Great Whistling in Green Garments

Was it not Havelock Ellis, the 19th century sexologist, who so poignantly remarked, gay females are very good whistlers, and gay males prefer green garments? As a matter of fact, it was Havelock Ellis! And although he was in fact a homosexual sympathizer (you would have never guessed), he had some pretty goofy theories about gay people. Even goofier than the one about the guy who only wears green, and like, the whole town totally knows he's into dudes. Goofier than that.

But whatever. Stereotypes like this haven't held through, and definitely not in our century. Those were just simple scientific observations that had no bearing in truth. I mean, everybody loves green, it's not a queer identifiable color, DUHHH. That's the rainbow, of course. And shit, parrots whistle beautifully, nobody ever saw a gay female parrot. Well, actually, maybe once. But, that's not the point. The point is....is....that gay people have never been fairly portrayed. Not then, not recently, and definitely not now! The queer identity has been exploited beyond measure.

The 1995 documentary film the Celluloid Closet explores gay representations in media and culture throughout history. Its focus is particularly the portrayal of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people in cinema. The documentary takes on us on a cinematic ride to examine Hollywood's depiction of LGBT people in film. Whether it is a female impersonating a male, or two males playing the gay role, Hollywood has always been successful at playing off of stereotypes. For example, the 1934 film, The Gay Divorcee, Hollywood plays well into gay stereotype of the male "sissy", characterizing the gay male as effeminate and having no remote aspect of masculinity. However, this representation neither directly or indirectly assumes the "sissy's" sexuality, except when comparing the "sissy" to Hollywood's "virile man". Thus, this leads me to consider why Hollywood parodies queer sexuality in cinema. If queer culture cannot be discussed in a serious manner, then why must it be satirical? What has led to this? Has Hollywood commodified homosexuality?

Furthermore, if the Celluloid Closet had been made in 2010, I believe the impact of the film would be much greater. In today's technological arena, we are seeing an emergence of user-generated content, and various social media outlets. Youtube et al have revolutionized the concept of shared media. You can be certain that in today's sociopolitical climate the Celluloid Closet would be effective in reaching across social and political spheres.