too one-sided for my tastes........ "Live long and prosper"
I think there’s something to what you say. I would like to see gay male couples in commercials and see non-stereotypical portrayals of gays in TV and movies. I think it’ll eventually come around. Look how long it took for TV/Movies to have minorities in anything other than some subservient role or in some over the top stereotypical depiction. But right now in the US there’s still too much anti-gay sentiment. I’m still too scared to come out. I’d be ruined. I dream of a day where all gays/bi’s can freely go around as casually and open as any straight person.
We see gay couples in ads all the time in Canada. Usually, they are one of several couples / families shown in an ad for something.
How truly sad that, even in this" liberal" age that a gay/bi male STILL cannot come out in so many instances, for fear of discrimination, bashing, and bullying. How pathetic it is that we STILL cannot show our TRUE selves to the world, for fear of reprecussions. Iknow what you are saying, my friend....for too many gay/bi men, "coming out" can be almost suicidal. Dammit, that makes me angry.....and VERY sad. Yes, you are correct; it HAS indeed taken a LONG, LONG time for minorities to be portrayed in a dignified, non-stereotypical manner. Hopefully, one day, we will see the same scenario take place for gay and bisexual men....... "Live long and prosper"
I have always loved Canada, its people, its rich history. From what you are telling me, Canada is a LOT more open-minded (and enlightened) than the United States. Hopefully, what you are seeing in Canada will, one day, also become commonplace here..... "Live long and prosper"
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day. Dr. King once said: "A man should not be judged by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character." Myself: "A man should not be judged by his sexuality, but by the content of his character." "Live long and prosper"
I'm beginning to see a few more commercials on mainstream TV when gay couples are featured. One features two men walking down an aisle - giving the impression it is a wedding - can't recall the product. I heard a conservative group went up against it - I'm sure certain companies are cautious to go that route - some are criticized for turning all rainbow sparkles during PRIDE month - much of it should be ignored. the companies that are blatently homophobic or donate their money to homophobic organizations -those are the ones that should be completely ignored. We may be small but we don't need to support them with our spending.
Well said, my friend. I wish I had seen that commercial which you just spoke of; it would have been a most refreshing change from "the norm". Sadly, homophobia seems to be on the rise these past few years (along with other senseless hate crimes) Recall, back in the day, how vehemently Anita Bryant championed against gays> Her absolutely vile statement that "homosexuals are recruiting your children" really was light-years beyond anything I'd ever heard before (and I've heard plenty) I guess Anita never stopped to think about HETEROSEXUAL pedophilia. Too many "people in power" these days are spewing more and more hate-filled venom, further contaminating the minds of gullible individuals. Let's face it, fellows......the money of gay and bisexual men is such as much "legal tender" as the money of straights. Too many big corporations nowadays are either blatantly homophobic, or, simply, lacking the backbone to "do the right thing", and start featuring gays/same-sex couples in their commercials, depicting them as "just ordinary people". An old saying tells us: "People tend to fear what they do not understand". This, I feel, speaks many, many volumes indeed........ "Live long and prosper"
There are still people who believe just as Anita Bryant said years ago - but I think it is the minority of people now. Sure, there has been violent attacks against LGBT community - but overall, I think people are more accepting than they were when we were kids.
One of the things that I think truly "shape" a gay teen is how they are accepted. Do their parents support them, love them, believe in them? Or do they disown them? Same thing with their friends; do their friends support them, or simply drop them? Then, too, is the harassment and bullying. That is why I feel it is most important for schools to have counselors who are gay themselves; who better to relate to the needs of often desperate (and bullied) gay youth? I am not naive enough to believe that hatred and bigotry will ever totally disappear; I know that, as long as their are human beings, there will, sadly, always be hatred. However, we can always, at least, HOPE for a better and brighter future........ "Live long and prosper"
....if being a gay teen male is both challenging (and heartbreaking) these days, I cannot imagine what a BISEXUAL teen must endure, during his adolescent years. Cannot be an easy journey, to be sure. Sad, also, that, even today, the terms "queer" and "fag" are not only used by ignorant bigots, but, also, by many gays themselves. To me, that is as demeaning as some African-Americans jokingly using the ugly "N" word amongst themselves. Labels, of ANY kind, are demeaning and cruel, and the less they are used, the better....... "Live long and prosper"
....just as one's skin color have nothing whatsoever to do with a person's character, it should be also that one's sexuality should have nothing to do with the kind of human being that individual is. It's all that is INSIDE a man that is important: Integrity Decency Character Honesty Loyalty Generosity The capacity to love THESE are the qualities that matter; neither skin color, race, religion, or sexuality matter whatsoever, in the judgemant of a man........ :"Live long and prosper"
