“Louis” Talks About Queer Issues…In, You Know, A “Manly” Way

The clip below is an opening scene from the FX show “Louis”, a sitcom starring comedian Louis CK. Feel free to watch the whole thing, but the part I’ll be talking about starts at 4:10. Also, this clip is not safe for work…or class, in the event you’re reading this when you should be listening to a lecture (tsk tsk!) :

“Louis”, like most shows on FX, is primarily targeted toward men, so for producers to include a scene like this is…well, great. The vast majority of straight males I come in contact with throw around homophobic slurs almost as much as they throw around frisbees (I’m looking at you, quad bros), but they never stop to think about what that word really means, or the effect it has on the members of the LGBT community who hear it. And of course this isn’t limited to men on campus- I hear women using it too, but far less often. Bringing up the issue of homophobic language in such a funny way makes the issue approachable without being preachy or condescending. Most importantly, it asks the viewer to actually think about the effect their words have on others.

Maybe some people don’t consider the power of their language because they’ve never had a friendship with an openly gay person (I say openly gay because it’s important to realize that just because someone isn’t out to you doesn’t mean they’re straight. Often, LGBT individuals are forced to remain “in the closet” in order to conform to our society’s standards of gender normative behavior). In the show, Nick represents the quintessential straight conservative male, but he still is able to maintain a friendship with an openly gay man. If there’s anything to be said for the power of modeling, the depiction of their relationship in the show may be influential in how other straight men perceive relationships with gay men. And that’s where the power in this clip lies: it plants the crazy notion that being friends with someone of a different sexual orientation than you is okay. But how can you meet LGBT people without stereotyping or outing someone?  Try going to a Madison Equality meeting or taking a gender studies course. Even if you don’t become best friends with anyone, I can guarantee you’ll learn something.

I now leave you with this video of Louis CK’s stand-up on gay marriage. Please to enjoy.