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From: jmsellens@watrose.UUCP (John M Sellens)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Summary of an article on Gays on TV
Message-ID: <6737@watrose.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Apr-84 16:25:31 EST
Article-I.D.: watrose.6737
Posted: Tue Apr 17 16:25:31 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Apr-84 07:26:41 EST
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 45

x

I have been asked (two people on the same day!) to post a summary
of the article that I read concerning gays on TV.


"Family Affair", Richard M. Levine, Esquire March/84 p.225-226.

The article is essentially a short history of homosexuality on TV,
a critique of the current state, and a prediction of the future.

The Steven Carrington character from Dynasty is used extensively as an
example of how gays are treated on TV.  Levine refers to a meeting
with Dynasty's executive producer in January/81 (before it went on the
air) in which the producer said:
    "The theme for Steven is a person trying to find himself.  The
     fact that he ultimately chooses to be gay is in the future."
This is not how things turned out - Steven is now a "reformed homosexual".
    "They had a chance to do something different and they chickened out."
          -Al Corley - the original Steven Carrington actor

"... unlike any other social issue, homosexuality is too threatening
to the medium's basic values to be dealt with in a realistic, ongoing
way."

Levine points out that TV's main audience is families, in the family
home.

The article closes with:
"But what television will never give us is a Steven Carrington who lives
the way most gays do, particularly young urban gays who have seen
Christopher Street.  There was a brief moment when it seemed possible to
represent diversity on television, but by now it seems clearer than ever
that our society's prevalent lifestyle will continue to be viewed as
its only one.  Blake Carrington had the last word on the possibility of
such an invigorating challenge - and he had it on that first episode
of Dynasty:  "I'm even prepared to say I could find a little
homosexual experimentation acceptable," he told Steven during their
angry confrontation in the library, "as long as you didn't bring
it home."

If you are interested/concerned with this subject, I recommend this
article - take 15 minutes to read it at your local public library.

John M Sellens - watmath!watrose!jmsellens