Hollywood gay writers :: out, and here to stay

Once upon a time, there were projects on film, stage and television being churned out by Hollywood writers who had to keep their personal lives secret in an effort to keep working and not let any close-minded industry executives deter their efforts to do what they loved most - writing. The bad news is that while many writers may have enjoyed successful writing careers, they were never able to write about what mattered to them most and kept a big part of themselves buried in the closet. �

In 2009, however, that fairy tale (no pun intended) is mostly a distant past. The times have changed for the better.�Just this past year out and proud screenwriter Dustin Lance Black gave an eloquent acceptance speech for his script to Milk, a film that would have never have been greenlighted 15 years ago. But as gay subject matter mainstreamed across mediums, writers were also able to not only step out of the closet personally but also showcase works that showed various sides of LGBT life and instead of being chastised, be celebrated.

LGBT writers unite!

Today, the powerful Hollywood union known as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) not only protects the rights of its members but also includes a diversity department that supports the various groups that need a place to have their individual and unique voices heard. �

However, in this age of fighting for equality, why do any groups need to be separated in order to be heard? What do a group of gay and lesbian writers have to teach the rest of the creative community? And what is working and not working today in the entertainment arena as far as gay and lesbian representation. EDGE's Jim Halterman talked to members of the WGA's Gay & Lesbian Committee for answers.�

Check the big gay box

First up, what exactly is the mission of the WGA Gay & Lesbian Committee? In existence at the WGA since 2002, the mission of the committee is, according to Co-Vice Chairman Daniel Vaillancourt, "to be placed within the Guild where gay and lesbian writers can come and communicate with others like them. We also serve an informational kind of role for people who aren't in the LGBT community and who might need anything as far as fact checking or anything; we are that informational resource for them. We're also social and we put on parties, great events and there's an educational aspect to that so it's informational, educational and social." �

But what happens as Hollywood has increasingly grown more comfortable with gays behind and in front of the camera? That, according to committee Chairman Gary Goldstein, is actually part of the challenge of not only the committee but of LGBT writers in general. "One of the issues," Goldstein explained, "is that gays and lesbians, particularly in Hollywood, are not always seen as a minority." �

How much of a minority are gay and lesbian writers in the WGA? While there is currently no solid number available, the Gay and Lesbian committee has made progress to change that, according to Goldstein. "Thanks to the head of the diversity group, Kim Myers, she instituted a member information form. You can now put down whether you're gay, lesbian or bisexual and also we're trying to come up with the percentage of how many LGBT writers the guild actually has."�

While being out and proud is a common thought, Goldstein stated that traditionally a lot of gay and lesbian writers may not want to proclaim their orientation in writing, though he stressed that such a statement would actually benefit them in the long run and, in turn, put more money in their pockets. "The presentation of this is that the more people who will say that they're gay, the more potential work you may get because we can use the numbers to make contacts to keep the Guild's general outreach when they're looking for gays and lesbian writers for projects."

Accidental homophobia

With every positive example like Sean Penn's portrayal of Harvey Milk, there are not-so-positive examples still out there in the media, too. So, overall, what does the Gay and Lesbian committee do to spread awareness of gay portrayals in media? While Goldstein stressed that the committee is not a watchdog group, that doesn't excuse their pointing out any negative portrayals.

"I think sometimes it's what I call 'accidental homophobia.' People don't even realize it. As many great strides have been made as well as great, realistic portrayals of gays and lesbians over the last 10-20 years there's still a certain amount of accidental homophobia that does come out and often to get the easy laugh. It's like anytime you have a senior citizen cursing or you have a nun falling down an escalator; they're easy laughs."�

One recent blockbuster film mined laughs at the expense of the LGBT community, said Vaillancourt. "Sometimes what we do see in movies, as you know, as late as The Hangover, which has a couple of homophobic touches in there. I loved the movie but there's still Mr. Faggot/Dr. Faggot jokes that just aren't right."�

Goldstein added, "Very often, we'll see a movie and say 'That was really a terrible portrayal of a gay character in that movie.' It's not done on purpose, but let's make the gays the butt of the silly joke whether it's two straight men accidentally landing in the same bed, waking up next to each other and screaming their lungs out. Any of that silly stuff where it's homophobic. Maybe the filmmaker didn't do it on purpose; it's just to get an easy laugh and sometimes it's offensive."�

However, instead of just being a group that sits around and bitches about the misrepresentation of gays and lesbians, the committee can also use their position to educate someone like a film critic. Vaillancourt explained that the members of the committee can use their influence "to write to a reviewer at the LA Times and say 'You mention how many girls love Zac Efron in High School Musical but do you realize that a lot of gay teens also love him? You have to talk about that." I've had LA Times reviewers send me back an email and they'll say "Oh my God, guys, I'm so sorry! Yes, you're absolutely right and I'll be more careful in the future." �

Co-Vice Chairman (and husband to Vaillancourt) David A. Lee added, "For the record, that has happened about three times in the last three or four months where writers have thanked us for writing to them and alerting them."�

Also, by making their presence known not just among gay and lesbian writers but, instead, everywhere in Hollywood, Vaillancourt stated that "the committee has given us that good housekeeping seal of legitimacy and authority and where we can say something as part of the wider creative community in Hollywood but we're the gays so we're not going to just let things slip by anymore."

Come one, come all

While the Gay and Lesbian committee is there to be a place for LGBT writers to gather, the doors are always wide open for anyone who wants to be a part of their discussions and events. "We have four big Guild-wide events every year where we invite all Guild members and certain outside affiliated groups," Goldstein said. "We've done such great outreach and networking within the industry itself that I think a lot of Guild members - particularly writers on our committee - have been helped work-wise and given a lot of people the opportunity to be seen and heard and distributed.�

"We have a lot of speakers come in the individual monthly meetings and to meet the people in the group so it's been a very good resource for networking and just, in general, anytime you get writers together whether they're like-minded writers or not, anytime you get writers together and get them away from their desks and away from their houses and offices, that's always a good thing to remember that you're writing in the real world and that there are other people out there in the world doing the same thing, going through the same problems and good things and bad things that you are." In fact, recent visitors the group's meetings have included Dustin Lance Black (Milk), Don Roos (The Opposite of Sex), Candis Cayne (Dirty Sexy Money), Doug Spearman (Noah's Arc) and Peter Paige (Queer as Folk).�

Not surprising (considering the LGBT community is often the one to start hip and cool trends) other committee groups within the WGA have looked to the Gay and Lesbian committee for inspiration. Every November, the committee presents "The Gay Scene," featuring short scenes from LGBT themed television, film or stage scripts. 'The Gay Scene' has "been so successful that all the committees are doing them so once a year or more there's a women's scene, a Latino scene, an Asian scene," Goldstein said. For the other diversity groups, the scenes have "been very successful for them and...some of these committees, when they do their staged reading scenes, they'll do them at studios where studio executives actually come and hear the scenes."�

LGBT on the Tube :: Thumbs up for Modern Family

The television landscape as seen ebbs and flow over the past few years in respect to fewer gay-centric shows like The L Word and Queer as Folk but more gay characters being a part of more mainstream series such as Modern Family and Law & Order: SVU.

But which kind of representation is better for the gay and lesbian community? "I'd say both," said Gay and Lesbian committee member Kelly Rouse. "There are some people who say let's celebrate our queer culture and preserve it and everything; but I think you can do both. I think it's great to show our lives but, also, my wife and I might be different in that we don't live in West Hollywood and we're out in the 'burbs of Woodland Hills. There are two other lesbian couples in our neighborhood -- I only know that because I met them when they had NO ON PROP 8 signs in their yard. Most of our friends are straight. That's just our particular reality, so I say that it would be great to do both to be seen by the mainstream since there are still people out there who don't know gay folks, but also to be able to represent ourselves in shows like Queer As Folk and The L Word."�

One thing Rouse would like to see is a few more lesbians involved in the committee. "I wish there were more of us [but] I don't think that they have a way of how to go about outreach to get more women. The guys [in the committee] are great and they've been very welcoming but it would be nice to have some more voices and different voices." And while lesbians are visible in television, Rouse said there's always room for more. "Obviously, Ilene Chaikin is a big voice for lesbians and getting that out there and, of course, the [upcoming L Word] reality show I think will be interesting to see how that contrasts over the fictional show. As far as entertainment in general, the only lesbian characters I can think of now are on Grey's Anatomy and that's nice because that show has such wide viewership."�

While Goldstein has yet to check out Modern Family, his hope is that "the portrayal of gays and lesbians, especially on successful TV shows is realistic whatever way they approach it. If it's funny, smart and realistic and it represents a certain element of any group, I think it's okay. Everybody's idea of what makes a positive portrayal is very subjective and I know for me when I write gay characters I just try to write the most realistic and smartest ones that I can."�

Vaillancourt said that there should be no limits to the extent of gays and lesbians in television. "I think both [mainstream and gay-centric] shows are needed. I miss that there isn't another L Word. I miss that there isn't another Queer as Folk on the air. I think there should be but, at the same token, I love Modern Family. I love its presence. I love what it's doing."�

Vaillancourt also feels strongly that "every show on network television and on cable should have a gay character because every life in America now has a gay character in it. It's increasingly the rarity that can really, truly, confidently proclaim 'I don't know a gay person.' You may not know you know a gay person but gay lives tough every life in America so every show should have a gay character and that's what's really shameful about the business is that there's not more. �

Overall, the WGA Gay and Lesbian committee definitely has made a difference. "I think it definitely has been a positive influence at the Guild," Lee said. "There are many people on the LGBT community in Hollywood but it hasn't really been brought to the forefront that we're there and the committee just shows that we're part of the writers community and we're out and proud members of the LGBT community and we're able to sometimes assist people who need help with LGBT characters and issues that might come up within a script. They will come to us and ask us and sometimes people are actually looking for gay writers and it's a great place where they can come to as part of the Guild."�

One thing that Vaillancourt can't help but think about on a regular basis is "what would it be like if we weren't there? If there was no Gay and Lesbian writers committee there would be no Gay Scene, there would be nowhere for the Writers Guild board and members to go to and ask those questions or to find those resources." The good news is that LGBT writers don't have to worry about it - the Gay and Lesbian committee is here to stay.�

For readers in the LA area, the Writers Guild of America's Gay and Lesbian Committee meets every third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm.�?�?�?��?

Names for photo of Outfest/WGA Words, Pictures, Music Panel 7.11.2009---H.P. Mendoza (Fruit Fly), Bill Condon (Chicago, Dreamgirls), Randal Kleiser (Grease), Outfest Executive Director Kirsten Schaeffer, Allison Burnett (Fame 2009), Leslie Dixon (Hairspray), Peter Barscchini (High School Musical 1-4), Winne Holzman (Wicked), Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King), Moderator Michael A. Kerker