Queer as Folk 5 Likes and 5 Hates
Queer as Folk was a groundbreaking for the time it debuted, a Republican President took over and the "Family Values Agenda" was enacted quickly. That usually means we don't like queers or any family outside of the suburban fantasy of a Father that worked and a Mother that kept up the house, which everyone knows is nearly impossible. I thought the show was amazing but there were also some things that rubbed wrong on me when I began to see the series with more mature eyes.
So here are 5 likes and hates I have of the Queer as Folk Series (2000-2005)
5 Love: Groundbreaking
When the performers read the script, they were a little taken aback by whether they were doing what the script entailed. It discussed rimming, frank depiction of gay male sexuality and a frankly underage kid doing what kids like to do, get laid. It showed us what gay life can look like: Gay bashings, HIV and relationships, bullying at school and a hostile school administration, parenting while gay, whether or not to come out on the job, drug addiction and even more that I can't mention. It didn't flinch away from frank sexuality either and even made fun of a sanitized version of gaydom by poking fun at a show called Gay as Blazes.
5 Hate: Why are they all white?
Watching this show, I would think that there aren't any gay people of color except as Dijon the Flight Attendant and the Godiva stand in. It would have been nice to see a black character that could slap down some of the characters with forcefulness that comes from the experience of a person of color. I mean, in Season 2 Episode 5 there WAS an interracial couple but it was a one off. While they did get into monogamy and rebellion vs assimilation in Season 5, it might have been good to have been good to see the white characters eyes open to the added layer of being black and LGBT
4 Love: Rebellion
Being that this was written in and debuted in 2000, it was a time when the US had a Republican President that had a political woody for banning marriage equality especially in 2004. Marriage bans definitely helped get Bush Jr elected to a 2nd term that year. It was a time that said "We will survive" I mean, after the AIDS epidemic and protease inhibitors, the gay bashing that seems to be looming every gay community and its members. The LGBTQ+ community has always had to fight for its survival and its right to be left alone. Not only that but to be judged by the same metric as everyone else is. Isn't that true equality?
4 Hate: Women & Misogyny
The biggest part that I hated was that you kind of knew that men were writing these characters as the men were well developed and so was Debbie but the lesbian couple was insufferable. Also, the guys would often say blatantly misogynist things and it seemed they got a pass because they're gay. Having a black lesbian to call them out on this would've made an interesting dynamic as having a woman in the main group of guys could show how a woman could be both one of the guys and one of the girls. One storyline I hated in Season 5 was when Lindsay cheated with Sam Auerbach and Melanie freaked out on her. Yet, as an avid watcher of the show I remember a certain someone cheating on Melanie after their darling Gus was born. Of course no one brought it up because they're removed from it, but it would've been nice to see Mel stand up for herself and say cut the shit, you cheated on me after Gus was born so stop being so superior! I think it could've done without the lesbians and not much would've been missed which is terrible because I actually wanted to like them
3 Love: Spectrum of Manliness
So this was a great point that I enjoyed, we saw Ted and Brian, people no one would peg as gay. Then Emmett and Michael were more likely to be clocked as gay. It was great to see the spectrum of manliness even with Michael and Ben. It showed Ben as a bookworm that liked basketball as well. Brian in one episode showed us that masculine gays are often subjected to a homophobia that's often undercover assuming they're one of the straights. It comes back up again in Season 3 when Candidate for Mayor Jim Stockwell found out he's gay and fired him
3 Hate: Lack of LGBTQ+ diversity
This is the worst of the offenses in my view. TV already has a race problem where you can rarely find a movie on a streaming site on the first page with a black cast member on the cover, and TV has this issue too. Not only does TV have it but this series suffers from it in the worst way. No transwomen are in there except for Kiki the new waitress and she is barely given any depth except to advance two plot points in the 3rd and 5th seasons. Dijon and Godiva stand in are the only black characters except for a scene where Brian realized he got robbed after Justin moved in.
But what if during the Stockwell arc they had a gay conservative that could take Stockwell and Bryan's side? What if that could've been Ted as he definitely pushed those inklings in the 2nd season. Or even a transwoman that Brian befriends to take over as partner and could give it back just as well as Brian gave it so that when she is fired and Vance gave some weird transphobic reason Brian could defend her in his own way and get her job back? Or having a bisexual man and seeing how the guys react to him when he finally dates a woman. These would've been a great way to diversify and make them a part of the story in a way that's not pandering and would add layers along with the narrative
2 Love: Rewatchable
Peter Paige said:They came for the Queer and stayed for the folk. I honestly love watching this show because I enjoy it. While it never catered to a mainstream audience, it knows what it is and never strays from that. People like authenticity and good characters. In this show we see the good and the not so good. Emmett trying to go straight is something many gay men struggle with, Ted and wanting men that don't want him, Brian running from his family issues by being promiscuous--we've seen it before and frankly, it's old, but the way they do it is refreshing and honest.
2 Hate: Club Centric Life
Gay Clubs have a part in the community for better or worse. Right now, we do have a lot of clubs closing as greater acceptability of LGBTQs and rights are recognized. However, the club isn't the only place that gays congregate. Many times you can find us in non queer events as well as queer events.
1 Love: Darker Turn in Later Seasons
This was the thing that I never really liked when I watched the show some years ago. However, as we went from Season 3 the carefree boys turned into men as we saw a few developments
Michael and Ben taking in Hunter and Hunter leaving later. Emmett got himself a place of his own but moved back in with Debbie. Honestly, I think I would've liked to see Emmett blaze his own path. Vic's death in Season 4 was a shocker to me because I thought he was going to last the whole run. I liked the turn because the show did take on a more serious tone as it evolved
1 Hate: Brian Kinney Defense
This was probably the biggest thing I hated. Petersen, Novotny and Taylor, the law firm retained to defend Brian Kinney and make excuses for him no matter what he does. While they do have a way of being blunt with Brian--along with Debbie--in a way that most people can't and cut past his heart. This just annoyed me, especially after he hurt and manipulated all of them. That was the worst thing to sit through all of the seasons
Well here are my Top 5 Likes and Hates of the show Queer as Folk, if you have any other likes or hates I didn't mention go ahead and write them down in the comments and I might just make another list of critiques of the show
Have a great one!
So here are 5 likes and hates I have of the Queer as Folk Series (2000-2005)
5 Love: Groundbreaking
When the performers read the script, they were a little taken aback by whether they were doing what the script entailed. It discussed rimming, frank depiction of gay male sexuality and a frankly underage kid doing what kids like to do, get laid. It showed us what gay life can look like: Gay bashings, HIV and relationships, bullying at school and a hostile school administration, parenting while gay, whether or not to come out on the job, drug addiction and even more that I can't mention. It didn't flinch away from frank sexuality either and even made fun of a sanitized version of gaydom by poking fun at a show called Gay as Blazes.
5 Hate: Why are they all white?
Watching this show, I would think that there aren't any gay people of color except as Dijon the Flight Attendant and the Godiva stand in. It would have been nice to see a black character that could slap down some of the characters with forcefulness that comes from the experience of a person of color. I mean, in Season 2 Episode 5 there WAS an interracial couple but it was a one off. While they did get into monogamy and rebellion vs assimilation in Season 5, it might have been good to have been good to see the white characters eyes open to the added layer of being black and LGBT
4 Love: Rebellion
Being that this was written in and debuted in 2000, it was a time when the US had a Republican President that had a political woody for banning marriage equality especially in 2004. Marriage bans definitely helped get Bush Jr elected to a 2nd term that year. It was a time that said "We will survive" I mean, after the AIDS epidemic and protease inhibitors, the gay bashing that seems to be looming every gay community and its members. The LGBTQ+ community has always had to fight for its survival and its right to be left alone. Not only that but to be judged by the same metric as everyone else is. Isn't that true equality?
4 Hate: Women & Misogyny
The biggest part that I hated was that you kind of knew that men were writing these characters as the men were well developed and so was Debbie but the lesbian couple was insufferable. Also, the guys would often say blatantly misogynist things and it seemed they got a pass because they're gay. Having a black lesbian to call them out on this would've made an interesting dynamic as having a woman in the main group of guys could show how a woman could be both one of the guys and one of the girls. One storyline I hated in Season 5 was when Lindsay cheated with Sam Auerbach and Melanie freaked out on her. Yet, as an avid watcher of the show I remember a certain someone cheating on Melanie after their darling Gus was born. Of course no one brought it up because they're removed from it, but it would've been nice to see Mel stand up for herself and say cut the shit, you cheated on me after Gus was born so stop being so superior! I think it could've done without the lesbians and not much would've been missed which is terrible because I actually wanted to like them
3 Love: Spectrum of Manliness
So this was a great point that I enjoyed, we saw Ted and Brian, people no one would peg as gay. Then Emmett and Michael were more likely to be clocked as gay. It was great to see the spectrum of manliness even with Michael and Ben. It showed Ben as a bookworm that liked basketball as well. Brian in one episode showed us that masculine gays are often subjected to a homophobia that's often undercover assuming they're one of the straights. It comes back up again in Season 3 when Candidate for Mayor Jim Stockwell found out he's gay and fired him
3 Hate: Lack of LGBTQ+ diversity
This is the worst of the offenses in my view. TV already has a race problem where you can rarely find a movie on a streaming site on the first page with a black cast member on the cover, and TV has this issue too. Not only does TV have it but this series suffers from it in the worst way. No transwomen are in there except for Kiki the new waitress and she is barely given any depth except to advance two plot points in the 3rd and 5th seasons. Dijon and Godiva stand in are the only black characters except for a scene where Brian realized he got robbed after Justin moved in.
But what if during the Stockwell arc they had a gay conservative that could take Stockwell and Bryan's side? What if that could've been Ted as he definitely pushed those inklings in the 2nd season. Or even a transwoman that Brian befriends to take over as partner and could give it back just as well as Brian gave it so that when she is fired and Vance gave some weird transphobic reason Brian could defend her in his own way and get her job back? Or having a bisexual man and seeing how the guys react to him when he finally dates a woman. These would've been a great way to diversify and make them a part of the story in a way that's not pandering and would add layers along with the narrative
2 Love: Rewatchable
Peter Paige said:They came for the Queer and stayed for the folk. I honestly love watching this show because I enjoy it. While it never catered to a mainstream audience, it knows what it is and never strays from that. People like authenticity and good characters. In this show we see the good and the not so good. Emmett trying to go straight is something many gay men struggle with, Ted and wanting men that don't want him, Brian running from his family issues by being promiscuous--we've seen it before and frankly, it's old, but the way they do it is refreshing and honest.
2 Hate: Club Centric Life
Gay Clubs have a part in the community for better or worse. Right now, we do have a lot of clubs closing as greater acceptability of LGBTQs and rights are recognized. However, the club isn't the only place that gays congregate. Many times you can find us in non queer events as well as queer events.
1 Love: Darker Turn in Later Seasons
This was the thing that I never really liked when I watched the show some years ago. However, as we went from Season 3 the carefree boys turned into men as we saw a few developments
Michael and Ben taking in Hunter and Hunter leaving later. Emmett got himself a place of his own but moved back in with Debbie. Honestly, I think I would've liked to see Emmett blaze his own path. Vic's death in Season 4 was a shocker to me because I thought he was going to last the whole run. I liked the turn because the show did take on a more serious tone as it evolved
1 Hate: Brian Kinney Defense
This was probably the biggest thing I hated. Petersen, Novotny and Taylor, the law firm retained to defend Brian Kinney and make excuses for him no matter what he does. While they do have a way of being blunt with Brian--along with Debbie--in a way that most people can't and cut past his heart. This just annoyed me, especially after he hurt and manipulated all of them. That was the worst thing to sit through all of the seasons
Well here are my Top 5 Likes and Hates of the show Queer as Folk, if you have any other likes or hates I didn't mention go ahead and write them down in the comments and I might just make another list of critiques of the show
Have a great one!
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