Tobi N. Parks Comparative Approaches To Media Literacy Instructor: Art Silverblatt Final Paper May 15, 2002 Non-verbal Analysis of Homosexuality on Prime Time: A Review of NBC’s “Will and Grace” and Showtime’s “Queer As Folk” Homosexuality has been a taboo subject throughout the history of television. Only in the past decade has there been a rise in homosexual characters and content in prime time cable and network programming. Each type of programming provider, network and cable, has approached the subject of homosexuality in distinctly different ways. One way to access the treatment of homosexual characters and content is by studying the uses of nonverbal communication. Non-verbal cues are very important in establishing a believable relationship between two characters, be it a romantic relationship or a plutonic relationship. Proximity, body language, and physical touching are used to relay to the viewer the intent of the relationship. In addition, due to stereotypes of homosexuals, body language is often utilized to relay a character’s sexual orientation. Even though network programmers are including homosexuality in their programs, they use non-verbal communication to dilute the homosexual content to make it more palatable for mass consumption. Cable programmers, on other hand, have used non-verbal communication to more accurately display the homosexual experience. NBC’s “Will and Grace” and ShowTime’s “Queer As Folk” are two of the most successful television programs featuring homosexual characters. Several episodes of each program were observed in regard to the use of nonverbal cues. The elements that were distinctly noted were uses of proximity, body language, and physicality. To clarify, the term physicality in this case, includes touching, hugging, kissing, sexual advances, and sexual intercourse. In observing these elements, a discernable conclusion could be established as to which program is ultimately delivering the most accurate account of the homosexual experience. NBC’s “Will and Grace” “Will and Grace” has become one of NBC’s programming centerpieces. The sitcom has enjoyed much critical acclaim as well as commercial success with television viewers. The program is the first of its kind to feature an openly homosexual male lead character. “Will and Grace” has been honored with several Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress, and Outstanding Comedy Series. In addition to these television industry awards, "Will and Grace" has won two awards from the Gay and Lesbian Alliances Against Defamation (GLAAD) for Outstanding TV Comedy Series. “Will and Grace” contains two homosexual characters, Will and Jack. Will is a straight-laced lawyer who represents a more conservative gay male archetype. In fact, his representation borderlines on that of a heterosexual rather than that of a homosexual character. Jack, on the other hand, exhibits a more stereotypical gay male perception. He is very flamboyant and campy. These traits are often used as a comedic device rather than an attempt to accurately represent a portion of the gay male community. Will and Jack are close friends as relayed in the narrative of the program. When appearing on screen together, Will and Jack rarely stand in close proximity to one another. There is typically a significant spatial gap between the two or they are separated by one of the two female characters on the program. In the four episodes studied, the two gay characters only appear in the same room twice. Both times other people and/or objects separated them. The significant distance between the two characters establishes the demarcation between the type of gay male Will is, and the type of gay male Jack is. As mentioned, Will is essentially fulfilling a heterosexual male archetype while playing a gay character. He is safe to the general viewing audience. Though he is homosexual, he acts, looks, and interacts essentially as a heterosexual. Jack, on the other hand, is what one would classify as a stereotypical homosexual. He is very flamboyant and displays several feminine qualities. The mass population does not typically accept this type of homosexual model. By physically separating Will and Jack, the program is not tarnishing Will’s image with that of the “typical” homosexual. Being that he is the main character of the program, the virtual line drawn between the two types of gay males keeps him in good favor with the mainstream audience. The issue of proximity is relevant in another way as well. In keeping these two characters separated, the viewer is less likely to create an illusion of a romantic nature. Being that Jack is more feminine; he would fit a standard female role in a heterosexual relationship. Will, being the more serious of the two, would fit the masculine role. If they are consistently separated, it is harder for the viewer to realize a physical relationship. In terms of physicality, neither homosexual character comes in contact with the other. In contrast, other established heterosexual male characters such as NBC’s “Friends”, the men in the program often hug, touch, or show some type of physical affection such as a pat or shoulder rub. In contrast, Will and Jack rarely touch. Even when observing a relationship with potential partners, neither Will nor Jack courts their partners the same way their heterosexual counterparts would. They are never seen holding hands, kissing, or showing affection of any type to a date or potential love interest. In keeping the physicality between the two homosexual characters to a minimum, the program does not give the viewer the opportunity to visualize the characters as active sexual beings. The program goes further by not allowing Will or Jack to have a significant love interest. Often times the program will allude to one of the two going on a date or an ex-boyfriend, but they are rarely placed in a situation where sex would be an issue. If the program does show either character in a dating scenario, their body language suggests there would be no physical activity. In episodes observed where Will was in a date situation, he would physically pull away from his partner. A particular scene finds Will dancing with another man. The man danced close to Will, but Will kept his back turned to him and grimaced his face at the audience as if he were pained by having to dance with him. In another episode, Will was briefly involved with a Broadway dancer. In one scene, the two were having a romantic walk in the streets of New York, yet they were not holding hands, as a heterosexual couple would do. In addition, he made negative facial expressions to others in the room when the man touched or otherwise was physical with him. The narrative of the program was relaying the idea that Will was not interested in the man because he was a dancer. Essentially, the man was too much of a stereotypical homosexual. Will forced himself to continue to relationship, yet in the end, he broke off the affair. Both the narrative and body language suggested that even though Will is homosexual, he is not a sexual being. The message relayed by the body language and facial expressions offers the concept that Will is repulsed by the idea of physical interactions with other men. His treatment of the stereotypical homosexual date further segregated him from the common gay male community. In actuality, most of the physicality in the program occurs between each homosexual character and a respective female character. The other two primary characters on the program are Grace and Karen. Grace is Will’s roommate and best friend. Karen is Grace’s personal assistant and is closest to Jack. Both male characters, even though homosexual, their non-verbal behavior indicates they are more sexually suggestive and flirtatious with the female characters than they are with other male characters. The program often depicts Will and Grace cuddling in bed together or holding each other while watching a movie. Essentially, the visuals give the impression that Will and Grace share a deep intimacy similar to that of a couple. Similarly, Jack and Karen are very sexually suggestive with one another. In observed episodes, Jack aggressively touches both Karen’s breasts and buttocks. The pairing of the four characters creates quasi-heterosexual relationships. Therefore, making the fact that Will and Jack are homosexual a mute point because they are physically drawn and showing affection to their female counterparts. When observing the body language of Jack, other negative messages are produced. Jack exhibits overt feminine qualities in his walk and hand gestures. He fulfills a stereotypical gay male perception that homosexual men are more feminine and flamboyant. These traits are often used as a comedic device. On the other hand, Will displays more masculine mannerisms. He has a fairly heavy walk, as opposed to Jack’s more feminine glide. When Will’s homosexuality becomes an integral part of the plot, he employs extravagant hand gestures at times, but mostly his gestures are fairly subdued essentially saying that to be homosexual you must be extravagant. As mentioned, Jack’s personality and mannerisms are often used as a comedic tool, while Will’s mannerisms are never called into question. The program is essentially saying the straight-like homosexual is superior to the stereotypical homosexual male perception. The stereotypical flamboyant feminine gay male is worthy of nothing more than to be made fun of and chastised as Jack often is. Jack becomes the buffoon. Will, in contrast, is the lead character of the program. The viewer is reassured that Will is different than the rest of the homosexual population. By comparison, a homosexual that exhibits feminine qualities is not acceptable. Will can see and dislike the same characteristics in Jack that the general heterosexual public would dislike. This action makes Will more aligned with the heterosexual community. In essence, the program is separating Will from the typical gay male stereotype. Even though he is gay, is not like the rest of the gay male population. ShowTime’s “Queer as Folk” Like “Will and Grace”, ShowTime’s “Queer as Folk” has climbed its way to the top of the television heap earning the cable network high ratings. The program has received much critical acclaim from both gay and straight press. “Queer as Folk” is based on a British television series of the same name. The program focuses on the lives of a group of gay friends living in Pittsburgh, PA. All of the main characters on the program are young, sexually active, homosexual males, with the exception of the married lesbian couple and one of the men’s mothers. The characters include Brian, a successful advertising executive. He is very sexually promiscuous despite being in a committed relationship. Justin, Brian’s boyfriend, is a young arts student who has recently recovered from a severe gay bashing incident in which Brian saved his life. Michael is the all around good guy. Owner of a comic book shop, Michael has spent years in love with his best friend Brian. Now, he finds himself in a serious relationship with a partner who is HIV positive. Ted is the eldest of the friends, as well as the most insecure. After being fired from his accounting firm, Ted leaped into the Internet world by starting his own gay porn site with his friend, Emmett, as the star. Emmett is fun loving, flamboyant and colorful. Despite being the most feminine of all the men, he tends to be the most grounded and down to earth character from which most others seek advice. On the female side, there are Melanie and Lindsey. Both are professional lesbian women who are married to each other. The couple, as well, has a son of whom Brian is the father. The pair tends to more domestically oriented than their male counterparts. Finally, there is Debbie, Michael’s colorful and caring mother. A card carrying member of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), Debbie works at the local diner on the gay strip and cares for her brother with AIDS. In all aspects of non-verbal communication examined (proximity, body language, and physicality), “Queer as Folk” creates a realistic homosexual experience. Unlike “Will and Grace” all of the gay characters are often seen in close proximity to each other. They are often seen standing closely together in bars, at the gym, and at meals in the diner. Having the characters interact in close relation, not only establishes the idea of a gay community, but exhibits the diversity that exists within the community, as well. Each male character has a particular characteristic: Brian is handsome, mysterious and masculine; Justin is young and naďve; Michael is fun loving and kid like; Ted is older and insecure; and Emmett is flamboyant and feminine. The proximity among the characters shows that the homosexual male community has several different types of people and degrees of which they show their orientation. In reference to “Will and Grace” there is a significant range between the type of homosexual Will is and the type that Jack is. Therefore, the spatial arrangement of the two accentuated this fact. Being that most characters on “Queer as Folk” remain in close proximity, this arrangement fills the gap with a more realistic depiction of the diversity of the gay community. In terms of physicality, “Queer as Folk” relies heavily on strong sexual content. All of the main characters on the program, minus Debbie, have been seen in explicit sexual acts. The program shows a more realistic view of homosexual sex. The characters have intimate sexual relationships and encounters that are more typical of real life sexual situations regardless of sexual orientation. Though these encounters are depicted realistically, certain characters tend to have an overactive sexual prowess that tends to reflect a homosexual male stereotype. Regardless, the program does not suggest that homosexual sex is negative or somehow unacceptable by keeping the characters as non-sexual beings as in “Will and Grace”. It clearly depicts how sexual activity in the gay community, as in the heterosexual community, is a natural fact of existence. Some of the sex scenes are animalistic and raw, while others are loving and gentle. It is important for “Queer as Folk” to be this explicit with sex. It allows the viewer to better understand homosexual activity. The program frees the taboo of the act, and portrays sex between same sex couples as natural. When looking at the physicality between friends, unlike “Will and Grace”, the “Queer as Folk” characters show affection to each other openly. It is not uncommon to see any two of the lead male characters greet each other with a kiss on the lips or a lingering hug even though they are not in a romantic relationship. When there is a traumatic issue concerning one of the characters, another friend will console him by holding, hugging, patting or otherwise employing some type of physical affection. Body language is very noticeable in “Queer as Folk”. Even though some of the actors in reality are heterosexual, they are still able to successfully portray queer characters by using body language. When in a romantic situation, all of the characters show expressions of delight and anticipation by having pleased and/or loving expressions on their faces. The characters do not turn away from each other and show disgust like Will in “Will and Grace”. When comparing the characters Emmett of “Queer as Folk” and Jack of “Will and Grace,” the programs handle both of these feminine oriented characters in distinctly different ways in terms of their approach to body language. Both have more flamboyant and campy body languages than their peers. In “Will and Grace” this body language is used as a comic tool, making Jack’s actions seem somewhat out of the ordinary. His movements are exaggerated by not only his physical being, but emphasis is placed on his extravagance by other characters. In contrast, Emmett, though similar to Jack with exaggerated hand gestures and movements, is treated more equally. His character is rarely made fun of, and finds himself in the role of mature advice giver. Emmett’s body language is seen as a part of his person that accentuates his goodness, whereas with Jack, his body language is used to accentuate his oddity. Both “Will and Grace” and “Queer as Folk” make homosexual content available for the viewing audience. Even though both programs on the surface seem to celebrate homosexuality, the most blatant difference occurs when observing the non-verbal elements of each program. If one were to observe both of these programs without the aid of auditory cues, one would find two distinctly different messages. “Will and Grace” on a surface level seems to be including homosexuality and incorporating it in a positive way. However, when one looks deeper, ignoring the auditory narrative, what is found is a typical heterosexual visual narrative. Both male characters are seen being more physical with women, showing negative facial expressions when faced with a romantic situation with a male, and essentially have little to no male contact. Though the program gives an overt positive message about homosexuality, through non-verbal communication the program relays the latent message that homosexual behavior is not acceptable. Essentially, NBC has created a program that contains homosexual content on network television, but has diluted it to the point that it becomes a program about heterosexual relationships. Therefore, it negates the true essence of homosexuality as to make it pleasing for the mainstream audience. “Queer as Folk” has an entirely different visual narrative than that of “Will and Grace”. In actuality, the visual narrative enhances the auditory message, so a stronger positive message is sent about homosexuality. In this case, homosexuality is seen as being just as natural as heterosexuality. Even though some of the content on “Queer as Folk” is more explicit than that of its heterosexual program counterparts, a more realistic adaptation of the gay experience is displayed. In this program, homosexuals may lead normal professional lives, have loving relationships, and can be seen as sexual beings. By contrast, the only way to make homosexuality appear normal on network television is for it to take on the appearance of heterosexuality. Even though the playing field seems to be becoming more even, queer characters on prime time network television have still been relegated to non-relationship status. Essentially, the message being conveyed on network television is one that states it is acceptable for a person to be out as a homosexual as long as they keep their relationships and physical activity in the closet. In contrast, cable programming has thrust all aspects of the queer lifestyle in plain view. One could speculate the reason is because network television is under stronger restrictions than cable networks. Another more likely possibility is by keeping the physical elements of the gay culture in the closet; the mass population can more easily accept the gay lifestyle. One way that network television expresses lack of meaningful relationships between homosexuals is by not employing nonverbal communicators between queer characters. By not having homosexual characters physically express homosexual feelings and ideas, the viewing public is not truly seeing the homosexual lifestyle; therefore, they are perpetuating the notion that it is ok to be gay as long as it is kept from public view. To express homosexuality realistically, non-verbal cues are imperative. Without the visual narrative reinforcing the verbal one, an increased negative message about homosexuality is displayed. Ultimately, credit should be given to network television for including homosexual characters and storylines, but it has to accurately convey the homosexual experience for it to truly be positive. Until these characters can be as open about their sexuality as their heterosexual counterparts, the playing field will never be even.