TV Show Character Helps Beat Homophobia

                The popular show Degrassi: The Next Generation features many stereotypical high-school-sitcom characters: there’s the cheerleader, the nerd, the jock. The difference with Degrassi, however, is that it boldly tackled issues that other high-school-themed series wouldn’t even hint to. Degrassi’s characters faced real world problems such as: sexually transmitted diseases, rape, bullying, eating disorders, and homophobia. Degrassi made an effort to represent one gay young man’s journey in discovering himself. This character, Marco, goes through many hardships, including friend estrangement and being jumped, in the process of coming out and accepting his sexuality. Using Barbara Smith’s “Homophobia: Why Bring It Up?” and John D’Emilio’s “Homosexuality: An Overview”, I will show that Degrassi’s portrayal of Marco helps to combat homophobia by  simply representing a part of the LGBTQ community in popular culture and showing the need for safe spaces and acceptance for the LGBTQ community.

                When Marco comes out to his friend Spinner, Spinner reacts by pushing him and writing “Marco is a fag” on the wall of the school bathroom. Marco faces estrangement from his family also, especially his homophobic father. On top of all this, Marco is physically attacked for being gay as he walked alone at night. D’Emilio, although he writes about the time before the ‘gay emancipation movement’, speaks on Marco’s struggle.  “Coming out – recognizing one’s homosexual desires, subsequently attempting to act upon them …was a lonely, difficult and sometimes excruciatingly painful experience…Sexuality created a profound, even disturbing, sense of difference from family, community, and society.” (20, D’Emilio 1983) However, Degrassi’s portrayal of Marco’s coming out showed an obvious self-realization in the character, something all people struggling with sexuality can relate to and hope for. As D’Emilio says, “Whatever the path by which gay men and women arrived at self-definition based on their sexuality, the labeling of one’s sexual desires marked but the first step in a lifelong journey of discovery that offered challenges, perils, and rewards”(21, D’Emilio, 1983). This coincides perfectly with Degrassi’s character arc of Marco. First, he denies his homosexuality to himself and others, but when he finally confronts it he is faced with both violent hardships and beautiful benefits. Although his coming out caused Marco to be beaten and made fun of, his friend Spinner eventually apologizes and even introduces Marco to Dylan, a character that becomes Marco’s boyfriend. Marco is shown compassion after being jumped and eventually becomes happier as a proud gay man than he was when he was closeted and confused. Degrassi’s character Marco serves the LGBTQ community and society in general simply by representing a young gay man in a positive and sympathetic light. This character made millions of viewers grapple with the issue of homophobia and homosexuality when they otherwise might not have.  Using Marco and his relatable struggle, Degrassi’s writers were urging viewers to accept and create safe spaces for LGBTQ people.

                Smith argues the importance of creating safe spaces as well, “both in the political sphere and upon the awareness of individuals” (101, Smith, 1993).  Degrassi raised the awareness of millions of individuals who watched and felt compassion for Marco.  This representation does have an effect on society, as individual viewers feel attached and empathetic toward Marco. Degrassi, in my opinion (much like the LGBTQ activism that Smith discusses) “served a highly educational function” (101, Smith, 1993) in creating the character of Marco. It is obvious, however, that the problem is not solved yet. I argue along with Smith that activism and the raising of awareness doesn’t fully solve the problem, especially in the school environment that Marco is portrayed in.  “Curriculum that focuses in a positive way upon issues of sexual identity, sexual sexuality, and sexism is still rare… schools are virtual cauldrons of homophobic sentiment, as witnessed by everything from the graffiti in the bathrooms and the put-downs yelled on the playground”(101, Smith, 1993).

 I’ve witnessed this type of harassment in my own experiences and as it happened to Marco. Degrassi’s very real and poignant portrayal of homophobia in society, family, and school serves to wake people up to the issue. Many things will need to be reformed in order to stop homophobia; education, both in school and in family life, needs modification to include LGBTQ issues.   Unfortunately, harassment still happens, though Degrassi did serve in helping to combat it through the character Marco.

               

               

Bibliography

Smith, Barbara. “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?” from The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. ed Henry Ablelove et al New York & London: Routledge,1993.

D’Emilio, John. “Homosexuality and American Society: An Overview.”
Politics, Sexual, Communities in the United States 1940-1970, Chicago
Press, 1983.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7uNqroLDdI