“Take It Like A Man”
What do we get when we drop marginalized people, specifically homosexual men, into positions of social prominence? The answer, contradictory in its own right, is quite simple: martyrdom. The martyrdom of homosexual men in film and television stems from the idea that homosexuality is a perversion that must not be displayed publicly (“Homosexuality in Film”). To avoid total non-representation, characters are, instead, martyred. In many cases, which will be briefly explored in this essay, gay characters are victims of other people and are killed. In other cases, which will also be explored in this essay, gay characters experience a slow and torturous victimhood before ultimately taking their own lives or succumbing to some …show more content…
Often, the solution to this problem was to kill off gay characters. The Celluloid Closet, served as an in-depth analysis of cinema’s history of either victimizing gay characters or turning them into villains in order to justify their deaths. Referencing multiple examples of the gay victim stereotype, the film focuses particularly on the external causes of gay victimhood. About twenty-five minutes into the documentary, a scene from the 1956 drama Tea and Sympathy depicts aspiring folk singer Tom Robinson Lee and his roommate Al in the midst of a heated argument stemming from Tom’s effeminate behavior. In the scene, Tom glided across the room—smoothly and languidly, almost unsure of his every step, until he reached a suitable distance from Al. Tom, defeated, said to Al, “Al, I’m sorry. Tell me how I walk”. After an explanation, Tom said to Al, eagerly, “Well then you walk. Let me watch you”, in an effort to learn how to walk in a more definite and purposeful manner, therefore embodying masculinity. Concerning the underlying message of the scene, Film Historian Richard Dyer explained, “Tea and Sympathy is definitely about being homosexual. It’s a film that’s about curing homosexuality. And signs of homosexuality are effeminacy” (Dyer, The Celluloid Closet). The motion picture industry would go on to confirm the assertions set forth by Tea and Sympathy through the victimhood and ultimate martyrdom of gay