Page 52 - Cultural Studies A Practical Introduction

36 Gender and Sexuality

discussion framing the vote notes that such kisses are often aimed at a
heterosexual audience and often appear in episodes timed to coincide with
award voting:

Lesbians get blamed for a lot of things, from the destruction of the nuclear
family to the death of traditional values, but no one can deny lesbians are
good for one thing, at least: boosting TV ratings during the critical “ sweeps ”
periods of the year (November, February and May), when audience size,
3
later used to set advertising rates, is measured.

Gay culture is thriving on the Net, but gays remain targets of homo-
phobic taunting and bullying in schools around the world. In a study
of Massachusetts schools in the US, for example, 97 percent of the
students reported hearing homophobic remarks from fellow students
at their school; 53 percent reported hearing such remarks from school
staff. The negative consequences of such an atmosphere in which the
culture licenses homophobia are worth noting. In the same Massachusetts
school system, gay and lesbian students were four times more likely
to report being threatened with physical violence. Mental health profes-
sionals have conducted studies that show that homophobia in schools
results in self - harm and the internalization of homophobia among gay
men. Perhaps in consequence gay and lesbian adolescents are up to
four times more likely to commit suicide than their peers. As many as
40 percent of homosexual adolescents attempt suicide. In Japan where
demands to conform are more pronounced in the culture, homosexuals

experience shame and guilt because they do not fit the heteronormative
standards of society. The guilt has less to do with being gay per se than

with not fitting the norms of their society. Cultural homophobia is there-
fore linked to cultural heteronormativity. And television shows like SATC
are part of the problem. The media has moved beyond portraying gays as
deviants who usually ended up dead or symbolically demoted at the con-
clusion of the narrative, but these days, gays are still more likely to be
portrayed in patronizing ways. Gay men in SATC are more often than
not associated with fashion tips and cheeky one - liners rather than be
depicted as full humans, like the girls on the show, who face an uphill
battle in surviving in a culture dominated by heterosexual men and their
imperatives.