AKA William

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That’s the question posed in a flawed Newsweek article, “Kings Of Queens.” By invoking Chris Colfer from “Glee,” Michael Urie from “Ugly Betty,” Rex Lee from “Entourage,” and other iterations of the gay man as the effete clown, it touches on a sensitive topic that most of the gay people I know struggle with — how to reconcile our loathing of gay stereotypes with the necessary freedom be whoever we want to be?

. . . But if we accept that Will, Dawson’s, and the rest once fostered acceptance, it’s fair to ask if Glee may be hurting it, especially because the Kurt model is everywhere.

If the gay community has stood for anything in the 40 years since Stonewall, it’s the freedom not just to love who you want but to be who you are: we’re here, we’re queer, get used to it. For a while, TV got with the program.

. . . Older gays who spent their lives fighting for civil rights continue to want to stand out, to argue that acceptance means nothing if it doesn’t apply to the most outré members. Younger men and women, for whom society has been more tolerant, think of themselves as “post-gay,” meaning their sexual orientation is only a part of who they are. Last month, gay groups held a march on Washington for marriage. The older folks gave speeches. The younger ones seemed more interested in snapping a Facebook picture of Lady Gaga.

The problem with the Glee club is that Kurt and the rest are loud and proud, but their generation has turned down the volume. All this at a time when standing apart seems particularly counterproductive.

The article also acknowledges that gays are not the only minority that struggles with images of itself:

Minority groups have long struggled to balance assimilation and extinction, self-expression and alienation. Some African-Americans are complaining that the poor, uneducated girl in Precious perpetuates stereotypes; others say she represents a part of the community and deserves to be celebrated.

I’ve written about this before. It’s not that gay stereotypes exist — it’s how those stereotypes are used, usurped, and then used against us that determine the good or harm that is being done to our community and population.

The question is not whether there should be portrayals of effeminate gay men on television. Of course there should be. The question is why those are the only portrayals of gay men on television.

Read the full Newsweek article here.