The phenomenon of using
gay, bixesual and lesbian personalities solely for their entertainment value, while simultaneously rejecting real progress in the GBLT rights movement. It is akin to the old, racist phenomenon of blackface, where
black entertainers were exploited for the entertainment of whites. White viewers could feel good about 'supporting' black entertainers without ever having to touch or interact with one. Similarly, gayploitation viewers can assert that, because they routinely laugh at oversimplified, stereotyped '
gay' behavior on television, that they are not homophobic, much like having a token black friend assures that you are not labeled a racist. It is a form of discrimination that exploits participants and not only reinforces stereotypes, but normalizes the idea of the 'eunuch'
gay populace: the idea that
gay, bixexual and lesbian
people are "Okay as long as they
don't overtly assert their
gay-ness," or rather, as long as they
don't take advantage of the rights that straight couples have to kiss or hold hands in public, get married or have children, or talk about their
sex lives.
Nowhere is gayploitation more blatant than in the
HBO television show, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." In this
popular show, a group of amusingly foppish gay men dole out fashion, decorating and dining advice to largely non-participatory straight men, and help said straight men win over their grateful straight girlfriends. The gay men in the show are eunuchs, and ostensibly could wash the dishes after the straight couples' dinner while the straight folks engage in socially sanctioned sexual intercourse.
