Write That Down #43

Have you ever been to the Gay/Lesbian section of Netflix?
If so, have you seen how most of the gay movies have pages of negative reviews?
And if so, have you seen how the negative reviews always point out the same flaws?

Well, if you answered "Yes" to all of the above questions, then it should tell the sad truth that gay cinema is not taken seriously.  Not even by the very community it was created to cater to.

Gay cinema tends to be a softcore version of gay porn in regards to its casting practices. For unless it is a gay film with a non-White cast, how often is a non-White the lead? How often is the face of a non-White considered a box office draw?...

...I do believe that's the sound of crickets you hear chirping.

In most gay cinema, the only non-White that stands a chance at recognizable screen-time is a light-complexioned Latino.

Now, if such is the case, then these movies keep being made because of who's giving financial backing to the production. Just like gay porn is paid for by racist White men looking to see white as the only beauty, the same can be said for gay cinema. Racist White guys with money to burn who don't care about a profit as much as they care to see a visual that gets them off. And in the case where those backing the film are more racially open-minded, then it's the producers, directors and casting people at fault. For they're basing their casting practices on the assumption that "White sells", which is just as bad as being a racist themselves. Never mind the fact that gays who are Black, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc. light and dark have money they want to spend on gay cinema as well. Non-whites are made to feel they don't belong, and this only leads to those ethnicities to practice the same racism in their casting and viewing.

Such an example can be said of "Noah's Arc". I liked the show. And every show has its good and bad points. I was glad to see Black actors working. I was also glad to see the fact displayed of how there is just as much of a variety of types of gays amongst Blacks as they are amongst Whites. What troubled me with the show was how seldom these Black American characters were shown interacting with other ethnicities in a positive light. But I believe the path to this lack of positive interaction between ethnicities started from predominately White gay cinema ostracizing, marginalizing, and making a fetish out of non-Whites.

It is this narrow-mindedness that leads gay cinema overall to be so marginalized, and rightfully disrespected, with the decent few getting overlooked. And until a greater percentage of producers, directors, consumers, and all parties involved change their casting practices, this marginalization and disrespect will be well deserved.

I shouldn't have to remind you that it's 2012...Therefore, I shouldn't be as correct as I am in saying any of this.

So let's get it together, people!