Microagressions and Celebrities coming out.

[sasha_feather]

Actor Wentworth Miller of "Prison Break" came out publicly, making it politcal, making it about Russia.

George Takei posted this on Facebook:


["Wentworth Miller reveals he's gay." Photo of Miller. Photo of Obi-Wan Kenobi. "I feel a great disturbance in the force, as if millions of women suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly followed by millions of gay men crying out in joy."]

I saw a similar reaction on an acquaintance's Facebook feed, where a gay man posted in support of Miller, and a presumably straight woman said, perhaps in jest, "I am not pleased!"

The microagressions here are many. I wish his coming out were a neutral piece of news, or focused, as he meant, on Russia. Instead we get this.

There is something here about Miller's body as public property, which is part of being a celebrity, and I don't think it's wrong to admire and sexualize celebrities. In fact I think it's often great! But I think it goes too far when people express this creepy sort of ownership over celebrities' bodies, and rules about who can and can't desire them. Because Miller is gay, now suddenly women can't desire him anymore? Who made up that rule?

The Obi-Wan meme erases the experience of queer women entirely, assuming that all women are straight. It also ignores bisexual, asexual, and other queer people. Yes, I realize that it's just a meme, and meant for humor. But it isn't funny. I am really glad about Miller coming out, and doing so in an explicitly political way.

The women saying "I am not pleased!" no doubt think they are saying this statement in humor. I always want people generally to say they are pleased by queerness. Expressing displeasure at someone's queerness sure sounds like homophobia even if you don't mean it that way. It also centers these women's own feelings as hetero women, and assumes that all good looking actors should somehow be available to them sexually. This sort of magical thinking is really strange.

Malinda Lo said the other day on Twitter, that people are shocked and appalled when a character they think should be straight turns out to be gay. I think there is some of that happening here. Miller is a very good looking hunk, someone "masucline" in appearance, not stereotypically gay, and so some people react with a kind of outrage. A hunky man like that is gay??

Comments

[naraht]

This is so complicated. As you say, the microaggressions are many and difficult to disentangle.

First, yes, obviously, no one ought to express disappointment at someone coming out, unless possibly there's an intimate relationship involved, in which case things are a bit stickier.

Second, not sure you're right to say that the meme "erases the experience of queer women entirely." Surely Miller isn't magically more available to bi women then he is to straight women? (Though obviously bi women ought not to be complaining either, see point one.)

Third, I find a man posting a meme like that microaggressive in its own way, towards queer *and* straight women together. It assumes that all women will be unhappy about the news and therefore is pretty stereotypy itself.

[starlady]

The homophobia about book characters is often expressed as a betrayal of expectations--"how dare this book not explicitly say the characters are gay! I didn't want to read a Message Book!" Because queerness isn't normal. I'm not 100% sure it's the same thing in this case? Obviously it's still pretty homophobic.

Also, I didn't see this at all before. Gross, world.

[king_touchy]

Because Miller is gay, now suddenly women can't desire him anymore? Who made up that rule?

Yeah, that one always bugged me. I admired some lovely nude photos Rupert Everett to a friend once, saying wow, he's sexy, and my friend said, "You know he's gay, right?" The same thing's happened most times I mention a gay actor, whether in a "he's hot" context or not. So many times: "You know he's gay, right?" WTF? Being gay negates attractiveness? Being gay negates *MY* perceptions and feelings?

[eggcrack]

Yeah, there have been some unpleasant reactions to Miller's coming out. I've been mostly displeased with people who criticize his timing; yes, maybe this could have had different kind of impact if he had done it back when he was in Prison Break. However, celebrity or not, he has the right to do what he feels is best for him. I'm glad he took a political stance with it, but he didn't have to.