Representing Homosexuality - Essay Example

?Representing (Repressed) Homosexuality in the Pre-Stonewall Hollywood Homo-Military Film s Introduction The gay community has not always enjoyed the rights that they enjoy today. As a matter of fact, in the 1950s, the topic of homosexuality was discussed in repressed tones. Homosexuality was strictly prohibited in the military forces and those people caught in homosexual acts or suspected of the same would be removed from the force. Homosexuality in the military forces became an interesting area of discussion considering that the officers have to work under strict surveillance and adhere to strict code of conduct. It was thus easy to detect homosexually behavior among the officers. Theories have been put forward trying to explain this phenomenon. Some believed that people who had homosexual tendencies joined the army so that they could repress these feelings however, with the many intimate contacts with the young men they find themselves succumbing to temptations. Others engage in this act out of curiosity and need to experiment new things. There are several films that have been produced that show the existence of homosexuality in the 1950s and 1960s without violating the censorship act. Among them is the gay deceiver, Damn the Defiant, Billy Buddy and the Strange Ones. All these moves contain scenes that imply homosexual actions without actually talking about homosexuality (Sconce, 73). This article analyzes the production history, reception and the social context of these films. The social context Looking back in the social context of the 1960s would help us understand the reception of the gay related movies. In this age, people perceived homosexuality in a very different light than they do today. There were no gay hubs as the ones that exist in Ney York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Most homosexuals practiced this lifestyle in secret with the fear of being marked by the society. Homosexuality as a sex identity was seen to be a mental illness and any acts of homosexuality were labeled as crime. Before the passing of the 1967 Sex offense Bill, homosexuality was illegal. Lesbianism was however not considered illegal but people who practiced it were looked down upon by the society. Although the cities would be seen as the refuge of minorities, it was not supportive of the gay community. The often found refuge in gay bar but these ones would also be raided by police patron. The police would also alert the media in case there was such a raid such that people who were caught ended up featuring in the news (Butt, 238). The Stone Wall bar owned by the mafia exploited gay people making money from them. The rural areas were not a better hub for the gay people either. People living here were expected to get married and have children. Many homosexuals were thus pressured into getting married with these marriages having unhappy endings and in some cases leading these men to commit suicide. The issue of homosexuality became a contentious one when Bill Clinton tried to amalgamate the forces. It became evident that the issue of homosexuality had existed for centuries. People were also concerned on the reasons that would make gay men join the military. . It was viewed that the military was a refuge that tried to still the chaos they were going through inside due to repressing their homosexual desires. They would also escape from the pressure of the society that expected them to have heterosexual relationships. The manner in which the military was organized with strict discipline would create a new identity for them as soldiers replacing their old confused identity. Psychologist actually said that the gay men joined the force hoping that this experience would cure them considering that homosexuality was then believed to be a mental illness. Intercourse of queer men in the military was a common thing during the World War 2 and even after. Some psychologists were of the view that the prevalence of gays in the military was as a result of the antigay policies. This is because human beings tend to defy laws and are inclined to do that which is prohibited. These policies classified homosexuals into three classes. The first class was of those who openly admitted to be gay and would be evicted from the forces losing their careers. The second class was that of homosexual acts that were did not involve a consensual agreement between the parties involved (Sconce, 72). The third class was that of people who confessed or admitted to have homosexual tendencies although they may not have engaged in any homosexual acts. All these would be evicted from the military. Class three thus ensures that the military was free of homosexuality and even the mention the world would warrant one being investigated. There were military psychologist who would be used to determine the true and the conformist homosexual men. This kind of investigation was not based on any justifiable evidence. It was conducted through some experiment on repressed gag reflexes and others were on based on a simple verbal interview with the psychologists. What made their evaluation impractical was that the categorization was not based on the repressed theory. This is because person who were identified to have repressed syndrome but who denied having such desired were allowed to continue surviving in the force. The theory states that when a person represses such feelings because they can not openly admit to having them and would not thereof admit to it (Sconce, 71). They overlooked the fact that a repressed homosexual would be more dangerous to the force that one who openly admitted to be gay. It was believed that homosexuality, being a mental illness could be cured. This was the reason why the military psychiatrists would try to classify the different types of homosexuals. The Gay Deceiver and the strange ones The strange one (1957) was another film which made several references to homosexuality without breaking the censorship code. It was based on the novel End as Man set in the fictitious Southern military college. The key character was Jocko De Paris and a manipulative man who harasses his fellow students. In this film, there is no character that is represented as being forthright homosexual. However, there are verbal innuendos and homo-erective imagery that refers to homosexuality. The scenes in the movies have many objects symbolizing phallic such as groups of erect men matching in the night, brooms, sword, nightsticks, bottles, towels and cigars. The characters are shown to have some queerness which insinuates homosexuality. The character Cadet Perrin reveres Jocko who is a man. Cadet Simmons would also not take a shower with other cadets or even date girls. There is a scene at the beginning of the movie where the characters play a poker game that turns violent. Cadet Simon is beaten with a broom in the ass (Sconce, 72). The following day another officer is beaten and forced to drink the liquor and this insinuates both oral and anal rape. The gay deceiver is another film that was produced in this era where homosexuality was not an acceptable thing in the eyes of the society. It is about two male army officers who pretended to be gay while secretly having relationships with the [people of the opposite sex. They did this so that they could avoid being recruited in the army to fight in the Vietnam War. The two friends, Danny and Eliot are places under stringent surveillance by the army official. They try to blend in with the residents of the gay apartment while at the same time trying to keep their relationships with their female partners’ secret. However, this film compared to other films that tried to depict the theme of homosexuality in the military, it has a twist where the two friends to nod get inducted from the army (Sconce, 74). This is because the army official set to investigate them are themselves gay trying to keep straight men out of the army. This film was used to challenge the traditional perception of homosexuality in this era by blurring the line between the straight and gay. Lieutenant Dixon suspects them and as such they have to live as gays. This leaves their family and friends confused and that is why they finally lose their girlfriends. The film is full of many stereotypes related to homosexuality and this makes the movies to be hilarious. At some point, Danny and Elliot realized that their performance had been too perfect that they deiced to confess to Dixon their true sexual orientation (Sconce, 77). At this point, Dixon confesses to be a homosexual himself and believes that the boys are straight and this excludes them from the force. This film is seen to be produced by straight men but meant for a gay audience. Some of the gay references made in this film include the description of Elliot naked body as being blond. The movie was appreciated by many people who termed it as being very hilarious. The Los Angeles times commented that this movie was a good comedy for both gay and straight audiences. The great reception could also have been enhanced by the fact that Danny’s part was acted by Greer who was himself gay and had worked in the air force for approximately three years before being discovered and thrown out of the force. He made the film gay friendly and real. Nevertheless, not all gay people were happy with this film. It was criticized by the members of the committee for freedom of homosexual. They were of the view that it satirized homosexual through the having misconceptions and prejudices making homosexuals to lack patriotism and manliness. They asserted that it was an insult to the many homosexuals who were gay and repressed their feelings to and offered to die for a country that ultimately rejects them. This film was thus a platform of the discussion of the various discriminatory military policies. According to box office, this film gives insight into the predicaments that homosexuals face in the modern society and the 60s. For instance, Elliot loses his job as a guard when he is perceived to be gay because he is said to be a bad influence to the children. Danny and Elliot are also shunned by their family and friends for the same reason. Another character in a scene at the bar relates how he had lost his job as a government employee as he was perceived as a security threat (Sconce, 85). The film tries to disregard the various misconceptions about homosexuality by displaying a happy gay couple of Malcolm and his partner. The film has scenes displaying gay me who work in the military and serves just right without being a threat to their colleagues. In this way, the movie represents the gay community as just a social minority and not people with some psychiatric deformity. The film also introduces ideas about sexual identity and its fluidity. Sexual identity is displayed as a form of acting. This is because Elliot and Danny acts gay and are able to switch from either sex. The fact that even their friends and family are confused about their sexual identity shows just how identity is like acting. In the end they think that they had acted so well that they decide to reveal their real identity to Dixon. This raises issues about sexual identity and whether a person is bale to be bisexual (Sconce, 88). In the opening of the movies, there is an interrogating scene where psychiatric try to regulate homosexuality. This act tries to differentiate between homosexual experiences and being homosexual with the boundary between the two is very thin. In conclusion, even though the censorship act was active on the issue of homosexuality in the 1960s, it is evident from these films that it still existed. The film tries to give an insight into the plight of gay men in the military as representation of how homosexuals were perceived in the society in general. In the film the Strange Ones, there are no individuals who are seen to be forthright gay but several references to homosexuality are made. The Gay Deceiver on the other hand with characters that pretend to be gay satirizes the military laws that prohibit homosexuality. It is ironic that the commander Dixon tries to keep gay men in the force while the law requires the opposite to be done. It tries to show how these laws were discriminatory and unnecessary. Work Cited Butt, Gavin. Between You and Me: Queer Disclosures in the New York Art World, 1948-1963. Durham: Duke University Press, 2005. Internet resource. Sconce, Jeffrey. Sleaze Artists: Cinema at the Margins of Taste, Style, and Politics. Durham: Duke University Press, 2007. Print. Read More