What about other kinds of nongay movies with gay characters?

[UncleSepp]

This is something I've been thinking about for a long time. I've got some stories going, one finished, several underway, and almost every movie I watch I think about this.

I want to see sci fi with gay people. Action movies where the guy gets the guy in the end. I want to see more random gay cops and lawyers and neighbors and firemen and grocery store owners and whatever else is out there. I want to go into a movie that's not about being gay, about AIDS, or about coming out of the closet, where being gay isn't the big surprise twist, that has gay characters in it. Sure, I liked Brokeback Mountain, and for that matter, The Bird Cage. However, I found Boondock Saints pretty satisfying, too.

I want to see gay characters as part of the story being told, not as the story being told. Does anyone else have the same desire? What kinds of stories do you want to see? For that matter, what kind of stories do you NOT want to see, what are you sick of?

[Pacifist Patriot]

1. I'd like to see GLBT characters integrated without

their sexuality being an issue. Acknowledged yes, but not the point of the plot. Simple elimination of heterosexism. Does that make sense?

[AlienGirl]

2. Exactly!

The same way someone on a show or in a movie might wear glasses, without the whole plot being centered around the fact that the character wears glasses.

Tucker

[UncleSepp]

3. LOL love the analogy

That's just it. I want to find out that the character is gay by seeing the same photo on the desk, partner waving from the car, or whatever other standard device is used to show that a straight character has a partner. Give me the stock, standard, film noir detective with a shitty voice over about "John walked outta my life and I crawled into da bottle..." but please, please, please, let the movie be about the detective solving a mystery and not about "ooooOOoo, a queer gumshoe!"

[swimmernsecretsea]

4. I recall reading about "The Man who Fell to Earth" by Nicolas Roeg

Buck Henry asked Nicolas Roeg why his character is gay. Roeg responded "because there are gay people."

[wiley]

5. And they pushed them off their balcony

:shrug:

[swimmernsecretsea]

6. Interesting.

I don't recall that. Guess I'll have to update my Netflix queue. Is that before or after the Alien burst from the chest?

[wiley]

9. What alien burst from the chest?

Are you thinking of Alien?

[swimmernsecretsea]

10. Sorry.

I was trying for some oblique humor. Never hurts to try once in a while, even if you end up failing.

[Cornus]

7. That's one of the reasons...

...why I enjoyed "The Family Stone" so much. The one sub-plot with the gay son was just a NATURAL part of the entire family structure.

[sui generis]

8. as long as it is "scandalous" to be openly gay and normal

and mostly happy, there will be movies about scandal, done with maximum sensationalism.

I don't put Brokeback into that category - I think it's being overmarketed and it's setting a false expectation as something greater than a love story set in trying times, but for the most part the mainstream media wants us to fit the stereotype, steppin' and fetchin' hair product in our gucci loafers.