Since the election of President Trump, a majority of late night hosts, internet personalities, and Hollywood celebrities have spoken out against the racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and homophobia of the administration. Fallon apologized for interviewing president Trump, SNL made fun of the administration every week this season, and Jimmy Kimmel made a plea to the presidentduring his opening monologue to do something about the health care problem in our nation. However, as these high profile media outlets keep pushing for more liberal ideologies, the LGBTQ+ community can’t help being the butt of an easy joke.
Last month, the New York Times painted Trump and Putin as lovers- hoping to get a laugh. However, we must step aside and ask what exactly is funny: are we supposed to laugh at two men together, are we supposed to laugh at the thought of two shirtless men hanging out, are Trump and Putin as lovers the worst thing we can think about them? The gay community has been used for a cheap punch line even though no one is laughing.
This month, Jimmy Kimmel has resorted to gay jokes to trash the Christian baker who refused to bake a cake for a transgender couple. In his monologue Kimmel said:
“It’s funny because this is a guy who spends all day, every day, meticulously designing flowers out of icing. His whole life is gay, okay? I don’t know if the wrong cake might bring that to life or what. You would think that someone who looks like the Reba McEntire version of Colonel Sanders would be more sympathetic to gender identity issues.”
Kimmel also used sarcasm to refer to the baker as “the totally straight cake baker.” Kimmel used a gay joke to defend a transgender couple showing that even as he tries to defend the LGBTQ+ community, his writers can’t help but insult them.
In a time where we are looking to push forward, we cannot stand by as these gay jokes thrive. There is nothing funny about Trump and Putin as lovers. There is nothing funny after someone suggests Putin and Trump get it on in the Oval Office. There is nothing funny after Kimmel says someone has a “gay” life for baking cake. The only people laughing at these jokes are the very people who don’t like the very same community used as the punch line. It is time to stop these jokes and hold people accountable.
It is important to note that while some outlets can’t help but resort to gay jokes, others go out of their way to avoid them. In March, Seth Meyers did a bit where he invited black and gay writers to finish the jokes he couldn’t tell. This bit involved Seth stepping aside as more qualified people stood up and told their jokes, showing us that the straight white man can’t say everything he’d like to. Maybe if more people learned when not to talk, we’d have a better time.
h/t: Mediaite, Fortune.com
I always interpret these
I always interpret these jokes by just how they would affect the targets' self-images. Neither Trump or Putin would every see themselves as gay lovers, so the joke is funny for its contrariness. Similarly, the baker will not see how his creativity might be interpreted as gay. These jokes have nothing to do with homophobia except to highlight that shown by the targets.
INSTINCT WRITERS ARE OFF THE
INSTINCT WRITERS ARE OFF THE EDGE LOOKING FOR HURT WHERE THERE IS NO HURT AND ENEMIES WHERE THERE ARE FRIENDS
It wasn't a very good joke but it was not anti-gay
I thought that the segment
I thought that the segment was rather humorous since it showed the blatant hypocrisy of that baker engaging in what his ilk consider to be stereotypically-gay activities.
I have been ridiculed by some
I have been ridiculed by some LGBTQI friends for saying this.(Probably the same ones who continue to eat at Chic-fil-a) Others have applauded my views.
…because liberals, like
…because liberals, like conservatives, are just self-righteous hypocrites?