Queer as Folk I feel had a large impact on the way others view the queer world, whether good or bad, the show tried to make a difference and put some controversial issues out there. Friends is completely set in their own little world wih no queerness or race to stir things up, and it does not change anything in the world we live in. It seems as if they are living in their own little world of queerness and when something disrupts this, it is a big shock to the outside world of heteroness. While I understand that it is a show designed to show queer life (and Debbie and Daphnie could count as queer, despite being heterosexual) it seems that the characters have little contact or interaction with heteros(except when they are causing problems), which would be very unlikely in the heterosexual-dominted world. The only people I can think of that have a significant role as straight people are Debbie and Daphnie. Yet, there is a lack of “normal” or heterosexual people on the show.
Now, while there is very little racial diversity in Queer as Folk, there is a wide representation of “queer” people, including porn stars and drag queens and Queer as Folk does address a lot of queer issues and the realities of being a queer person. I guess my question is: is this lack of diversity of race a product of the television/film industry, the audience or a true representation of reality? Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part certain shows target certain audiences with a certain race, age, gender, and queerness. There is usually an all-white cast or all-black cast or all-latino cast take your pick of which race and you can usually find a show that shows a certain “racial culture” without actually including anyone of any other races.
First, there are no characters (none) that have any sort of significant role who are not white. Now, I love this show but it is horribly flawed as a representation of queer life. I’m a little late with my third blog post, but here is the issue I want to talk about: representation of queer peoples or people of race in the media, my main focus being on Queer as Folk.