Our topic for this week's blog is lesbian and gay pornography. I think that this topic is important because so many people in the world access information about their own and maybe about others sexuality through the pornography industry. The intention of this post is to get people thinking about the implications of pornography and the ways it might liberate or further oppress members of the GLBT community as well as heterosexuals who are trying to provide themselves with a better understanding.
From "Our Sexuality" by Robert Crooks and Karla Baur
"Sexually explicit films developed for heterosexual, gay, or lesbian consumers differ in some of their general characteristics. Much of straight porn is based on a formula of close-up views of various positions of intercourse... The gay porn industry is comparable in size to the straight porn industry and shows the same range of low-cost to well-made films. Most of today’s gay porn is made with well-groomed, muscular, good-looking men. Gay porn emphasizes eroticism of the male body and unfettered lust that ranges from aggressive to tender... Far fewer lesbian porn films are made, and they tend to be low-budget and unpolished compared with straight and gay porn. Most lesbian porn films feature real-life lovers. They realistically portray diverse and powerful lesbian sexual interaction instead of a performance for the viewer."
So this information poses a few questions in my mind:
- Do questioning men receive a perception of what "gay" looks like? And does this serve to push them further "into the closet"?
- Why less lesbian pornography? Is it a matter of market or something else?
According to an anonymous contributor to afterelton.com:
"Now there are two types of lesbian porn: those that appease straight men, and those that appease lesbians."
- What does this mean for lesbians? Are they meant to be objects of a straight mans desire?
- Why is lesbian pornography that is meant to appease men so much more popular than lesbian pornography created for lesbians?
From everything2.com, the following is a response to the question, "Why do men like lesbians?"
"Because the "lesbians" you're talking about are mostly-mythical creatures invented by the porn industry expressly for men to like watching, silly! Lesbian is a complex signifier, because it has to stand both for this lovely beast and for the many women who live every day with a lesbian identity, including women that many men find distasteful. It's cliché and only partially accurate to characterize it this way, but it makes some sense: the man-centered lesbian vs. the woman-centered. Generally, the lesbians in "real life" aren't interested in having men watch them, no matter how much pleasure they're giving or receiving."
- So does the pornography industry advocate for lesbian women and gay men by making films or does it promote further ignorance regarding being lesbian or gay or otherwise?
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Oh my, what wonderful information and complex questions. I don't have many answers to these questions but I do have a few comments.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I believe that since our society is geared toward white male privilege, (as we have learned), that is why lesbian porn for men is more popular than lesbian porn for lesbians. I have no stats to back me up, it is simply my belief that since white male privilege is so strong, of course, even something that should be for the enjoyment of women would be turned into something for men.
Secondly, I know many men whose fantasy is to watch or be part of a threesome with two women. I also know a few women, who are not lesbians, who have participated because it would please the man. This was not done under duress. It was something they wanted to do and enjoyed as well. In watching our latest video about being gay, I wonder if these women might be a 3 on the Kinsley scale. They participated because the man wanted them too, they enjoyed it, but they would not have had a sexual relationship one on one with another woman otherwise. ( I have to laugh because only ten years ago we would not have been talking about this, never mind blogging about it so openly).
Lastly, I look forward to reading the comments about what the porn industry does to the idea of homosexualism and heterosexualism, because I have no idea. My only idea here is that it may be like any other media medium in that it does not portray reality. If one is watching this to find out what it would be like, or to help them to come out of the closet, I'm afraid, (other than the films mentioned about lesbians), they are not basing their decision on truth.
Thank you for your comment Cindy. I appreciate your honesty.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and very intriguing questions, Jarica! I find that this topic pushes me a bit outside of my comfort zone, not so much because it involves a discussion of homosexuality but because it involves a discussion about sexuality. That being said, I applaud your courage, maturity, and sensitivity in addressing this topic.
ReplyDeleteAs to the questions, I have many thoughts. First, I read a study once, and I apologize for not being able to recall its source in order to give it credit, that indicated that males were much more sexually stimulated by visual stimuli than females. This class makes me question the biases behind that study, but it also makes me wonder to what extent biology explains the smaller amount of lesbian pornography. This is especially true when you consider that gay male porn is as big an industry as straight male porn, as your post indicated. I’d be interested in knowing the size of the straight female prom industry to test this theory, although I suppose that raises other issues. How is straight female porn and gale male porn different? How do you distinguish one from the other? How is straight male porn and gay female porn different, and how do you distinguish them? I find the questions complicated and fascinating.
Your post also raises the complicated issue of the role of pornography in oppression and advocacy. I have honestly never thought of pornography as a vehicle for advocacy before your post and this week’s documentary. The notion that pornography might provide a vehicle for reassuring someone that there are other’s like him or her is something foreign to me since I have benefited from the heterosexual privilege that exists in this society. I do think that it is very easy for this industry to perpetuate myths and stereotypes, however. Much like any media industry, the idea of “more is better” rules, and so the industry plays to the extremes rather than the norms of the heterosexual and homosexual experience.
In all, you have given me a lot to think about, and I look forward to others’ comments on this topic.
I am surprised that there are not more comments on this post. I would have thought that people would have a lot to say in regards to this controversial topic. Jarica I am glad that you chose to write on this topic it brings to light something that is seen as dark and dirty.
ReplyDelete