OPINION
38
TV's 'Loud and Proud' Gays Should Tone It Down
Outrageous characters may be hurting the cause
By Evann Gastaldo
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Posted Nov 13, 09 10:49 AM CST
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(Newser)
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There was a time when homosexuality on TV helped the public become more accepting of gays and lesbians, but that time may be over. As the small screen fills with characters like Glee’s Kurt, “the sensitive gay boy who really wants to be a girl,” and a plethora of “gorgeous, curvy” lesbians, gay rights regarding marriage and the military are experiencing setbacks, writes Ramin Setoodeh in Newsweek.
No, he’s not blaming those setbacks on television. But it’s notable that, as TV characters and celebrities like Adam Lambert get more outré, the real-life “post-gay” generation is getting less so. “It's not that gay men and women should pretend to be straight, or file down all their fabulously spiky edges. But even Rachel Maddow wears lipstick on TV,” Setoodeh writes. “The key is balance.”