Queer Depictions in American Cinema: Assumed Identities

Abstract

Like most aspects of homosexuality, depictions of gay ‘lifestyles’ andidentities were rare in any public forum in the United States, includingcinema, prior to the Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969. The subjectwas treated in most social and academic circles as too vulgar fordiscussion, let alone depiction, and there was a genuine fear that the verydiscussion of homosexual behavior would encourage it among those whohad never before considered it. In this environment, those who sensed inthemselves an attraction to members of the same sex, or any otheranomalous gender identity leanings, had only rumor and scandal toinform their sense of identity. For many queer individuals the derogatorydescriptions and condemnation that such stories perpetrated resulted inthem assuming negatives identities, often leading to self-hatred andsometimes-attempted suicide. This essay will look at the effect ofemergent queer cinema and depictions of non-heterosexuals inmainstream cinema on the self-image and psychological well-being ofthose who identify as queer.