-----Original Message-----
From: jf noonan <jfn1 at msc.com>
To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
> Now what's wrong with *that* particular kind of gay? Frankly, *that* kind
> is more likely to be good friends with a bunch of lesbians than the butch
> macho man gay types.
-Oh, I see, there are two types, the lispy fruitcake and the macho -leather guy. Thanks for clearing that up.
No, the point is that there are many types, as I noted. But supporting characters usually play to some types just due to limits of time in character exposition. Tom Hanks played the perfect inoffensive gay - just like hetero accept for kissing (chastely) Antonio Banderas. Any way you play a complicated community of people, a portrayal will implicitly censor other versions.
The goal is art is to expand the opportunities for different versions to be elaborated upon-not make every version "correct". The problem with a lot of left criticism is it spends too much time criticizing partial representations, demanding that they be politically correct in a cross-fire of political demands. Which ironically encourages "safe" mainstream-acceptable versions, since films can have some success even if the left cultural critics tear it apart.
--Nathan