Guest anonone Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 I was catching up on some recorded television shows yesterday. One of the shows was glee, of which I watched 2 episodes. For those outside of US, or just not familiar, glee is an hour long comedy which features a cast of high school "losers" that are members of a glee club. It is popular, averaging about 11 million viewers weekly. It has gone as high as 26 million viewers for the post Super Bowl episode. Each episode features numerous song and dance routines, which bodes well for future audiences at the Pattaya show bars It can be great campy fun. I have admired the show for portrayal of gay characters and issues in a refreshingly honest light. Not white-washed, not black and white, but young adults struggling with issues of inclusion, orientation, and discrimination. This includes being able to find the humor in most situations without resorting to stereotypes and cookie-cutter endings. It is OK to laugh at ourselves and our quirks. These particular episodes included a rather passionate kissing scene between 2 guys. The only male kissing I have previously noticed on network TV in the US amounted to a peck on the lips. This was quite different. I will freely admit I do not spend much time watching television, so perhaps I just haven't noticed this before.... In addition, these episodes had: a great scene with a Father having "the sex talk" with his gay son a rather involved plot line between two girls having orientation issues an athletic guy with an attraction to the "large" ladies The most striking thing to me was the total lack of controversy or media attention this seemed to cause. No outcries from the "religious" groups about this corrupting our youth. No news stories about decency on the airwaves or calling for the show to be boycotted. Just a real lack of any type of reaction. To me, this is a great step forward. It gives me real hope for a future of acceptance and safety for GLBT community. I would have really appreciated a television show like this when I was in High School, struggling with issues of orientation and self-acceptance. I hope it is of great comfort and inspiration to the current generation facing these issues. Dare I hope that the US has turned a corner on acceptance? The two episodes are "Sexy" and "Original Song". Sexy, which also featured Gwyneth Paltrow as a visiting Sex Education teacher, contained the scenes in the list. Original Song had the kissing scene. If interested, these episodes should be available for a couple weeks at this link http://www.fox.com/glee/full-episodes/ Quote
Guest RichLB Posted March 19, 2011 Posted March 19, 2011 I'm glad you've discovered Glee - it is all you described and one of my favorite shows. All previous episodes (they are now in their second season and up to episode 13 in the 2nd season) are available from Vuze and EZTV.it. As to the change in acceptance of sexual issues in the US, I've noticed the same thing you have. "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" (set to return on March 27) primarily focused on the sex lives of a group of high school students without batting an eye at masturbation, abortion, premarital sex, etc. When I first saw this show I couldn't believe it was on US television. Weeds is a program about a middle class housewife with two teenage children who turns to dealing to support her family. While not focused on sex, gay issues pop up occasionally. Weeds is set to return for its 7th season in June) The action/sci fi series, Torchwood, pulled a surprise in the middle of the second season (it is set to return this summer) when it revealed that the central character was gay and had an ongoing sexual relationship with another character on the show. It wasn't done as a big "reveal" but just integrated into the story line without comment. I'm sure several other prime time network shows are moving in the same direction. Even Oprah evidences this new trend toward acceptance. Her cadre of "helpers" includes several gay experts who have openly talked about their lovers (Nte, the interior decorator, lost his long time partner in the Phuket tsunami) and never in a sensationalistic manner - they talk about these relationships as if they were as common and acceptable as any other relationship. So, I concur with your observation that things have indeed changed in the US. True, there are still the nut cases there, but the prevailing social climate appears to be moving to a far more accepting and mature level. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 19, 2011 Posted March 19, 2011 In Bangkok Glee is shown on True Visions satellite channel 63 on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Quote
Guest JamesBarnes Posted March 19, 2011 Posted March 19, 2011 Dear anonone, Much as I favour optimism and your positive reading of Glee content, I fear that the show represents a lonely oasis of comfort in the US. A recent appearance of Joel and Victoria Osteen on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight gave the evangelists the opportunity to proclaim (not for the first time) that being gay, 'was a sin'. This went unchallenged. You may have seen that a supermarket chain reacted to a magazine cover showing Sir Elton John and David Furnish with their new baby by the censorial 'family protection screen' obscuring of the 'offensive' picture. I was ineterviewing an American gay couple when this story broke; their reaction: 'In the US, us gays are the new niggers.' It may also be important to bear in mind that there is a distinct difference between 'acceptance' and 'tolerance'. Here in Thailand, for example, their is plenty of tolerance but little accpetance. Gay Thais are still culturally obliged to marry and produce children for the sake of both family and career prospects. There is no acceptance under the law either. In Europe (barring eastern European countries), there is more acceptance but little tolerance. Gay bashing still exists despite equality under the law. Best wishes, James Barnes Quote
Guest RichLB Posted March 19, 2011 Posted March 19, 2011 James, you are quite correct in pointing out that the fight for complete equality in the US is far from over. But, let's give some recognition to the remarkable progress that gay activists have achieved. Even recipients of the Academy Awards have publicly acknowledged and thanked their gay life partners without creating any stir in the media or the public. Several media favorites are openly recognized as gay (Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, Adam Lambert, etc.) without any social or professional repercussions. Gay folk are now moving into the mainstream of American society at ever increasing rates. I am not trying to suggest that all is a bed of roses. There are still pockets of intolerance and retrogrades who view homosexuality by outdated standards, but the number is shrinking. I think applauding our progress, while continuing to press for full acceptance, is a better strategy than focusing on the dwindling numbers of bigots. Quote
Guest anonone Posted March 19, 2011 Posted March 19, 2011 Some great points have been raised. RichLB - Thanks for providing the other examples of US television intelligently dealing with gay issues and characters. I am heartened there are more examples on shows I have not seen. May the trend continue.... I have long been a fan of glee, and have been watching since the beginning. For me, these two back-to-back episodes were the spark of an epiphany, if you will. Looking back, I guess we have been steadily making progress. This is happening on a number of fronts. Just in the past decade, now many employers have started offering health benefits to "domestic partners"? This would have been unthinkable when I was in High School. This is a marathon, not a sprint. An entire generation is growing up with gay issues as part of the normal fabric of their lives. Not a family crisis of orientation, not rumors and whispers about those that are "different", not an appalling cast of solitude as a gay adolescent. I am sure there are still individual struggles, but I really see progress on a societal scale. I did not mean to imply that the race is over. The recent tragedies of gay teens committing suicide is a glaring example that there is still much work to be done. I simply recognize the progress and hold hope for the future. James - I also appreciated your comment on the difference between acceptance and tolerance. It is a valid point, and perhaps we are far away from acceptance. If tolerance prevents gay bashing (Matthew Shepard), I will take that as progress towards a future goal of acceptance. While there will always be bigots and kooks on the fringes, hopefully their position continues to be marginalized. After so much exposure to the hypocrisy of the self-proclaimed "religious" Christian conservatives, Buddhist tolerance becomes all the more enviable. How I miss Thailand and cannot wait to get back next week. Quote
Guest lonelywombat Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 The two boys kissing is not in this clip, Baby It Is Cold Outside which is one of my favourites. New take of two boys singing an old classic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTnwv2NN-DI I know I posted it several months ago, but it is on topic, Quote
Guest anonone Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 Lonleywombat. Thanks for posting that clip again. It is one of my favorites as well. I seem to recall when it first came out, it broke some records from iTunes for being the most downloaded..or fastest selling...something. I finally found a clip of just the kiss scene. It will not let me embed the clip, but here is the youtube link for those that have not seen it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNjKai11Wes Quote
Guest lonelywombat Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 I have only recently learnt to do this. Was not sure if it would work for me here. Simple when someone shows you. [ youtube ] put the url of the clip you want here [ /youtube] For some reason I had to put a space in before and after to print the code in this message. When you use it delete the spaces. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNjKai11Wes Quote
Guest JamesBarnes Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 Dear anonone and RichLB, I am afraid that, having reached, 'a certain age', I am a little too quick to anger at the bigots and kooks. I feel that they have to be named and shamed. Maybe that anger partly stems from my own activism in the 1970's when it seemed that we were on the brink of complete equality before AIDS caused a major right wing backlash that erased most of the gains that we had made. I too prefer to focus on the positive. There is a lot of good news out there, you are right. But the world we live in today is very different to the one we lived in 40 years ago. The global village is a fact and with the horrors of the plight of African gays,the necessity of a 'It Will Get Better' campaign in the US, the refusal of states to recognise civil partnerships, and the Asian malaise all too apparent, we do still have a long way to go. With the US such an influence on global culture and the concomitant values therein, (we are, after all, watching Glee in Asia), it seems imperative that the Star Spangled Banner (don't you just love spangles?) takes the lead. Best wishes, James Barnes Quote
bkkguy Posted March 21, 2011 Posted March 21, 2011 I am afraid that, having reached, 'a certain age', I am a little too quick to anger at the bigots and kooks. I feel that they have to be named and shamed. so join the fight against Apple allowing the Exodus app promoting gay "cures" Controversial 'gay-cure' app sparks calls for Apple removal bkkguy Quote
Guest JamesBarnes Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 so join the fight against Apple allowing the Exodus app promoting gay "cures" Controversial 'gay-cure' app sparks calls for Apple removal bkkguy Dear bkkguy, Thank you for drawing this matter to my attention. I have already made the opinion of OUT iT clear on our facebook page and I will be posting a similar message on www.out-in-thailand.com as soon as our webmaster has a moment. Best wishes, James Barnes Quote
Guest RichLB Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 You'll be glad to know Apple has pulled the anti-gay app from I-tunes. http://www.bangkokpost.com/tech/gadget/228348/apple-pulls-gay-cure-app-from-itunes Quote
Guest JamesBarnes Posted March 25, 2011 Posted March 25, 2011 You'll be glad to know Apple has pulled the anti-gay app from I-tunes. http://www.bangkokpost.com/tech/gadget/228348/apple-pulls-gay-cure-app-from-itunes Hurrah! http://out-in-thailand.com/facebook Was it OUT iT? Quote
