Promotion of Gay Culture?

Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet as
Mitchell and Cameron on ABC's "Modern Family"

On CNN.com today, there was a video article about the distress some folks feel at seeing more gay characters on the television.  Whether the characters are gay themselves or the people playing them are gay in real real, a segment of the population is unhappy that television is, in their words, "promoting homosexuality."  It is unfathomable to me how some folk make these ridiculous claims out loud and expect to be taken seriously.

Let us define our terms.  According to Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, "promote" means "1 a: to advance in station, rank, or honor...2 a: to contribute to the growth or prosperity of... b: to help bring (as an enterprise) into being... 3 slang: to get possession of by doubtful means or by ingenuity (Merriam, 1971)."  If any part of this definition is appropriate, it is to advance in honor.  While this may be challenging for some, others may believe that bringing gay people into a legitimized place in television is timely and important.

The other definition that should be considered is that of "reflect," which reads, "...4: to give back or exhibit as an image, likeness, or outline : MIRROR."  This seems a more accurate identification of what is happening on television as we see increasing numbers of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the casts of shows in the mainstream media.

"Will and Grace"
L-R Sean Hayes, Debra Messing, Eric McCormack,
and Megan Mullaly

Most people believe that prior to the title character, Will, and his sidekick, Jack, on NBC's "Will and Grace," that ran from 1998 to 2006, gay people had never appeared as weekly characters in primetime on television.  That simply isn't the case.  In 1972, Vincent Schiavelli portrayed what is believed to be the first gay character in a recurring role.  The show ran for only one year, but it set a milestone nonetheless (Wikipedia.com, 2010).  Anyone who watched television in the 1960s couldn't possibly have missed the flaming Uncle Arthur character portrayed by the flaming Paul Lynde on "Bewitched," or Mr. Sulu, portrayed by the elegant George Takei, on "Star Trek." 

Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur
on "Bewitched"

Certainly there were guest appearances by gay characters, but usually they were drag queens, effeminate gay best friends forever, or bar flies.  Even "Queer as Folk," the British television series that began in 1999 and was followed by the American version in 2000, was shown only on a premium cable channel, HBO.  Network television wanted nothing to do with these folks.

Ellen DeGeneres, followed by Rosie O'Donnell, made huge inroads into the public consciousness when they announced they are gay (Insidesocal.com, 2010). The very famous A-list celebrities broke down walls that continue to make a difference to gay folk everywhere; however, they were not characters in a scripted show.

Although Jack was likely the first principal character on a network television show, any other single character would have increased the number of gay folks on television by 100%.  Out of the thousands of characters that populate the small screen, one character accounted for a miniscule percentage of returning characters.  Today, gay people are showing up all over network television, including on "Modern Family," "Glee," "GRΣΣK," and "The Office." Based on conservative estimates that 10% of the population identifies as gay, the number of characters on television still does not reflect the actual segment of the population that exists in the United States.

The concept that these characters are promoting homosexuality is like saying BET is promoting being Black, or Turner Classic Movies is promoting living in the past.  How does that even happen?  A person is who he or she is.  He may appreciate another culture, or even emulate that culture, but there is no way to change who one is.  If a young man or young woman is straight, watching gay characters on television will not make them gay, any more than watching straight characters since the inception of television in 1930s made any of the gay folk straight.  If an individual is gay, these characters may provide an open door to his or her own truth, making it easier to admit that truth to others.  This can only be healthy for that person in the long run.

More appropriately, what we are seeing is gay people more accurately reflected, not promoted, in the media.  Gay characters are identified as loving individuals and couples, having children through birth or adoption, and living ordinary lives for the most part.  What some people are afraid of is that gay people will be viewed as "normal" by the masses.  If these characters are promoting anything, it is the truth about the ongoing lives of gay folk that exists in our current society. 
_______________________

References:
Daemonstv.com (2009) [Mitch and Cameron]. Modern Family. Photograph. Retrieved from
http://www.daemonstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/modern-family-500x333.jpg

Insidesoccal.com (2010) [Time cover: Ellen DeGeneres]. "Out in Hollywood". Insidesocal.com.  Retrieved from http://www.insidesocal.com/outinhollywood/1101970414_400.jpg

Mediamum.files.wordpress.com (2009) [Will and Grace]. Mediamum files.wordpress.com. Photograph.  Retrieved from http://mediamum.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/will-and-grace.jpg

Mereditharnold.files.wordpress.com (2010) [Paul Lynde]. Mereditharnold.files.wordpress.com.  Retreived from http://mereditharnold.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/paul-lynde3.jpeg

Thedailyprofaner.com (2009) [Gay Family]. Thedailyprofaner.com. Retrieved from
http://thedailyprofaner.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/gay-family.jpg

(1971) Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary. G. & C. Merrian Co. Chicago, Illinois. p. 682


(1971) Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary. G. & C. Merrian Co. Chicago, Illinois. p. 719
Wikipedia.com (2010) "List of television shows with LGBT characters." Wikipedia.com. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_shows_with_LGBT_characters