Is Congress More Progressive Than Hollywood?

[marmar]

from Truthdig:




Is Congress More Progressive Than Hollywood?
Posted on Dec 30, 2010

By Larry Gross


Who would have thought that the political capital of Washington would be ahead of the entertainment capital of Hollywood when it comes to allowing gay folks to serve openly? Just as Congress votes to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell,” finally permitting lesbians and gay soldiers to live their lives without hiding—well, finally, once the Pentagon actually begins implementing the newly enacted policy—Hollywood reminds its own recruits—young up-and-coming actors—that the closet is still the safest place for them if they aspire to A-list success.

Speaking to The Advocate this week, former TV heartthrob Richard Chamberlain, now promoting a memoir at age 69, repeats the conventional wisdom of the entertainment industry:

There’s still a tremendous amount of homophobia in our culture. It’s regrettable, it’s stupid, it’s heartless and it’s immoral, but there it is. For an actor to be working is a kind of miracle, because most actors aren’t, so it’s just silly for a working actor to say, “Oh, I don’t care if anybody knows I’m gay” — especially if you’re a leading man. Personally, I wouldn’t advise a gay leading man–type actor to come out.

Make no mistake about it, this is the conventional wisdom of the entertainment industry, and it is often repeated and enforced by gay people themselves. It seems that every year at Outfest, the GLBT film festival in L.A., there is a panel on the topic at which openly gay behind-the-camera folks remind young actors how the game works. In July 2009, according to the LA Weekly, three-time Emmy winning and openly gay director Todd Holland said that he advises young, gay male actors to “stay in the closet. ... It’s a necessary career choice if a gay actor wants to succeed in Hollywood.” ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/is_congress_more_progressive_than_hollywood_20101230/

[Ken Burch]

1. Hollywood has been a political duality since the 1930's

A lot of progressive actors and directors, a lot of reactionary and paranoid studio executives and financial backers.
The question of "openly gay" actors in Hollywood is actually a weird echo of the old studio paranoia about casting openly JEWISH actors(google "John Garfield" sometime if you want to understand the weirdness of how all THAT played out).

Remember how viciously Tinseltown enforced the blacklist.

Remember how many years Jane Fonda was essentially barred from film roles in the Seventies for her opposition to the Vietnam War.

Remember how long it's been since you've seen Danny Glover, the most left-wing actor in today's Hollywood, in a GOOD role in a film.

The weird part is, as to the question of LGBT actors. I don't think most movie or television fans THEMSELVES care anymore if an actor is openly gay. It's mainly management being scared of either reactionaries in D.C. or organized minority right-wing backlash groups showing up to cause a stink at opening nights or on Oscar night(the year Heath Ledger won his posthumous Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain", Fred Phelps' cult-family was standing outside the ceremony holding up signs saying "Heath Ledger Is Burning In Hell"-and all Heath had done was to PLAY a gay character).