“Saying gay people shouldn’t be the punchline is basically saying don’t make people the punch line, which I think is ridiculous. The whole point of comedy is on some level to make fun of ourselves and put everything into an absurdist context. To me, all facets of life are completely absurd. It’s all about context, and bottom line: Is it funny? You can make a mean joke and it’s fine if it’s funny. If it’s not funny, then it’s just purely mean.”— Actor and comedian Billy Eichner, in a thoughtful guest column published by Variety about LGBTQ representation in film and television.
In Quotes
Is it OK for LGBT characters to be punchlines?
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Xzamilloh
Right on… we fought for the right to be treated equally to everyone else, and we can take a joke. Right Billy Eichner, you shrill 8 foot billy goat.
Lvng1Tor
Problem is, is that we are not treated equally and humor should be the last leg of equality, not the middle.
That being said, there is a difference between having good fun with someone’s sexuality or joking about a trait that person has vs reducing them to a stereotype (happens more with race) that is used on a constant to keep people down or reducing them to just their sexuality. Hopefully, the comedian is intelligent enough to know that. Quite frankly, no straight person has earned the right to call me a fag or any variation on it. I find that many don’t know the nuance of understanding and having fun…just attacking. But I have the privilege and ability to one, stand up for myself and two, walking out and having damn fine day anyway.
Or like your joke, it has nothing to do with his sexuality at all. He just happens to be gay. Seriously pisses me off when someone is joked on that has nothing to do with their marginalized status but yet is labeled bigoted because that person is of a marginalized class.
Mo Bro
Of course it’s okay.
To think otherwise is to live miserably.
Alan down in Florida
It’s okay for LGBTQ individuals to be punchlines occasionally. Every one of every race, color, religion and sexual orientation is eventually used as a punchline. When the only LGBTQ individuals with visibility are there solely for the purpose of being a punchline is where things go wrong.
Eddie Jr
I don’t see why not. I’ve made some straight friends punchlines of some of my jokes. No problem.
KaiserVonScheiss
Agreed.
DCguy
It’s fine, laugh away, however characters like Cam on Modern Family are just flat out insulting.