Queer as Folk
Queer as Folk was a depiction of the lives of gay men in the 20th century. The series was a continuation of the gay revolution that was started by other screenwriters in the United Kingdom, mainly in the 1980s. The film was written by Russel T. Davies, an openly gay man, and it revolves around three gay men who are based in Manchester. The series analyses the lives of these three men and their growth in the queer scene. Queer as Folk received mixed reactions from the straight and gay community. In the late 20th century, the gay community received criticism from various avenues; hence it was brave of Russel Davies to write and cast a movie full of gay men.
Most Queer as Folk viewers confessed to watching it in secret, mostly with the audio off. The reason was that the LGBT community was not recognized then. Channel 4 was hungry for recognition hence it decided to air the infamous film. The television network was famous for gay and lesbian content in the 1980s (Spry, 2019). At that time, 49% of the British people thought that homosexuality was wrong (Staples, 2019). They refused to be associated with the act and laws were passed to that effect. For instance, the Sexual Offences Bill 1999 stated that the consent age for homosexual couples was reduced to 16 (Staples, 2019). Convictions for gay relations rose significantly at that time and the gay community lacked any cultural background to rely on as their defence.
Culturally, homosexuality was a taboo in the UK. The HIV/AIDS crisis had risen around that time, especially in the gay community. Section 28, which was referred to as the legislation against the gays, was strongly promoted. Russel Davies once said that he was happy that he released the film when he did because he liked that he was the first to release a controversial series in the 21st Century (Milton, 2020). The fact that homosexuality was not tolerated then has not influenced its effect today. The LGBTQ community has risen significantly in the recent years, with more films being produced and released without objections.
Queer as Folk challenged the political scene in the UK. The first episode had a scene where an adult had sexual relations with a minor, which is unlawful according to the Sexual Offences Bill 1999. Several laws were passed against the LGBTQ community and most of them had to hide from the authorities. These developments were made by the authorities, through the Parliament, to reduce the spread of gay content. However, equal laws have since been passed and the gay community is free to mingle with other people. The change was forced by the various activist and resistance groups that have been established over time. These groups fought for equal rights for years and succeeded.
The LGBTQ Pride Month signifies the fight that the community has had to go through to gain recognition from the public. June is regarded as Pride Month. The celebrations include, but are not limited to, parades, parties, and concerts (Library of Congress). The celebrations have attracted gay and straight participants from all over the world. Straight pop stars like Ariana Grande and Britney Spears have performed in pride events in the past and they seem to benefit more from these events than the LGBTQ artists (Staples, 2019). Associations have also been formed to support the members of this community and they represent the association members whenever their rights are violated. These groups and associations are attributed to the free will and movement the LGBTQ community currently enjoys.
Just like the pride month, the LGBTQ community has had to take the backseat economically. Some of the members are talented actors and musicians, yet they could not showcase their talents because of the negative response they would receive from the public. They had to find other ways to survive. Currently, there is an influx of gay actors and pop stars all over the globe. Lady Gaga was a strong advocate for the LGBTQ rights a decade ago (Staples, 2019). She fought for her bisexuality and queer awareness, which did not interfere with her ratings as a rising pop star. Kiyoko, Sam Smith, Adam Lambert, Macklemore, and Troye Sivan are some of the rising gay pop and rap stars with a large following. Films such as Sex Education, How to get away with murder, and Sense 8 also promote gay culture and pride. They switched from being supporting actors and actresses to getting leading roles like in Queer as Fowl (Lee, 2019). These are some of the ways that members of the LGBTQ community have improved economically over the last two decades, after their rights were recognized in law.
Initially, Channel 4 was the only television network that showcased gay and lesbian content from the 1980s till the year 2000. The network received a lot of recognition from the public, which translated to several investors interested in promoting the network (Media Smarts). The recognition pushed other television networks to promote gay and lesbian content. For instance, HBO Broadcast and Showcase opted to involve LGBTQ films and series in their networks, while Canada has its own queer channel known as PrideVision TV that provides programmes for the gay and lesbian community (Media Smarts). PrideVision TV was driven by the need for diversity in the Canadian Broadcasting Networks. These networks have promoted the gay and lesbian community and their recognition in the society.
The gay and lesbian community has received major condemnation from several institutions. Some of them are secluded from their families after they ‘come out’ and they have to build new families amongst themselves. The discrimination is also present in schools, churches, shopping malls, and eateries. The discrimination targets their emotional, physical and psychological well-being, which makes them pull away from the community. The new equality laws have made it possible for the gay and lesbian community to get involved in these institutions. They have a chance to showcase their talents through art and music. They also get the chance to marry and get married in some of the states in the United States (HRW, 2018). They fought many small battles but they eventually won the war and got to express themselves in several ways.
The characters in Queer as Folk did a wonderful job showcasing their parts. The title is a northern English proverb ‘there’s nowt so queer as folk’ which means ‘nothing is as strange as people can be’ (Burns, 2019). The name of the film had to be changed to a softer version so as not to irk the consumers. The story revolves around three gay men, Stuart, Vince, and Nathan. The film revolved around gay culture that was not spoken about at the time. They lived in Manchester’s gay area (Milton, 2020). The plot revolves around ‘coming out’, gay relations, parenting gay children, discrimination, and gay marriage. In the first episode, Nathan loses his virginity to Stuart, who is much older than him. Stuart taught Nathan a few things about gay sex, for instance, rimming (Hearn, 2020). Stuart is cocky and good looking, Vince is his best mate, while Nathan is a 15-year old virgin who is a tad too confident (Hearn, 2020). To a large extent, the film revolved around the challenges that gay men go through before they ‘come out’ to their parents. For instance, Stuart was confident around other people who knew of his sexuality but he had not informed his parents. There are lesbian characters in the film but the story focussed more on the gay men than the lesbians. The film involves several sexual relations among the characters, hence the bashing it received from the straight community.
The film’s point of view is centred on the fact that gay men are not ashamed of their orientation. They have a chance to show who and what they love and they are not afraid to go after it (Hearn, 2020). When homophobes spray painted the word ‘QUEERS’ on Stuart’s car, he was not offended. Instead, he played music as he dropped Nathan off at school (Hearn, 2020). Gay men have severally been made to believe that it is not okay to be gay and enjoy gay relations. The film was an eye opener in terms of portraying them as normal people who lead normal lives.
There are several themes in Queer as Folk. Mental health is a common theme throughout the film. Some of the characters had to battle internal wars about their sexual preference and ‘coming out’ to their families. For instance, Aleksander attempts to take his life but calls an ambulance before he caused too much damage to himself. His family had disowned him and did not acknowledge his existence. He hid behind the rude and loud façade that he showed other people (Hearn, 2020). Stuart was also not happy that his parents did not know of his sexual orientation hence he was cocky and promiscuous. The reaction could be blamed on the fact that he struggled to hide his worries from the world.
Gay pride was also a theme in the film. The explicit sex scenes are a depiction that gay men also engage in sexual relations just like every other sexual person. The Stuart- Nathan scene in the first episode ushers the viewer to what the film is all about. The fact that the characters form new families after being set aside by their real families shows that they are proud and happy in their new families. Vince’s mother, in the film, opened the doors to her home to Vince’s friends, especially those that had been cut off by their own families. She also offers counselling to mothers whose children have come out as proud gay men (Hearn, 2020). Gay pride is a factor that the gay and lesbian community boasts of.
The rise of the gay and lesbian community has been tremendous over the last two decades. With films like Bohemian Rhapsody, the gay narrative is extended. Released in 1985, the main character is Freddie Mercury, who is an amazing singer. However, his fans are not comfortable with his sexual orientation (Romano, 2019). The film also involves several gay sexual encounters and the fact that gay men are not capable of forming solid relationships with their significant others. Bohemian Rhapsody made the assumption that being queer is equal to sexual relations only. The film painted an ugly picture of the gay community and assumed that only gay people are infected with HIV/AIDS.
Bohemian Rhapsody and Queer as Folk have similarities and differences. The main similarity is the fact that both films promote gay relationships and orientation as a normal factor. The characters are not afraid to explore their sexual preference with their partners, whether real or casual. The characters also suffer from mental health issues due to their inability to ‘come out’. The films promote the LGBTQ narrative at a time when it was unheard of. However, there are several differences. Bohemian Rhapsody paints an ugly picture of the gay culture; it goes to the extent of equating gay relationships to HIV/AIDS. Queer as Folk is more gentle with the gay culture and relationships; it does not mention HIV/AIDS in the plot and shows the development of gay pride in the characters.
Currently, the queer community are widely accepted. The community has equal rights with the heterosexual community and it gets to form unions and associations that support its cause. The public are more tolerant of gay activities, hence there is a rampant rise in gay artists and musicians. They have found grounds to promote their culture and they are good at it. Television networks are more receptive of queer content, compared to the 1980s when Bohemian Rhapsody was released. There are more films and music videos showcasing the gay pride, which is commendable.
References
Burns S. (2019) Queer as Folk: What Can We Learn From Channel 4’s Unapologetic Portrayal of Gay Experience? Frieze (online). Available from https://frieze.com/article/queer-folk-what-can-we-learn-channel-4s-unapologetic- portrayal-gay-experience (Accessed 17 May 2020).
Hearn M. (2019) 20 Years Of Being Queer As Folk. 25YL (Online). Available from https://25yearslatersite.com/2019/06/07/20-years-of-being-queer-as-folk/ (Accessed 17 May 2020).
HRW (2018) “All We Want is Equality”. HRW (Online). Available from https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/02/19/all-we-want-equality/religious-exemptions- and-discrimination-against-lgbt-people (Accessed 17 May 2020).
Lee J. (2019) How Queer as Folk broke the mould for gay people on TV. BBC (Online). Available from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47304685 (Accessed 17 May 2020).
Library of Congress Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month. LOC (Online). Available from https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/ (Accessed 17 May 2020)
Media Smarts Queer Representation in Film and Television. Media Smarts (Online). Available from https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/media-issues/diversity- media/queer-representation/queer-representation-film-television (Accessed 17 May 2020).
Milton J. (2020) Queer as Folk fans share how the show inspired them 21 years on. Pink News (Online). Available from https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/02/23/queer-as-f olk-russell-t-davies-channel-four-21-anniversary/ (Accessed 17 May 2020).
Romano A. (2019) Bohemian Rhapsody loves Freddie Mercury’s voice. It fears his queerness. Vox (Online). Available from https://www.vox.com/2018/11/16/18071460/bohemian-rhapsody-queerphobia- celluloid-closet-aids (Accessed 17 May 2020).
Spry C. (2019) Channel 4 led the gay revolution in TV. The Guardian (Online). Available from https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/mar/05/channel-4-led-the-gay- revolution-in-tv (Accessed 17 May 2020).
Staples L. (2019) Did culture really embrace queer people this decade? BBC (Online). Available from https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20191218-the-decade-that-saw- queerness-go-mainstream?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F (Accessed 17 May 2020).
Staples L. (2019) Twenty years on, Queer as Folk remains a more radical and fearless tribute to gay life than many LGBT+ shows today. INDEPENDENT (Online). Available from https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/queer-as-folk-stuart-vince-nathan-russell- t-davies-lgbtq-discrimination-tv-culture-20th-anniversary-a8793316.html (Accessed 17 May 2020).