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vampish-glamour · 3 years

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Preferably, only LGBT people would portray LGBT characters because:

1. LGBT people are so marginalised that helping them break into the industry is a good thing

2. You say being LGBT isn't some magical other that straight people can't portray, and that this would also mean LGBT can't play straight people.

I disagree, LGBT are systemically sidelined, and real portrayals of our lives are hard to find irl or in media. I also think you give straight people too much credit, cause even supportive allies will come out with some shit that shows clear misunderstanding sometimes.

LGBT however, have been inundated with straightness, and in many cases have pretended to be straight for many years, therefore clearly able ti actually perform straightness. By the structure of our society, we are essentially forced to be able to understand straight people.

(I’ll be talking about LGB because that’s what I think is simple to represent, T I think gets more complicated. Just because then we aren’t just talking about same sex attraction and love in general, we’re talking about gender dysphoria and transition)

What is there to portray that a straight person couldn’t? A good actor can get in touch with their character, and can portray any experience their character has. This includes being LGBT.

A straight actor, if they are a good actor, can properly portray an LGB character. A cis actor, if they are a good actor, can properly portray a trans character.

I just don’t think there’s much to misunderstand or portray badly. Sure, a straight person may not understand what it’s like to come out or be closeted. But they also don’t understand what it’s like to be a superhero, and they still play superheroes all the time. Because acting is about portraying experiences that aren’t your own! Acting is about becoming somebody else. It’s stupid to draw the line at sexuality.

Most people just complain about awkward same sex kiss scenes, and I agree, they should be done better. But I don’t think it’s awkward because it’s a same sex kiss scene, I’ve seen equally awkward opposite sex kiss scenes. It’s just the actors really not wanting to kiss. So find actors that are willing to kiss, and bam, you’ve got a good kiss scene.

Being LGB, while underrepresented, is not a magical other. It’s just attraction to the same sex. We understand that love is love, so we should also understand that if a straight actor just understands that their character loves this same sex character, they can act in love. And if they understand what love is, they’ll be fine.

Plus, I want LGB people to be casted by talent. I would much rather have a talented straight actor, than a bad LGB actor who was only picked because they’re LGB. If the best actor in the lineup is LGB, great! But if the best actor in the lineup is straight, I don’t think they shouldn’t be casted just because of their sexuality.

I don’t really know how to explain this other than that. Let actors be actors. I trust that if you find a talented straight actor, they’ll be able to play an LGB character. I don’t think people should be casted based on sexuality. Just get the best actor, and if they happen to be LGB, that can be considered a bonus but not a necessity.

I’ll leave you with two examples that come to my mind of gay characters portrayed by straight people that I loved. First one would be Tara Maclay from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I thought she was portrayed very well, and she was played by a straight woman as far as I know. Second one would be Marvin from Falsettos (2016 revival). He was played by a straight man, who did a wonderful job. In fact, I read an article where the gay man who plays Marvin’s lover, said that he has a chip on his shoulder about straight people playing gay characters and was wary about Marvin’s casting, but eased up when he saw how good of a job the actor did at portraying Marvin.

Also here’s a clip from Bright Young Things… I’ve never actually seen the movie lol this is just a scene I was told to watch because of Michael Sheen and because it’s sad. Sounds like the context is that this is a gay character (Miles) who has to flee the country due to homosexuality being criminalized, and letters from him to a male lover were handed over to the police. Arguably this is an experience no young LGB person who’s lived in the western world all their lives could properly portray, as they would have never experienced their sexuality being criminalized and having to flee. Technically, you’d need to find an LGB refugee, wouldn’t you? Sounds like an awfully unrealistic expectation. But because there are good actors out there, like Sheen IMO, this experience can be properly portrayed because they can get in their character’s head.

Here’s a clip of Marvin from Falsettos singing about his lover who died from AIDS complications. Sung by a straight man who did a damn good job because he’s a good actor.

A clip of Tara from Buffy, it’s a song from the musical episode but you can just watch the first part that’s not a song, since it’s a gay joke that was acted well by a straight woman. A straight woman who also did a damn good job at portraying a gay character, because she’s a good actor.

I’m just saying, the key here is good actors. A good actor will be able to portray anything believably, even if they don’t experience it themselves. That’s what acting is all about.

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