Anyone who has ever politely inquired whether or not I enjoyed a particular film will, firstly, probably never do so again – but will also inform you that I am inclined to be a little on the critical side at times. In fact, has been widely suggested that I am impossible to satisfy – something with which I would wryly agree. But when it comes to the portrayal of alternative sexualities in Hollywood, I’m inclined to become a little more serious.
All right, I’m bored quite easily. I didn’t like Casino Royale. I wasn’t scared of The Grudge. I think Christian Bale is incredibly overrated and that Cate Blanchett is the consummate fox – and I am well aware that these opinions aren’t exactly common. And of course, I must recognise that my own dissatisfaction with the portrayal of queerness in Hollywood is not a reflection of a greater dissatisfaction in the queer community. But nonetheless, problems exist.
It’s not that there’s a shortage of queer cinema. A quick Google search provides enough to last you until the end of time. The problem is that queer cinema is just that – it has its own category, and as such, tends to fall outside of the mainstream. It is averaged that about 4% to 10% of the population are otherwise than heterosexual. So why do so few films feature queer characters and queer relationships? Why is there no Fun with Dick and Wayne? No When Carrie Met Sally? Why are we still forced to tolerate abominable stereotyping from films like Lesbian Vampire Killers and Suffering Man's Charity?
Over the years, there’s been something of a history of groundbreaking queer movies. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, for example, or the more recent Brokeback Mountain. With this in mind, it is hardly fair to suggest that there is no effort made by the film industry to include the LGBTQ community – but for some reason, none of these groundbreaking films have the necessary momentum to propel those of alternative sexualities into the mainstream. Then, of course, there’s the often catastrophically bad portrayal of gay and lesbian characters. The coiffed, limp-wristed hairdressers, the bitchy best friends, the crewcut bulldykes, the oversexed cheerleaders. Need I go on?
I won’t deny my deep and undying dissatisfaction with the current lack of queer Hollywood, but I will concede that what we have right now is the beginning of something new and big and potentially exciting. The LGBTQ community, having got its foot in the door, now needs to convince the world that this foot is not wearing a spangled heel or a Doc Marten. Hollywood are still failing to meet the demands of a large portion of our society. I suppose my main grievance with the portrayal of alternative sexualities in cinema is that the film industry still hasn’t cottoned on to the fact that the members of the LGBTQ community are just as boring as everybody else. We watch just as much television, eat just as many crap takeaways, and work just as many dull jobs. So why can’t there be more boring queer films? I don’t promise to enjoy the films they produce, but I might as well feel disillusioned and cheated by films portraying a variety of sexual identities as by films portraying only one. I guess what I’m saying is that, one way or another, I’m looking forward to falling asleep in the back of the cinema during the first ever lesbian Western.
