assignment 5

1. What are some of the stereotypes gay men portrayed on TV that Savage discusses in his piece?

Savage describes one specific stereotype of how gay men are portrayed on TV. He recalls the detectives on Barnie Miller, which took place in NY, acting very swishy, carrying a purse and also owning a poodle. He then begins to talk about The Choir Boys, which was a movie in the 1970s that took place in Los Angeles. These people had the same characteristics of the gay men in NY, except their poodle was died pink. This is the stereotype that is seen on TV as Savage recalls.

2. Describe one TV show from the 1990's or 2000's and how gays are stereotyped. Or can you give an example of a show that didn't portray gay or straight people in a stereotypical way?

Thinking about this question, two TV shows actually popped into my head. The first, Will & Grace, was the story of four people, two men and two women, who were all great friends. The two men were gay but portrayed different stereotypes. For example, the one man, Jack, was more into his looks and appearance rather than the other man, Will. Will’s best friend was Grace, which is a common stereotype of a gay man. Most gay men have friends of only the female gender. It is unusual to see guys being friends if one is homosexual.

The other show that comes to mind is Friends. Basically the story of six friends, one of the men, Chandler, is always perceived as gay. He is an attractive character on the show but the comments that he makes and the way he acts comes off as gay to some people. Also, there was an episode where another male character, Joey, wore a “man purse.” The rest of the characters on the show basically made fun of him for wearing a purse because men do not typically wear a purse unless they are more of the feminine side.

3. Describe your feelings about gay men adopting children. Do you think that children who grow up in gay families have a higher likelihood of becoming gay? How do you think children who grow up in gay families versus straight families might be different or the same and why?

I think that gay men should have the right to adopt children. They are people in relationships trying to start families but unable to. I believe that anyone who wants to have a family, gay or straight, regardless of the reason why they cannot have children, should be able to adopt. Having a family is definitely an important part of anyone’s life and to not have a family would be tragic. The children growing up with two gay parents will, most likely, be looked at differently from their peers and their friends. It is not a common thing for two men to have a child; however, I think the child will eventually be able to live the same life as those with straight parents. The children will be able to play sports and still participate in activities. Also, just because a child’s parents are gay does not mean that the child will also be gay. For example, Savage is gay and his parents knew it right from the start. With Savage’s child, he knows he is not gay. He says how the boy threw a perfect spiral and wants to play with guns. And just like his parents knew, Savage knows from the start that his son his not gay. Being raised by gay parents definitely takes a toll on a child but that will not effect the child’s own sexuality.

4) After completing the Reading #35 "Gay and Lesbian Families: Queer Like Us, briefly describe the research findings comparing children from gay and straight families. Are these findings what you expected or different from what you thought?

Cannot find the reading required to answer this question.