Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 3/24/04 Section: Opinion>>Columnists

TAMMY KRIKORIAN [Click to enlarge]

A few weeks ago I had an interesting encounter at the restaurant where I work on weekends.

I approached a table of four teenagers, assuming that the two boys and two girls were, perhaps, on a double date.

I was accurate to some extent; however I was surprised to see the two young men being openly affectionate with each other - holding hands, kissing.

Had they been a heterosexual couple, my reaction might have been something along the lines of "Aww, young love. How cute."

Instead, I was, well, shocked and uncomfortable.

Then I was appalled at my reaction.

I consider myself to be open-minded and liberal and in favor of gay rights.

I immediately wondered if my reaction wasn't, at least in part, because of the reluctance of mainstream media to portray same-sex couples in intimate ways.

I mean, we all know Rachel and Monica shared a kiss on "Friends" as a way of getting the guys to do what they wanted - but this is wrong for so many reasons, not the least of which is the implication that it's OK for women to kiss each other to manipulate men or turn them on. This is not exactly a ringing endorsement of homosexuality.

"We're always shocked about things that are unfamiliar to us," said Kirsten Levin, co-chair for San Jose State University's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Allies.

Levin said that the media tends to portray the GLBT community as sexual deviants and some people are surprised when they meet "normal-looking" people who are gay.

"They're abnormal - can't make it in regular society," she said about the depictions. She added that gay men are portrayed as wanting to party and have sex all the time, which isn't an accurate portrayal.

Misrepresentation is only part of the problem, she said, because the gay community is also underrepresented.

"As it becomes more known that we're out here ... people will see it and not be so shocked," Levin said. "(It's) like when people first saw interracial couples or anything unfamiliar or socially seen as a taboo."

Levin said that legalizing gay marriage will help to legitimize same-sex relationships.

"As long as the laws are different, relationships will not be seen as equal," she said. "I would hope that one day people feel comfortable around all sexual orientations."

According to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, there are 10 television shows with "leading lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender characters in original, primetime broadcast, and cable programming for the 2003-2004 television season," including NBC's "Will & Grace" and "Coupling," which was canceled in October. The list did not, however, include Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."

I distinctly remember a "Will & Grace" episode from its second season, titled "Acting Out," in which Jack is outraged when NBC schedules an on-air kiss between two gay men and the kiss is only alluded to, never shown.

I also recall an episode where Grace and Leo passionately kiss for what seems like a very long time in a pumpkin patch at the end of an episode.

And while the show is now in its sixth season, I don't recall any relationships Will or Jack have lasting very long or resulting in such a kiss on screen.

There is little doubt that "Will & Grace" has broken down barriers by portraying gays more realisticlly than has been done in the past.

However, while I admit it is one of my favorite shows, I am sad to say the show alone is not enough to make people comfortable with the idea of gay intimacy.

According to the alliance, same-sex kisses on shows such as "Laverne & Shirley" and "Spin City" aired without much alarm, yet on a 1997 episode of ABC's "Ellen," a kiss between the title character and her female friend "was preceded by a written and voice-over advisory warning parents about the content."

Warnings like these only reinforce the idea that being gay is wrong.

Homosexuality is not a disease or a fad. It has been documented in human behavior for thousands of years. Gays and lesbians are human beings - they are not all good or all bad. They are capable of loving and living decent lives.

The media should be responsible for portraying all people in a realistic manner so that we can all learn to be tolerant toward one another.

Tammy Krikorian is the Spartan Daily executive editor.

"Out of the Shell" appears every Wednesday.

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