The Year in Queer Movies

And then there was a comedy that, while it had no gay characters, raised a lot of eyebrows for its use of the word “faggot” and the sexual joking amongst its male characters. I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised that pregnancy comedy Knocked Up was just about the most heterosexual movie ever made, given the subject matter … but was it also homophobic?

Some were offended by an unhinged character’s use of the “other f-word” during a meltdown, while others (myself included) chalked it up to a character element and not reflective of the film as a whole, which didn’t feel anti-gay in the least. In fact, the physical comfort of the main guys with one another was downright progressive. It’s a shame that a hilarious scene in which Jonah Hill explained why Brokeback Mountain wasn’t sexually explicit enough for him to Katherine Heigl was cut from the film, because it may have allowed more gay viewers to enjoy the film without feeling that it was condescending to them.

Back to Basics: Creepy Gay Subtext Rides Again

So when gay people weren’t being ridiculed in films this year, what were they busy doing? Easy: being closeted, creepy, or tragic. Take your pick!

Using creepy gay subtext in order to make a character seem more tragic or more loathsome or more evil isn’t new, by any means. In fact, it’s an “honored” Hollywood tradition dating back to The Maltese Falcon (1941), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and more. The formula is simple: take a character you want to loathe or pity. Make him as horrible or weak as you can (you know, a drinking problem, a God complex, poor grammar, bad hair).

Done? Cool. Now here’s the important part: to get the audience to really hate him, make him secretly in love with the hero. Presto, instant ubervillain!

Creepy gay subtext is generally offensive because it is usually added for one reason and one reason only: to make a character more evil and make his subsequent death at the hands of the hero that much more satisfying. More often than not it has zero impact on the story whatsoever, unless it somehow contributes to the creepy closeted character’s demise. The message? Gay sexuality is not only not heroic, it will get your ass killed.

 

In 2007, creepy gay subtext hit blockbuster status in the beefcake-packed nipple opera 300, which told the tale of a band of shirt-deprived Spartans who defended their city against an evil army, which happened to be led by what was essentially a drag queen with a nose ring.

The thing that was most disappointing about 300 was that, were it not for the bizarre historical rewrite of what Xerxes was really like (he was gruff and had a beard and wasn’t the least bit effeminate, by all accounts), the film catered to a gay audience like a 10-year subscription to Men’s Fitness set to a circuit party soundtrack.