Katherine Wilkes

 
          Throughout my reflections this semester there have been a few mediated real world examples that I have referenced while learning about different aspects of sexuality in the media, the different lenses it can be viewed through, and how my own Positionality changes my ability to sympathize, empathize and understand the multi-faceted beast that is sexuality and the media. One example that I constantly found myself turning to when discussing same-sex and LGBTQ romantic/sexual depictions is the relationship between actor Jack Falahee’s character Connor and Conrad Ricamora’s character Oliver in the popular television show How to Get Away with Murder. How to Get Away with Murder is broadcast and distributed by ABC, was created by Peter Norwalk, is produced by Shonda Rhimes’ production company Shondaland in partnership with Scott Collins, Tracy Bellomo, and the show’s star, Viola Davis. The reason that I chose this specific mediated example is because it is a show that I personally watch, features more than one same-sex or LGBTQ relationships, and is current, making it more likely to address current issues than other shows that have been in production longer, like Modern Family or Grey’s Anatomy.
          Connor is a first-year law student under the employ of Viola Davis’ character Annalise Keating. He is Caucasian, attractive, fit, smart, and on the path to being successful. In Part III, Chapter 16 of the Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Media the author alludes to the fact that while the mainstream media is now more comfortable than it has been in the past portraying gay men on television, they are more comfortable portraying a certain type of gay man on the big screen. The author states, “Since the start of the ‘modern’ lesbian and gay movement in the early 1970s, activists and academics have criticized the lack of mainstream images of sexual minorities as well as their stereotypical and negative nature” (Ross, 2012). Falahee’s character, Connor is the stereotypical gay man that the media feels comfortable portraying on screen. Additionally, Connor is portraying as hypersexual. He is portrayed on multiple occasions as hooking up with clients and witnesses in order to further his team’s cause. Additionally, he is portrayed using the app “Humper”, a gay dating app within the script, to engage in casual sex. The name of this dating application alone imposes a facet of hyper-sexuality directly on his character, and indirectly on all other gay men on the show. Overall, all of these traits relate back to what is mentioned in The Handbook—there is a lack of mainstream images of sexual minorities, and when there are they are stereotypical and negative in nature.
          Both of these examples relate back to the bigger picture of our society consistently marginalizing members that the majority does not understand. According to one Michigan State professor, there are three reasons that we stereotype. 1) It is cognitively efficient, 2) It satisfies the need to understand and predict the social world, and 3) It is a way to feel better about ourselves (Jackson, 1997). Instead of showing empathy to those that we do not understand, we feel more comfortable putting them in a box, and establishing a stereotype. The truth of the situation is that no one truly fits in a box, and by establishing and adhering to these stereotypes within the mainstream media, the message that it is okay to put people in boxes as if they are things instead of beings, instead of trying to understand them, is the path of least resistance and the one that we should collectively take. Connor’s character is an example of the media taking the easy way out in putting a gay man on screen. He fits into multiple stereotypes of gay men—not necessarily in reality—but the way the media consistently portrays gay men on television.
          Oliver is a tech-savvy professional that works for an IT company and occasionally finds himself helping Keating & Associates on various cases. He is a slim, Asian, nerdy, emotional, and kind character. His attributes offer a stark contrast to those of Connor’s character and their differences are often a topic of discussion. Oliver is portrayed as the more submissive one in the relationship in comparison to his partner. Oliver is also diagnosed with HIV early on the relationship, and it becomes a major part of the course the relationship takes. He constantly is reminding Connor that he is “lucky to be with someone as attractive as him.” Both of these elements come together after the two break up and Connor is finding success in one night stands through Humper while Oliver struggles due to his physical attributes as well as the fact that he is HIV positive. Oliver’s use of Humper further perpetuates the stereotype that gay men are hypersexual. Both of these portrayals of gay men are touched upon in Clyde Engle’s article, “15 Stereotypes That Limit Our Perceptions Of Gay Men”. Engle’s most salient examples in connection to my critique are “gay men all have AIDS” and “gay men are all wild sex maniacs who are incapable of monogamy” (Engle, 2015). Although the writers attempted to break certain stereotypes with Oliver’s character, they did fall into sticking with the above two to a certain extent. Oliver’s character is an example of the writers attempting to break out of the stereotypical on-screen gay character. While they succeeded in this to a certain point, they also fell right back into the stereotype by making Oliver the “lesser” of the two on-screen gay characters, if you will.
          One idea that could be further addressed is gay stereotypes within society versus gay stereotypes within television shows. There is a stark difference between the two when taking them at face value. Gay stereotypes in reality revolve around the downplay of masculine traits while emphasizing feminine traits. Gay stereotypes within the media are the opposite. The most obvious answer as to why this is true is because the media still revolves around making the majority comfortable. Even more specifically, the media revolves around making straight men comfortable.
          These examples are significant because stereotypes portrayed in the media are over and over again proven to be potent. In class we have studied multiple situations in which a certain type of music, television show, or movie plotline can impress gender roles, ideas about sex and consent, and standards regarding the LGBTQ community upon multiple facets, levels, and demographics of our society. The shortcomings in the portrayals of same-sex romantic relationships within How to Get Away With Murder cannot just be chalked up to “oops” or a “we’ll try better next time”. These representations of relationships relate back to real-life representations of impressing stereotypes on gay men ranging from race to hyper-sexuality.
          Overall, the same-sex romantic relationships within How to Get Away With Murder are an attempt at weaving gay and lesbian relationships into an otherwise typical script, but the writers do fall short in more than one area. For the most part, the mainstream media’s attempts at putting same-sex romantic relationships on screen is in its elementary phases, and has a long way to go before more than a minority of that sector of our society feels represented.
 
References
Engle, C. (2015, December 01). 15 Stereotypes That Limit Our Perceptions Of Gay Men. Retrieved April 11, 2017, from http://elitedaily.com/life/stereotypes-gay-men/1292351/
 
Jackson, L. (n.d.). How and Why are Stereotypes Formed? Retrieved April 11, 2017, from https://msu.edu/course/psy/442/stereotypes.ppt/sld003.htm
 
Ross, K. (2014). The Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Media. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell.
 

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