It’s pretty rare for me to like the media portrayal of the LGBTQ community in any mainstream media artifact. It’s even rarer for me to feel like the artifact in question went beyond the stereotypes that are deeply entrenched in our culture, breaking new ground and actively attempting to in a culturally sensitive way, and in a way which has the potential to bring about intelligent discussion about real life issues which impact the queer community. the 2005 Academy Award winning film “Brokeback Mountain” was just that kind of film. This film challenged the norms of what gayness looked like, and removed the stereotypes of whom gay men are, where they live and what their lives looked like. Having grown up in a semi-rural environment, and with all my family as farmers, loggers, and truck drivers I am intimately familiar with the communities the film attempted to portray. In the case of this film they were spot on. The construction of these men’s masculinity, and the ways in which that masculinity as expressed shows a deep understanding of the norms of rural working-class white masculinity.
Although this film caught heat from many queer critics, who believed that it should have shown a more ”positive” portrayal of the men’s love, that their interactions bordered on abusive at times, and that the last thing we needed was another media artifact which showed gay men marring women and living a “secret” life. I however believe that these critics completely missed the point of the film, and in doing so missed the truly groundbreaking impacts has opened possibilities for. So often the portrayal of gay men in the media relies on the stereotype that they are all flamboyant, effeminate, and urban. As such, this becomes the cultural norm and expectation of which gay men are, resulting in the complete silencing and invisibility of any expression of male queerness, which is not effeminate. Invisibility further occurs when the only recognizable expression for gay men is that of urban club culture (think “Queer as Folk”) thus removing the possibility of any forms of masculinity that do not fit inside this highly narrow and stereotypical construction.
Larger cultural impacts of this narrow media construction include the lack of recognition of queerness, which is not stereotypical, and the assumption that all queer people or in this case gay men behave or look a specific way. Real life implications of this occur as queer folks who do not fit this media constructed stereotype lack the ability to have their lives recognized as a result of heterosexist assumptions. Additionally, as this film articulates queer people are everywhere including conservative rural environments. Without mediated examples of lives lived queerly in diverse environments LGBTQ individuals attempting to come out will be unable to recognize themselves in any cultural artifacts. This is highly concerning, as the ability to find images of oneself within the media (particularly positive images) is often a key part of the ability to develop a positive self image, and recognize that you are not alone. “Brokeback Mountain” provides an entry into a world many have never seen, that of homophobic rural life, but instead of playing into the stereotypes which are associated with white rural communities: “redneck,” “white trash” etc. the film showcases a different way of loving, and the possibility of creating alternative family and love within the confines of oppressive heterotnormative and homophobic culture. Additionally, the film does not shy away from the realization that gay relationships are not acceptable in their culture, instead it is an issue which becomes a focal point of conversation between the characters as they attempt to come to terms with their love for one another. The real physical dangers which are present for these characters because of their geographic location, as well as the social/political climate (1963-1983) of the film was set in featured prominently in their lives. They spoke of men who were killed for trying to live lives together.
Brokeback Mountain challenges the norms, which exist within the media about who gay people are, where they live, and where they come from. These norms are particularly challenged given that the film centers on the relationship of two gay men. Although much of the films attention centered around the men’s kiss, there are other important lessons to be learned from this film about the importance of culturally sensitive constructions of characters and setting, as well as the importance of showcasing the diversity of LGBTQ experience within the mainstream media.
Movie Trailer:
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