The San Francisco Examiner (3/23/92) printed an opinion piece by Jessea Greenman, co-chair of the San Francisco chapter of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) (and occasional motsswomon!) about "Basic Instinct". I think it's a fine attempt to put the objections to this movie in a meaningful context for a straight readership... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The motion picture "Basic Instinct" is upon us. OK, honestly now, what *do* you think of lesbians? Bisexuals? If you're hesitating about putting your thoughts into words, ask yourself what your reaction would be if your daughter (or mother) told you she is lesbian or bisexual. At this point, most "straight" people, if they are being honest, would acknowledge qualms about accepting a lesbian or bisexual daughter or mother. Some will fear for her physical safety in a world rife with hate, violence and discrimination. Some will worry that being lesbian (or bisexual) would hinder her success and happiness in life. Others might actually distrust her or doubt her mental health and character. Still others would feel repugnance toward the whole concept of women loving women and perhaps even turn against their own family members as a result. Why is this? Each person who harbors such impressions about the "risks" or "wrongs" of being lesbian or bisexual has a responsibility to ask where these beliefs and feelings come from. Do you know any woman who is lesbian or bisexual? A neighbor or friend? A colleague or relative? If you actually know any woman who is proudly lesbian or bisexual, then it's unlikely you would have such negative feelings and beliefs. If you do not know any lesbian or bisexual women, then on what is your belief system based? Your views about us lesbian and bisexual women are probably based on the negative myths and stereotypes about us conveyed to you over and over again by our culture. These distortions and misrepresentations pervade every niche of our society, from school textbooks to the offerings of your local magazine rack and nightly television shows. Such media are the most potent and prevalent purveyors of unfair and inaccurate images of us. Perhaps the media did not invent these myths, but they certainly perpetuate them on a daily basis. Hollywood is an enormously powerful engine of social imagery. Its record regarding portrayal of lesbian, gay and bisexual people is relentlessly negative. Name one Hollywood movie in which lesbian, gay or bisexual people are shown as the heroines or heros, righting wrongs and saving lives and so forth. If you can't name even one, don't feel bad. There aren't any. Instead, what Hollywood *has* produced, with unremitting consistency, are lesbian, gay or bisexual characters who are evil or sick or criminal or shallow or cold or manipulative and calculating or untrustworthy or all of the above, as is the case with "Basic Instinct." The lesbian and bisexual leading ladies in "Basic Instinct" have been concocted as amalgams of the worst character traits you can imagine. None has any redeeming social graces except physical beauty, if you can call siren-like allure that draws others to certain death a social attribute. All are implicated in a series of brutal killings. None of these characters has any raison-d'etre aside from plotting various schemes of revenge and murder. Americans are renowned the world over for our sense of fairness. Ask yourself, is Hollywood's relentless vilification of lesbian, gay and bisexual people fair? Why does Hollywood persist in choosing to make only movies with negatively stereotyped lesbian, gay and bisexual characters? When do we get our turn to be the good guys and gals? As consumers of American culture, you must contemplate the possibility that everything you think you know about lesbian, gay and bisexual people is not true, that your beliefs and attitudes are based on cultural myths. Go out and inform yourselves about us, by reading a book on our history, one of our literary works of art, the latest in scientific studies about sexuality or a study of our portrayal in cinema. Then ask yourself whether Hollywood's continued "gaysploitation" is warranted or whether in fact it is trite and cliched, unfair and unnecessary. Join us in calling upon Hollywood to open new vistas of artistic expression by exploring new themes and characterizations regarding our community. "Basic Instinct" represents the end of an era. The age of Hollywood's self-proclaimed innocence about its own homophobia is over. Hollywood's nonstop bias against our community will be revealed as we educate the American public about this issue. Perhaps then we can move forward together toward a society in which there truly is life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and justice for all. ------------------------------end of article------------------------- -- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= rod williams -=- pacific bell -=- san francisco -=- rjwill6@pacbell.com