Occam's Razor

Volume 6 (2016) Article 2

2016 The Beneficence of Gayface Tim MacAusland Western Washington University, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation MacAusland, Tim (2016) "The Beneficence of Gayface," Occam's Razor: Vol. 6 , Article 2. Available at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/orwwu/vol6/iss1/2

This Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Western Student Publications at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in Occam's Razor by an authorized editor of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MacAusland: The Beneficence of Gayface

THE BENEFICENCE OF GAYFACE

BY TIM MACAUSLAND

In 2009, veteran funny man Jim Carrey, best known to the mainstream within the previous decade with for his zany and nearly cartoonish live-action ˆlms like American Beauty and Rent. It was, rather, performances—perhaps none more literally than in that the actors themselves were not gay. However, the 1994 ˆlm ƒe Mask (Russell, 1994)—stretched they never let it show or undermine the believability his comedic boundaries with his portrayal of real- of the roles they played. As expected, the stars life con artist Steven Jay Russell in the ˆlm I Love received much of the acclaim, but the ˆlm does You Phillip Morris (Requa, Ficarra, 2009). Despite represent a peculiar quandary in the ethical value of earning critical success and some of Carrey’s highest straight actors in gay roles. ƒis practice is known as praises of his career, it made many ˆlmgoers who gayface, which, though commonly used to encompass saw it turn their heads in wonder, though not for all queer identities, also has counterparts that are Carrey’s distinct yet animated leading performance. more speciˆc in transsexuality. Nonetheless, despite What gained the attention of many critics were his the apprehension they elicit, performances like these scenes with co-star Ewan McGregor, who played exemplify the need to tolerate and encourage gayface the eponymous character and the target of Russell’s for the prospect of sexual equality. a ections (Requa, Ficarra, 2009). Audiences were ƒough perhaps not as well known or cultural- not caught o guard by the fact that the characters ly notorious as its racial counterpart, a rudimentary were gay; homosexuality had already broken through understanding of gayface can be comprehended

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through the sordid history and evolution of blackface. Once a ubiquitous and racially charged practice in ˆlm and theater leading up to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, blackface OUT OF THESE consisted of typically Caucasian actors applying heavy makeup, STIPULATIONS, THE "SISSY” such as shoe polish, to present themselves as someone of ARCHETYPE EMERGED, African American descent, ordinarily to proliferate harmful MOST PROMINENTLY IN stereotypes to humorous or hostile e ect. It was perhaps most THE 1930s notoriously observed in the ˆlm e Birth of a Nation, which depicted African Americans as sexual deviants and Ku Klux Klan members as virtuous people (Gri¥th, 1915). Blackface has been ostracized in contemporary media and only ever typically highlighted the heterosexual appears in more self-aware, satirical commentary of itself. ideal directly, the sissy represented a Such examples include Robert Downey Jr.’s Oscar-nominated man whose e eminacy served to fulˆll a role in Tropic under, where he appears as an overly devoted lovably pitiful character. Such a character Australian method actor controversially cast outside his race acted as a foil to the more than likely (Stiller, 2008). As Michael Rogin details in his book Blackface, straight romance that drives the narrative; White Noise: Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot, his lack of masculinity accentuates that of “Blackface is a form of cross-dressing, in which one puts on the the male protagonist (Bensho 16). ƒis insignias of a sex, class, or face that stands in binary opposition is the case with e Dickson Experimental to one’s own” (30). Much in the same way blackface aimed to Sound Film, a seventeen-second video single out African American culture as something perverted in featuring two men dancing to the melody relation to what was widely considered as the “ideal” American of a violinist, which many consider the culture, namely a white one, gayface has its own—albeit ˆrst instance of suggested homosexuality subtler—origins in cinema. in a moving picture (Dickson, 1895). Indeed, blatant homosexuality depicted in American ˆlms ƒe sissy’s sexuality was superˆcially was largely unheard of before the Motion Picture Production metrosexual at best, and seldom did his Code (or Hays Code) citation prohibited it from 1930 to 1968, mannerisms or disposition elicit strong which cited the behavior as “indecent” for public audiences to disapproval in audiences. He behaved as spectate. ƒe allusion to homosexuality was permitted, as the a whimsical fool or a persnickety stooge. director could slip it past the censors by keeping the character’s His latent homosexuality registers in sexual orientation unconˆrmed and incidental to the plot. the viewer’s mind as no more than an Out of these stipulations, the “sissy” archetype emerged, most unconscious understanding, or at the very prominently in the 1930s, and with it came some of the earliest least a doubt, that whatever sexuality he instances of gayface (Bensho 14). As opposed to blackface, embodies is of little consequence to the early depictions of gayface in the form of the sissy were not quite viewing experience. so malign or openly degrading. Fitting in with Hollywood’s earlier propensity for more lighthearted fare, wherein comedies

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As the decades have waned on are commended, such as Hilary Swank’s performance in Boys and the forbidding of gay characters— Don’t Cry or Heath Ledger’s and Jake Gyllenhaal’s in Brokeback previously under the classiˆcation of Mountain. For many actors seeking total character engrossment, “sexual perverts” by the Hays Code— it is not necessarily the tendentiousness of a queer role that has been lifted to the point of their allures them. In an interview regarding his ˆlm Philadelphia mainstream status, there has been a (Demme, 1993), wherein he portrayed a homosexual man dramatic shift since the days of the a¬icted with AIDS, Tom Hanks expressed, sissy. Well-written queer parts have transformed the role of the homosexual People are saying that I was bold to do this, that it was from something ridiculed or pitied, to a courageous choice. I don’t see it. It’s bold for me to something that is highly sought after do what? To play a man who goes to sleep in Antonio due to their newfound emotional pull Banderas’s arms every night? Who has sexual inter- with audiences, thereby making them course with him somehow? Is that what’s bold? As a critically lucrative. ƒis gives the actor society we should be beyond that. (Hanks) a suitable range to spread their talents beyond their own sexuality—assuming Nevertheless, with the advent of known straight actors tackling they are, in fact, straight actors employing roles outside their sexualities, so too has arisen a lesser-known gayface—and elicit praise otherwise not controversy around the morality of gayface. accessible with the oversaturation of Similar to how blackface is condemned for its stark and straightness. Of course, Hollywood has un«attering representations of African Americans, gayface has always recognized great transformation, received its share of criticism over the years, though certainly such as Christian Bale’s weight loss for not enough to make much of a dent in its prevalence, if at all. e Fighter or weight gain for American Hollywood has matured from the concept of the sissy and other Hustle. Bale was nominated for an Oscar more o ensive archetypes with its ever-expanding liberalism, for his work on both, and was awarded but there still exist movies that rely on their homophobia within Best Supporting Actor for the former the narrative. A blatant example of this is I Now Pronounce (“Christian Bale Biography”). In a similar You Chuck and Larry, a ˆlm targeted speciˆcally to straight manner, queer identities su used with men. ƒis gives cause for concern for gay moviegoers, and poignancy or re«ective of controversy understandably stimulates a desire to ensure that ˆlms advocate

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homosexual relationships rather than making proˆt at their identiˆed individuals have absolute expense by putting them in a harsh light. Admittedly, however, reason to be wary of representation Adam Sandler and Kevin James do not fall under the category by those people who identify with of gayface for their collaboration. ƒey are both straight actors an opposite sexuality, whose bigotry that portray homophobic straight men portraying gay men, but has both disenfranchised and caused they expect the audience to chuckle every time the famously acts of hateful violence against them. gay-for-pay Nick Swardson prances about in a butter«y costume Technically speaking, any homophobic with a preponderance of glitter speckled upon his bare chest ˆlmmaker given the authority to depict (Dugan, 2007). ƒough by the end of the ˆlm an apparent pro- queer lifestyle in a harsh and degrading gay and overall accepting message is conveyed, some pictures light could do so to the same e ect as take a more negative approach. Take for instance e Silence of blackface, both in terms of pervasiveness the Lambs, a Best Picture winner that is often considered one and infamy. Such development could of the ˆnest ˆlms of recent decades (Demme, 1991). However, easily and single-handedly deˆne what one cannot help but cringe at heterosexual actor Ted Levine’s it means to be queer in the eyes of the character Bu alo Bill, a transsexual who also happens to be viewing public, much in the same way a maniacal sociopath. His sexual repression “forced” him to propaganda operates. ƒankfully, the slaughter a handful of women to complete his transformation LGBT rights movement has made great into the female sex by means of a «esh suit made out of their e orts toward mitigating those fears; it skin (Demme, 1991). Some cite this example as one of the is almost safe to presume that gayface worst o enders for ˆlms that perpetuate the trope of having an will be used with good intentions, as LGBT character as the villain; his “savage” sexuality becomes ˆlmmakers wish to avoid widespread the sole origin of such evil and can only be defeated by the condemnation. straight-laced protagonist. LGBT communities have valid fears An economic reason for having when it comes to a straight actor crossing the threshold. issue with gayface is the purported Perhaps the greatest cause for anxiety over the displacement of openly gay actors from representation of homophobia in ˆlm through the execution gay parts. Some feel that such roles of gayface stems from the awareness of the total control these should be restricted to those actors who straight actors and directors have in the ˆnal product of these already subscribe to the scripted sexual queer personas. Like any disenfranchised population, queer- orientations, thinking they would be

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more inclined to ˆt the part. For instance, e ect. By no means does such a double standard need to be Christopher Kelly of Salon’s succinct implemented at the present time. But there may come a day reproof of the ˆlm Behind the Candelabra, that performances from openly homosexual actors, such as that which stars the straight actors Michael of Neil Patrick Harris as the womanizing Barney Stinson on Douglas and Matt Damon as the the critically acclaimed sitcom How I Met Your Mother, or Ellen pianist Liberace and his gay lover Scott Page’s performance as the straight title character in Juno, are ƒorson, (Soderbergh, 2013) asks the publicly disallowed. With the aftermath of this actor-character reader whether it may be “time to say sexual correspondence, queer actors everywhere—the very thanks but no thanks—and demand ones the proposal would seek to protect—would suddenly ˆnd that gay artists tell these stories instead?” themselves at a loss for work, the bulk of written roles intended (Kelly). It is admittedly an admirable to be either heterosexual or undeˆned. GLAAD reports that proposal, one that caters to the careers of only 16.7% of the major ˆlm releases in 2014 included queer- those actors who, more often than not, identiˆed characters (Wong). No matter the potential shift a are playing straight and thus outside progressive society can have on said statistic, it would do more their natural disposition; however, there harm than help to limit these actors to queer roles. are some repercussions that follow such One other gripe people have with the actors of gayface a proposition. themselves is that it can force them outside their sexual comfort For starters, considering the zone by having to project intimacy with a partner whom they reversal—gay actors and straight roles— would not otherwise cozy up to. One would not necessarily have would make for quite the inhibiting that in mind when watching a ˆlm, but it is something that double standard. ƒe logical question many actors have to overcome, whether they are performing that would arise is whether straight roles outside their sexuality or not. To frame it within the realm would likewise be restricted to straight of gayface, one could look at the controversy surrounding the actors. Granted, queer individuals breakout French ˆlm Blue Is the Warmest Color. ƒough much of could hardly damage the reputation the o -screen tension came by means of Abdellatif Kechiche’s of the straight community through questionably opprobrious directing style, stars Léa Seydoux and their portrayals in quite the same way. Adéle Exarchopolous re«ected that they were “pushed further However, if society’s gradual shift toward than they wanted to go on screen,” with Seydoux remarking sexual equality is wholly realized, such that she “felt like a prostitute” (Del). It is a problematic barrier, a double standard would come into but if disappearing into a role were an easy task, anyone could

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be an actor. “Part of the job is making yourself comfortable in (typically a man) accused of antigay situations that are not familiar,” an anonymous heterosexual violence implies that his responsibility actor re«ects in an interview with Nicholas Brown of e for the crime was diminished by a Atlantic. Indeed, but despite the expectation on the industry, pathological psychological condition, there truly is more of a sociological and psychological reluctance perhaps brought on by an unwanted to market one’s image as homosexual in nature. In the interview, sexual advance from the man whom he the anonymous actor goes on to say, “I don’t want people to then attacked” (Sedgwick 19). ƒough the think I’m gay. And I’m even more uncomfortable because that judicial claim can still hold some degree isn’t a thought that I want to have” (Brown). On the other of credence in contemporary court (sans hand—that of the viewer apprehending a straight person in California, which o¥cially debarred playing gay—actor Harry Hamlin of Making Love perhaps best the defense in 2014), this still relates to summarizes the internal process of understanding gayface with what Brown’s anonymous actor outlines: his comments in the documentary e Celluloid Closet: connoted homosexuality pressed onto a straight individual can elicit an averse I am sure that inside of me there is the same ho- response by means of their either latent mophobia that we all share. If I see a guy who is or fully realized homophobia. It would playing a gay role, I’ll question it. I’ll say, ‘Wow, is he appear that the manifested homophobia gay?’ And why I do that, I don’t know. But then I’ll with Brown’s interviewee and Hamlin stop myself and say, ‘Hey, that’s really ridiculous. You also evokes morally contrite responses, know; you’ve been there; you’ve done that.’ You know as opposed to those who unabashedly the question is, ‘Why do we care?’ Who cares? employ the gay panic defense. It does (Epstein, Friedman, 1995) bring up an interesting predicament in the practice of gayface, namely that, as ƒe subject both actors touch upon, but do not entirely broach, the actor detailed, above all else behooves is one that has been rooted in queer theory for quite some time. a casting director to hire performers who ƒis has been deˆned as the homosexual panic: the fear of being gay or being judged as gay (Sedgwick 19). HOMOSEXUAL PANIC : In her book Epistemology of the Closet, Eve Kosofsky THE FEAR OF BEING GAY Sedgwick discusses this homosexual panic in more criminological OR BEING JUDGED AS GAY terms. She writes that it is a “defense strategy,” wherein “a person

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are actually capable of quashing their sexuality that is ultimately projected. Such would prove to be a discomfort with any given part. solid case for gayface, wherein virtually straight actors must ˆnd Of course, above all the criticism some justifying, overarching truth that makes it permissible to gayface has generated, there is the portray some intrinsic quality that does not necessarily accord quintessential complaint that plainly to what they have predominately considered themselves to be. cites the actor’s polar sexuality in relation Rather than pretending to be gay-for-pay, they are gay to some to the character as a case against its extent through their real-life actions, despite the fact that they implementation. In short, some feel that are following a written script. representing a human characteristic as ƒough this would not particularly harmonize with how culturally delicate as sexuality without it is typically presented to a viewing public, I personally have the foundational and inherent exposure had ˆrst-hand experience of gayface through this projected to it is downright egregious and o ensive, sexuality and gender that Butler describes. When I was much in the same way blackface is nineteen, I participated in a stage show at Peninsula College viewed. However, the discourse on the of Peter Sha er’s Equus. ƒe plot follows an impressionable, matter suddenly becomes blurrier when teenage boy named Alan who realizes his sexuality through his an individual’s supposedly innate sexual pseudo piety and erotic worship of horses, which he believes is binary is removed; when one considers embodied by an omnipresent horse god. Much of the material that they are not actually locked into a does not shy away from the ine able, as Alan praises his god speciˆed orientation, so to speak. In Judith by riding his favorite horse, Nugget, bareback, until he reaches Butler’s Gender Troubles, she claims that his sexual climax. ƒe show ends with Alan’s psychiatrist identity is performative, that “there need unearthing his repression of blinding six horses with a hoof not be a ‘doer behind the deed,’ but that pick, in an act of deˆance to his envious and unmerciful god. the ‘doer’ is variably constructed in and As Alan, I found myself utterly aroused by the material and through the deed” (195). In application to characterizations, despite the fact that I have never humored one’s sexuality, one could then posit that the sex appeal of a horse, or bestiality, in my life. My projection it is not so much that being inherently of Alan’s attraction for Nugget, a character portrayed by a very heterosexual, homosexual, or any other muscular and handsome (straight) man who sported a skintight sexual variation deˆnes one’s orientation unitard for the production, is an example of Butler’s concept of itself. Rather, it is the act of ˆnding one’s projected sexuality. In the ˆrst scene, Alan and Nugget tenderly

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embrace and breathe down one another’s necks, gingerly taking into consideration ˆlms that have stroking each other’s skin in conjunction with the psychiatrist’s been lauded not only for their cinematic soliloquy. Now, I, being a straight man outside all thespianism, heft, but also for their overarching have never found myself sexually attracted to another man in progressive themes, one would ˆnd that my life. However, on that stage, as Alan, with the ever-receptive non-queer actors headlined many of Nugget sending me scores of energy like a good actor should, these projects with a queer protagonist; my own sexuality transcended into something else entirely. again, Tom Hanks in Philadelphia serves Suddenly I was Alan, caressing Nugget and listening to my own as a great example. Yes, there are some heartbeat race. Since that show, I have worked with that same ostensibly homophobic ˆlms that require actor on multiple occasions, and have never once rediscovered viewers to tread lightly, à la I Now that intensity I felt onstage. Such is the same with some Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, but by actors who stumble upon an alternate avenue of their sexuality and large Hollywood is producing more through a role and ultimately redeˆne themselves in the process. and more ˆlms that appeal to pro-gay Now, compare that with a show I did about a year later called audiences. When considering the dispute Ondine, wherein I had to kiss a male actor in drag due to the surrounding gayface, J. Bryan Lowder lack of female cast members to ˆll the part. ƒe reason nothing states, “Part of the gay community’s resonated with me sexually during that scene is attributed to patience with gayface has to do with a the levity of the interaction; it was never intended to be taken kind of representational pragmatism: seriously, and only served as a bit of comedic relief. It was great Many gays are so happy to see a story theater in its own right, but it takes a truly solid immersion like Harvey Milk’s told at all that into a character to produce a sexuality that is so wholly other. they’re willing to cede the role to Sean ƒis sort of unrealized, pseudo-sexuality plays into Sedgwick’s Penn” (Lowder). As well they should detailing of what she calls the “universalizing view,” which be, considering that Milk is perhaps the details that such homosexuality is rather something that exists seminal motion picture in support of in everyone to varying degrees of materialization (Sedgwick 1). the gay rights movement. It was a ˆlm Oftentimes detractors of gayface focus on the details produced to favorably re«ect society’s surrounding the performance, such as the sexuality of the actor, ever-liberalizing stance on sexual equality but seldom evaluate the performance itself, the intentions behind in the face of unwarranted homophobia it, and the overall e ect it has on mainstream audiences. When (Van Sant, 2008). ƒough Hanks and

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It is understandable to be cautious of homophobia leaking out IN ORDER TO PROMOTE on-screen at highly discernable and ostensibly mainstream A REFLECTIVE SEXUAL rates, but for the most part, the ˆlm and television industry has BALANCE, AN ACTOR adapted to ˆt the standards of the contemporary and liberal WHO IS ABLE TO FILL A viewing public, and so projects containing malice against queer ROLE COMPLETELY AND identities are rarely green-lighted for production. It is perfectly safe, therefore, for Hollywood to set aside sexual inhibitions, DO IT JUSTICE SHOULD and employ the foresight to not only preview, but also provoke PLAY THE PART egalitarian endgames in terms of total sexual equality. Indeed, one would presume that in a perfect world, sexuality would be less of a glaring stigma or taboo and more of a triviality, whereby for instance a character’s orientation—be it gay, straight, bi, trans, etc.—would be inconsequential not only to Penn, both of whom won the Best Actor most plots, but also to his or her merit by the conclusion of Oscar for their respective work, are the ˆlm’s narrative arc. ƒus, if a character’s sexuality is of little straight men, one should consider the importance in relation to the theme, the same logic should support they gave the gay community apply regarding the sexuality of the actor playing that character. by bringing not only homosexuality, but Rather, in order to promote a re«ective sexual balance, an actor intimate, “alternative” sexual expression who is able to ˆll a role completely and do it justice should into a positive light (Van Sant, 2008). play the part. Of course, though the queer A large reason why many actors delay their coming out of rights movement has been making the closet until they have established their careers and fan bases gradual headway with the advent of the is the fear of typecasting; once the cat is out of the bag, they will twenty-ˆrst century, there still remains never again be seriously considered for straight roles. It is indeed a just reason to be wary of surfacing a valid fear, one that was perhaps most famously demonstrated by homophobia in public outlets. Needless the late Rock Hudson, an iconic heartthrob in mid-twentieth- to say, American culture has not yet century cinema. ƒough he never publicly identiˆed himself as achieved sexual equality, and sociological gay, up until his death from AIDS during the epidemic of the precautions must be made to prevent 1980s, it has long been recognized within the industry as truth negative out«ux against the movement. (Bensho 203). In fact, Hudson was known to employ the use However, the prohibition of gayface of “female beards” to conceal his homosexuality, including his should not be one of these precautions. sole wife Phyllis Gates. One cannot particularly blame Hudson,

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who, for the bulk of his career, hinged on his marketability as gay couple Mitch and Cam. Essentially, what a typical male lead was expected to be. In other words, if there is anything their numerous com- he employed what could be considered as straightface almost bined accolades are evidence of, it is that exclusively. He even portrayed a straight man pretending to be not only can gayface be productive, it can gay as part of an elaborate ruse to bed Doris Day’s character in also coexist and thrive o of an authentic the romantic comedy Pillow Talk, another meta performance queer performance. with the application of hindsight (Bensho 93). On a macro In a pragmatic attempt to further level, all of this can argue for the disa¥liation between an actor’s divide the actor from the part by tearing private and professional life, in the hopes that the former should down the fourth wall, what makes the have no sway over the latter. Of course, this would devalue the discourse of gayface more intriguing is potentially opportunistic decision of a straight actor to play a the role of the camera as the catalyst in the queer character, in the hopes of critical acclaim; but the choice entire discussion. To put it mildly, were of an actor-character combination should be made based on cameras not to be rolling, it is doubtful how it enhances the ˆlm itself, not the possibility of accolades. that anyone would care whether the ƒis comprehensive argument for gayface does not actors interact in such a physical manner. call for its monopoly. It does not, by any means, suggest that No one would take issue with Jim Carrey gay actors cannot inhabit gay roles, for that would simply be and Ewan McGregor actually having counterproductive. Fundamentally speaking, it only advocates sexual intercourse, should they suddenly its continued employment in Hollywood and elsewhere without have the desire to; it is only when it is an inhibiting consciousness, which elicits such meticulous put to celluloid that their gayness is micromanagement of the casting process. Rather, it is more in considered potentially harmful to the favor of a laissez-faire approach, one that does not take an actor’s sexuality in account at all. In fact, there have already been cases wherein gayface actors have performed opposite actual gay actors with much success; cases wherein the parts ˆt the actors, rather than the other way around. ƒe television sitcom Modern Family is perhaps the most exemplary of these, exhibited by the widely commended onscreen relationship between openly homosexual Jesse Tyler Ferguson and heterosexual Eric Stonestreet as the

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queer community. ƒis highlights the mainstream audience’s di¥culty with sexual experimentation in reality and on-screen. Homophobia exists in human society and, like all forms of bigotry; it is not something that is likely to be entirely extinguished. ƒere is no problem with looking back on the grueling and still incomplete road to sexual equality as a helpful reminder, but one must also keep an eye on future dealings; an endgame, if you will. ƒough gayface is not quite so paramount now, it will be very much so in the generations to come, in order to cement a maximally egalitarian society. At the very least, gayface should be employed if only for the actors themselves, who, like me, will be able to unlock alternate components of themselves through their characters’ sexualities. In French philosopher’s Michel Foucault’s study e History of Sexuality, he posits,

ƒe truth is drawn from pleasure itself, understood as a practice and accumulated as experience; pleasure is not considered in relation to an absolute law of the permit- ted and the forbidden, nor by reference to a criterion of utility, but ˆrst and foremost in relation to itself; it is experienced as pleasure, evaluated in terms of its inten- sity, its speciˆc quality, its duration, its reverberations in the body and the soul. (57)

Even if gayface actors can reach this summit in their performances, Foucault’s argument should be the only rationale necessary to ensure its survival. In fact, gayface, though relevant, ideally should not be a term used often at all. It should be something seldom thought of, more of an afterthought in the grand scheme of the performance. ƒis is how gayface ˆts into a sexually equitable society: present, but incidental to the overall depiction of human character.

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Behind the Candelabra. Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Perf. Philadelphia. Dir. Jonathan Demme. Perf. Tom Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, and Eric Zuckerman. Hanks, Denzel Washington, and Roberta Maxwell. Jerry Weintraub Productions, 2013. Film. TriStar Pictures, 1993. Film.

Bensho , Harry. Queer Images: A History of Gay Rogin, Michael P. Blackface, White Noise: Jewish and Lesbian Film in America. Lanham: Rowman Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot. Berkeley: & Littleˆeld Publishers, Inc., 2005. Google Book U of California, 1996. Google Books. Web. 13 May Search. Web. 13 May 2015. 2015.

Brown, Nicholas. "Why Do I Still Feel Uncomfortable Sedgwick, Eve K. Epistemology of the Closet. Berkeley: Playing a Gay Man on TV?" ƒe Atlantic. Atlantic U of California, 1990. Print. Media Company, 27 Dec. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. e Birth of a Nation. Dir. D.W. Gri¥th. Perf. Lillian Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Gish, Mae Marsh, and Henry B. Walthall. David W. REFERENCES Subversion of Identity. New York: Routledge, 1990. Gri¥th Corp, 1915. Film. Print. e Celluloid Closet. Dir. Rob Epstein and Je rey “Christian Bale Biography.” IMdB. IMdB, 15 Oct. Friedman. TriStar Pictures, 2001. DVD. 2015. Web. 30 May 2015. e Mask. Dir. Chuck Russell. Perf. Jim Carrey, Del, Chris. "Do Great Performance Justify "Gayface"? - Cameron Diaz, and Peter Riegert. New Line StageBuddy." StageBuddy. N.p., 23 June 2014. Web. Cinema, 1994. Film. 30 May 2015. e Silence of the Lambs. Dir. Jonathan Demme. Perf. Foucault, Michel. e History of Sexuality. Vol. I. Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Lawrence A. New York: Vintage, 1978. Print. Bonney. Strong Heart/Demme Productions, 1991. Film. Hanks, Tom. "Playing the Part." Interview by Emily Rizzo. Newsweek 14 Feb. 1994: n. pag. Google Tropic under. Dir. Ben Stiller. Perf. Ben Stiller, Jack Groups. Web. 26 May 2015. Black, and Robert Downey Jr. DreamWorks SKG, 2008. Film. I Love You Phillip Morris. Dir. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Perf. Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, and Wong, Curtis M. "GLAAD's 2014 Studio Leslie Mann. EuropaCorp, 2009. Film. Responsibility Index Ranks LGBT Representation In Hollywood." ƒe Hu¥ngton Post. Kelly, Christopher. "Are Straight Actors in Gay Roles ƒeHu¥ngtonPost.com, 22 July 2014. Web. 30 May the New Blackface?" Salon. N.p., 12 June 2013. Web. 2015. 30 May 2015. Photo Credit: Folkert Gorter Lowder, J. B. " e Curious Case of Gayface." Slate. N.p., 6 June 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.

Milk. Dir. Gus Van Sant. Perf. Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, and Emilie Hirsch. Focus Features, 2008. Film.

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