Representation of sexuality in Queer as Folk

By: Nathan on 07:00

First of all in the clip we see the main character walking through the school corridor. He does not appear to be highlighted or singled out in between other characters walking around the shot. This could be representative of how his general appearance does not differentiate him from the other students at the school showing that at first many people can't even tell wether a person is gay or not, thus putting across the idea to the audience that physically, gay people are no different to straight people.
The camera then moves forward in a POV type shot towards another male character. The movement is slow and could be representative that the homosexual boy is shy and reluctant when communicating with others, he immediately feels judged due of his sexuality; this could further link to how he has been treated in the past, thus giving the representation that many gay people are feel unwanted or even bullied because of who they are.
The homosexual male is shown to be smirking a little as he talks about his boyfriend. He could be attempting to make the other character jealous, this is clearly working as the other characters reaction is aggressive at best and he storms away from the scenario. This happens after a speed up in the editing of the shots between them increases in speed signifies the increase in tension/conflict between the two characters. His smile is instantly taken away but he still seems to be happy that his attempts to cause jealousy worked. This links to representation of sexuality as it represents how sometimes sexuality is utilised to create jealousy/conflict between people due to the use of common misconceptions associated with the topic as a whole.

Next a new scene is shown and a straight woman is talking about her sex life with a group of people at an event of some kind. She gives a lot of details and nobody else in the room/conversation react to what she is representative how as a straight woman she doesn’t feel judged/alienated because is it usually perceived as being the 'norm'. She is also shown amongst many other people in the shot which further represents how she is part of the crowd and doesn't  stand out or being an object or curiosity like a homosexual person could be.
 A very camp gay character is also sat at the table with the female is portrayed to have a strong accent that is very feminine in the tone and style in which he speaks. He is holding a cigarette delicately, pursing his lips when he blows out the smoke and is wearing an eye-catching animal print shirt. These are all points that add to the typical stereotype of a camp homosexual man as he acts, speaks and dresses very feminine. Many of the shots of this character are of him alone or only with a few others, this represents the opposite of my last point as instead of being shown to be ‘normal’ he is segregated from others in the scene and made to look different or abnormal from other heterosexual people.
Another male character that is sat at the table represents the typical butch heterosexual character that is often represented in TV dramas. His clothing is formal, masculine and typically worn by men, he is also shown to be slouching and acting like a typical man through butch actions and having a deep voice.
 The two gay characters are walking down a street pavement, the gay man although seeming to be very confident in his posture and loud speaking is shown to be lower than the other man, this shows how because of his obvious sexuality it makes him regarded lower than people that may seem more heterosexual than others. It could also show how although trying to put on a front of being confident and out there, he is actually shy and maybe even secretly anxious about how people perceive and judge him.
 A shot is shown of the family, including the two gay males, sat together at a table with the little girls back to the audience. This could be because homosexuality and even sexuality in general is not perceived to be a topic that is appropriate for children to be discussing with parents at a very young age. The little girls face is not shown to the audience showing how she is segregated from the topic of sexuality as a whole, homosexuality is seen as a taboo topic that can be seen as unnatural, many traditional parents don’t want their children to be subject of homosexuality in case of influences, as if gay people are something to be scared of.
The feminine acting man speaks with a high tone in his voice; he speaks very quickly and seems to have a lot of energy and motivation for subjects he’s talking about. He is talking with lots of enthusiasm about acting in theatres and pantomime plays which is commonly a hobby associated with gay men as it’s seen as very energetic and feminine. He also wears tight costume adding to how the mise-en-scene makes him look like a show-off and trying to get attention from other men, this is also a common misconception and stereotype of gay men especially- the need for constant attention.
There are many stereotypes and uncivilised ideas that are associated with adding humour to those who are gay through props and even common saying that certain characters say. This next scene shows the camp man eating a sausage from a fork; this is represented as being humorous to the audience as the sausage simply associates with the male phallic symbol. Audiences can react to this in different ways as they can see it as light hearted humour or actually not very tasteful stereotypes. This represents to sexuality because it gives an impression of the gay man as being desperate or even animalistic because of the manner in which he eats the food type.
There is a mid-shot in the kitchen which shows the mother of one of the homosexual boys talking to her son with her back facing him. This may at first seem harmless to an audience as she is busy washing up and carrying out daily tasks however if you look into it more deeply it has a very strong meaning representing her as someone who turns her back on her son because of her sons sexuality. This is a very strong stereotype and representation that is associated with gay men; that their families often disown them or feel that they have failed as parents because their children are deemed unnatural because they are homosexual.