Look two girls kissing!

By: Sally Stinnett

Is it just me or do you see homosexuals every time you turn on the television? I think it’s fabulous that there is such a diversity of characters nowadays. I have noticed, however, that there has been a recent upspring of lesbians in the media. From new shows such as Its All Relative and The Ellen Degeneres Show to music artists such as Melissa Ethridge and T.A.T.U, it seems there are lesbians everywhere, and guys don’t seem to be complaining. It’s true that when shows such as Will and Grace and Queer as Folk came out with their blatantly provocative and flamboyant storylines centered around gay males they were met with much more controversy than those featuring homosexual women. But why is that? Sophomore Eyad Sayabalian said, “Lesbians are hot; they just are.” Why is it morally wrong for two men to engage in an intimate act, but is okay for two girls to kiss in our culture? “There is nothing wrong with homosexuality, period,” said sophomore Anthony Guy, “Everyone is entitled to love another person no matter who it is.”

Lesbians, write the new show The L Word on Showtime about lesbians, for lesbians, with openly lesbian actresses such as Pam Grier. “The L Word, is about a group of young women in Los Angeles, their lives, careers, and romantic relationships - both gay and straight” says creator Mia Krishnor who is trying to promote a positive view of lesbian love and healthy sexual relationships no matter what the preference. She is attempting to abolish the stereotypical lesbian, the attractive promiscuous sex goddess or naturally pretty feminist with sexual appeal and the overweight man-hating gender bending bull dyke for comic relief. With such a flaming heat wave of gays on television, there has been argument from the gay community on whether it is positively portraying modern homosexuals. Some people believe it’s a wonderful and educating breakthrough to portray homosexuals on national television. “As the mother of a gay son and a gay rights activist I think it’s time we get the voice of the homosexual community out there and in some cases I think gay actors are more talented than others,” said activist and founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbian And Gays (PFLAG), Adele Starr. In most cases people are neutral and think that it’s inevitable that we portray gays on television because it’s a fact you can’t ignore. “I think that a person’s sexuality is their business and that it was meant to be that way because people who are gay are the way they are. If it weren’t meant to be then God wouldn’t have made them like that. You can’t really hide the fact that they’re around, it doesn’t matter if it’s public and on television,” says junior Jade Silvas. Others, however, find gay characters on television offensive. An anonymous gay student at ESHS said, “The gay characters on TV come off as uneducated. The only reason I think they’re putting lesbians on TV is because it’s more socially acceptable than to be a gay male. If a guy watches two girls kiss, he’s turned on. When he sees two guys kiss he gets disgusted.”

It seems pretty clear that a televised dose of two girls is more widely accepted than witnessing two guys engage in physical intimacy. Whatever the case, the bottom line is human freedom is a right and no matter how we may oppose homosexuals on TV or in real life they aren’t going away, so its best to just accept people for who they are.