GLR November-December 2023

As Sitcom Goes, So Goes the Nation

M ATT BAUME is a Seattle based podcaster and YouTu ber who’s the author of a new book with the clever title Hi Honey, I’m Homo! He explores the role that TV sitcoms have played in the ad vancement of LGBT rights through their ability to project queer lives into American living rooms and psyches. He covers the period from the mid-1960s, with Be

other genres. Also, comedy allows people to let down their guard as they’re intro duced to unfamiliar, even unwelcome, ideas. Because you see these characters on a weekly basis, they become like friends, and you’re more likely to accept their quirks or nonconforming behaviors. Baume’s book is divided into twelve chapters, each focusing on one sitcom, with chapters on Soap , Cheers , Friends , The

B RIAN B ROMBERGER

HI HONEY, I’M HOMO! Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture byMa tt Baume Smart Pop Books. 288 pages, $22.

Golden Girls , and Will & Grace , among others. They’re pre sented in chronological order, which allows him to trace the evolution of LGBT characters over time. Each chapter also in cludes a rundown of historical events, especially protests and demonstrations, that were taking place during the run of a given series. The premise of Bewitched (1964-1972), of course, was that Samantha, a witch, was married to a mortal advertising exec

witched , through Modern Family in the 2010s, showing how at titudes changed along with increasing LGBT visibility on TV. He credits TV with helping to move the cultural needle from vilification and erasure through caricature and tokenism to mild acceptance and even celebration today. Baume reminds us that in the era of Bewitched , “Television programs frequently resorted to disparaging tropes: pansy per verts, insane transvestites, criminal dykes. Whether Americans

named Darrin, who insists that Samantha’s status as a witch be kept a deep, dark secret, all in the in terest of living a normal life in the suburbs. The whole idea of hiding a secret identity is queer in it self, with witches as a metaphor for any group that has to hide its identity. In one episode, a number of witches are seen protesting with signs saying “Witches are people too,” mirroring the early pre Stonewall gay protests. Also ahead of its time was All in the Family (1971-1979). In the “Judging Books by Covers” episode, Archie Bunker, after thinking incorrectly that one of daughter Gloria and husband Mike’s friends was gay because he wore an ascot, comes to realize that his macho, beer-drinking, ex-football playing buddy is gay. Archie’s face “passes through several distinct emotions in the space of a few mo ments from confusion and horror.” The final sea son had an episode about a lesbian school teacher who could lose her job if she comes out, despite being kind and capable. This episode was rebroad cast the day before the vote on California’s 1978

Paul Lynde (as Uncle Arthur) was a campy presence on Bewitched .

Briggs Amendment, which would have blocked queer people from holding jobs in schools. It was defeated, and some people thought this episode might have played a role. Soap (1977-1981), a parody of TV soap operas, featured a gay character named Jodie, played by Billy Crystal. At first Jodie was confusing, because the writers were mixing up sex ual orientation and gender identity, with Jodie at times a gay man, at other times closer to transgender. Crystal met with the writers and asked that the character be more consistent and deep. Eventually Jodie comes out, co-parents as a gay man, wins a custody battle, and is proud of who he’s become. Will and Grace (1998-2006) was probably the series that had the greatest impact on U.S. society, later endorsed by no less than Vice President Joe Biden, who opined: “I think Will&

tuned in to watch sitcoms, dramas, or the nightly news, TV re flected the prevailing belief that queer people were, at best, mincing freaks and, at worst, a public menace.” It wasn’t until the 1970s, spurred by the growing Gay Liberation movement, that community organizers began to pressure the three major networks to stop airing cruel stereotypes and start taking a more realistic approach. Baume is aware that progress in TV representations may just have been mirroring changes in the larger society. He focuses on the role of sitcoms because he believes they can present social change in a way that’s less confrontational and threatening than Brian Bromberger is a freelance writer who works as a staff reporter and arts critic for The Bay Area Reporter . 38

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