The Invisible Gay Moviegoer

I understand that the idea that gay men (and lesbians) are fans of Sex and the City is a widely accepted generalization. Not all of us are fans of the show. Not all of us stood in line to help the movie make nearly $100 million in its first ten days of release. But many of us did – a fact that surely helped the movie achieve its rapid, and stunning, success.

So why didn’t the news media figure out that ticketbuyers weren't all straight women (and the few husbands/boyfriends they managed to “drag” along) who made the Sex and the City movie a hit?

I was thrilled at the initial success of the movie, but frustrated by the simplistic coverage that focused on whether or not “women” would make it a hit and whether or not there were “enough” women to help the movie compete with the other summer blockbusters. Every news story I read questioned whether women would turn out (before the opening) and then gave women credit for the movie’s huge opening weekend.

As Carrie Bradshaw might ask in an episode of the television series, “If we’re invisible, does that mean we aren’t there?”

If my moviegoing experience (in a multiplex in a major urban city) is any indication, plenty of gays (and a few lesbians) went to see the Sex and the City movie in its opening weekend.

Does the news media not realize that gays and lesbians go to the movies? We’re a small audience to be sure, but for an industry that prides itself on focusing messages on key audiences and sub-audiences, we should be a prime target. Yes, we go to the movies. And yes, we spend money on a wide variety of films. For every gay or lesbian person in line to see Sex and the City this month, there was likely at least one in line to see Ironman or the latest Indiana Jones movie (two movies that are on my list to be seen this month).

Much is made every week of the staggering amounts of money made by this film or that film. And much is made of “who” was in the audience. But, news reports only focus on gays and lesbians if the movie is Brokeback Mountain or a similarly gay-themed feature. Talk about a generalization! As if we only go to movies about our lives. That’s as ridiculous as assuming that only straight people enjoy watching the antics of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha.

As we celebrate Pride this month (and we start to see news coverage about corporate engagement with our community), I hope news media will start to see the gay and lesbian audience as part of the broader consumer audience, not just for fashion or liquor, but for movies and other hallmarks of the typical American consumer experience. We’re here, we’re queer and we go to the movies!

Comments

[helga]

I think that Sex and the City - http://file.sh/ex+and+the+city+torrent.html was created as entertainment for those women who feel not quite good in bed with men. In general, it is a movie for relaxation and not a teaching book.