How gay men are represented in media through out

time and how it applies to stereotypical gender roles.

Call me by your name

 Introduction
This essay analyses the representations of gay men in media and how the change in society
can be seen within Queer Cinema. Furthermore it will examine masculinity and femininity in
gay relationships with a focus on Luca Guadagnino `s Call me by your name (2017).

Key sources will be the documentary The Celluloid Closet (1995), which showcases how
motion pictures, especially Hollywood films, had portrayed gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender characters, Judith Butler`s book Gender Trouble: Feminism and the
Subversion of Identity (1990) in which she argues that gender is a kind of improvised
performance and Dan Callahan`s article Redefining Masculinity: On Armie Hammer In
Call Me By Your Name (2017).
 Early representation of gay men
Homosexuality something to laugh at, to pity or to fear

Hollywood taught straight people what to think about gay people. And gay people what to think about
themselves - no gay life shown in film - something is very wrong with you

homosexuality as a mental disorder - “Not until 1987 did homosexuality completely fall out of the
DSM.“ (Burton M.D., 2015)

“These early representations were often subtle or implicit because various production codes operating in the
United States and United Kingdom forbade explicit depictions or naming of homosexuality. During the
1940s, homosexuality was associated with disease and sexual deviance. This ensured that these early
depictions were unflattering. Gradually, as time progressed and homosexuality became a less taboo topic,
representations of homosexual criminality became less coded and more explicit.“ (Dalton, 2016)

 Art
Christian Leyendecker - women were never
quite as good-looking as his men

Hiding Homosexuality on the Cover of America’s

Magazines in 1930

“Leyendecker created more than 400 magazine

covers during the Golden Age of American
Illustration, painting a picture of the new 20th
century male and influencing millions of
Americans, few of whom knew he was gay.“
 Film
Hays Code - Sensorship = Did not erase gay subtext - just made it
harder to find

To write movies between the lines. Audience learned to read

between the lines.

Ben Hur (1956) - a very subtle love story between villain Messala
(Stephen Boyd) and Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston). Only Boyd
knew about this gay subtext and based his performance in this little
secret.

“The movie and its actors succeeded in covertly showing this romantic
and sexual bond between the two characters in a way that would not
be fully understood by mainstream audiences or the Production Code
Administration, therefore making it possible for an award-winning
biblically themed film in the 1950s to feature characters that have been
in a homosexual relationship with each other.“ (Mislak, 2015)
 The Sissy
- homosexuality as comedic

- clique/ joke

- A sissy made everyone feel more manly - Seems he didn’t have a sexuality

- Became the gay stereotype

“Although the Hays Code made it almost impossible for homosexuality to be shown on film, filmmakers were able to
hint at it by creating the “sissy,” portraying homosexuals as both villains and victims, and writing between the
lines.“ (Mislak, 2015)

“Homosexuality was always seen as an attack on masculinity and nothing was more threatening to the male ideal
then the gay “sissy.” (Mislak, 2015)

“When a man dresses like a women everybody laughs. When a woman dresses like a man no body laughs.“
Gender Roles - Masculinity & Femininity
Femininity - qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women.

Masculinity - qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of men.

Traits traditionally viewed as masculine in Western society include strength, courage,

independence, violence, and assertiveness.

“We are all half men and half women. We come from those two cells.“ - Actor Tony Curtis -
The Celluloid Closet (1995)
 Gender Roles - Judith Butler
Judith Butler - American philosopher and gender theorist

“As a result, gender is not to culture as sex is to nature; gender is also the discursive/cultural means by which “sexed nature” or “a natural sex” is produced and established
as “prediscursive,” prior to culture, a politically neutral surface on which culture acts” (Butler, 1988)

gender is produced by culture

“When we say gender is performed, we usually mean that we've taken on a role or we're acting in some way and that our acting or our role playing is crucial to the gender
that we are and the gender that we present to the world.“ (Butler, 1988)

“performed” sexuality

outer performativity of sexuality (“homosexuality” and “heterosexuality,” constructs are not innate but were “created” in time and space— only about 150 years ago)

inner (same-sex) erotic desire (which, though labeled differently over the years, has also existed since time immemorial).

outer sexuality - heterosexual (masculinity) VS inner desire - homosexual (femininity)

outer sexuality - homosexual (femininity) VS inner desire - heterosexual (masculinity)

 Gay Relationships
Model of heterosexuality in the homosexual community (who is the man / woman)

gives penetration or stimulation Top (dominant) / bottom who receives (submissive)

sexual role stereotypes (tops are masculine, bottoms are feminine)

-Twink - femininity

Twink (gay slang), a term for a young or young-looking gay or bisexual man.

-Hunk - masculinity

a large, strong, sexually attractive man.

1970s Tom of Finland - homoerotic drawings transformed the image of gay men

-hyper-masculine men, including bikers, sailors, soldiers, and cowboys

-two dominant (top) men

-versatile engages in both activities

 Gay Relationships in Film
Brokeback Mountain (2005) directed by Ang Lee - Gay cowboys
- masculinity

Cowboy is the iconic symbol of the American West

A cowboy is a man of substance, strength and courage

- in 2003, the Supreme Court made same-sex sexual activity

legal in every U.S. state and territory

“Lee shows us the penetration

Only sex scene:
immediately, there is no playfulness or
Jack - dominant - confident (top)
shared intimacy in it, it is instantaneous
Ennis - submissive - vulnerability (bottom)
and to the point in showing us who is
penetrating and who is getting
penetrated.“ (Rabbit White, 2019)

- Lee asked the two actors to be a bit violent while shooting, to

create “the most Western-heroic kiss.” “Jack’s cowboy wardrobe is notably
flashier than Ennis’s threadbare
one.“ (Rabbit White, 2019)
 Call me by your name
2017 coming-of-age romantic drama film
by Luca Guadagnino

based on André Aciman's 2007 novel

Set in northern Italy in 1983, Call Me by

Your Name chronicles a romantic
relationship between 17-year-old Elio
Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) and his
professor father's 24-year-old graduate-
student assistant Oliver (Armie Hammer)

Elio’s sexual confusion and adoration of

Oliver's masculine beauty
 Oliver
Oliver - Hunk - the object of his desire

represents the ideal norms of society on the surface

“Oliver is so comfortable with himself, so

glamorously tall, fit, and self-confident, that he’s
nicknamed the “movie star” by Elio’s
family.“ (Dominguez, 2017)

“Oliver is ostensibly a hypermasculine idol at the

beginning. He’s handsome, charismatic, carefree,
and lives life to the fullest, highlighted by his rabid
consumption of what life offers – drinking entire
glasses of orange juice in one gulp, dancing wildly
with numerous partners, exploring all of life’s
opportunities.“ (Branston, 2018)
 Elio
Elio - Twink

struggles with his emerging sexuality

“Elio’s contrasting alienation is portrayed as a kind of

precocious, diary-writing introversion, though also an
endearingly neurotic self-consciousnes.“(Dominguez, 2017)

“Their age difference is also a factor in their gender

difference; Oliver’s adult, hairy-chested butchness
versus Elio’s hairless twinkishness.“ (Dominguez, 2017)

“This initial attempt to copy him is arguably a

misinterpretation of his feelings by Elio, seeing an object
of affection as someone to copy, as might be a traditional
masculine response, rather than Elio’s true feeling, where
the affection shows his non-heteronormative interest in
Oliver as a sexual being“ (Branston, 2018)
 Scenes
First Meeting

“He walks stiffly, and his voice has the exaggerated bass male aggressiveness of Jon Hamm’s Don Draper on Mad Men. But when Oliver flops himself down on his stomach on Elio’s bed,
his body looks very open and submissive, and this establishes him visually as Elio’s object of desire.“ (Callahan, 2017)

Dance Scene

Song “Lady, Lady, Lady,” - lyrics are so intimate and sexual

Music changes to the Psychedelic Furs’ song “Love My Way,”

Elio joins - “This is the perfect image of both who they are and who they will be to each other.“ (Callahan, 2017)

“After the dance, there is a brief moment where Oliver still walks like the Big Man on Campus, but then he lets go and walks much more loosely and almost girlishly. Oliver is this big butch
guy whose masculinity is revealed as very much a performance that he is tired of. He would much rather be in flux, gender-wise, and he starts to be as he and Elio very slowly reveal their
feelings for each other.“ (Callahan, 2017)

Macho Voice

“Elio and Oliver’s relationship is free of the regular trappings of hetero-masculine aggression and stoicism. Both men even poke fun at having to perform the male gender: halfway into the
film, there’s a pivotal moment where Elio mocks Oliver’s “man” voice by making caveman-like sounds at him, at which point something loosens inside Oliver and he begins to speak more
freely.“ (Harrington, 2018)

“About 45 minutes into the movie, there is a key moment where Oliver does his “macho” voice for Elio, and Elio mocks it to his face. Elio reduces this macho voice to grunting nonsense
noises, and this seems to free Oliver from his vocal prison. That’s what someone who loves you can do.“ (Callahan, 2017)

 First Kiss Scene

Oliver allows himself to be dominated by Elio (in conversation)

“Oliver and Elio lay back in the grass together, and Elio says, “I love
this, Oliver,” and Oliver says, “What?” and Elio says, “Everything.” And
then Oliver takes a pause before saying, “Us, you mean?” “(Callahan,
2017)

“There is their age difference to consider (Elio is 17 and Oliver is 24),

but Oliver seems mainly just scared to do this openly with a guy. He
treats Elio as ethically as possible and makes him wait“ (Callahan, 2017)

“As Elio and Oliver relax on the warm summer grass, Elio decides to
grab Oliver’s crotch through his swim trunks. Oliver appears unmanned.
Oliver allows himself to be dominated by Elio.“ (Kulik, 2018)

 First Sex Scene

"… when Elio and Oliver finally have sex in Oliver’s
room, the camera pans from the bed to a tree
outside the window. (Guadagnino explained that he
preferred not to include explicit sex to make the film feel
more universal.) But it is part of these films’ tradition
that the innocence of nature acts as a kind of
backdrop or metaphor to naturalize men’s love outside
societal strictures.“ (Dominguez, 2017)

James Ivory’s original sex scene - never shot

Elio - bottom

Oliver - top

 Peach Scene
Elio uses the fruit to masturbate

Peach is a metaphor for anus butt and vagina

Also a literal bridge between Oliver and Elio - connects them

Film: Oliver does not eat the used peach

Novel: Oliver does eat the used peach

“In the novel, Oliver does eat the peach, but his almost eating it in the film
works very well because it reveals something about the characters. Lest it
should just seem like a gross sexual fetish, here is the extremely romantic
way that Elio describes Oliver’s thinking in the book: “I believe with every
cell in my body that every cell in yours must not, must never, die, and if it
does have to die, let it die inside my body.”“ (Callahan, 2017)

“This is the only moment after they sleep together where Oliver makes the
mistake of treating Elio like someone who is more experienced. Elio starts
to cry with embarrassment, and Oliver has to comfort him“ (Callahan, 2017)

 Call me by your name Scene

“The book's title, Call Me by Your Name, is something Oliver implores Elio to do after the two have had sex, and comes from a desire to blur boundaries between the self
and other.“ (Disabato, 2018)

There’s something particularly gay male about this constant mirroring: Elio wants to be Oliver, and in many ways sees him as a better version of himself.

VERSATILE

Book - “Elio prefers to fuck rather than be fucked. During their next sexual encounter that isn’t mitigated by a peach, Elio tops and Oliver bottoms, and Elio doesn’t feel any
postcoital regret.“ (Disabato, 2018)

BISEXUALITY

Elio - had sex with a girl

Oliver - getting married to a woman

fluidity as a sign of bisexual acceptance

"When he has sex with Marzia (Esther Garrel), he enjoys it, but more importantly uses it as a source of pride – bragging to Oliver – however the lack of a real romantic
connection with her removes the happiness that is traditionally associated with a first love. Meanwhile, when he first has sex with Oliver, truly embracing his sexuality, he
experiences true ecstacy. This could be seen to be saying that when Elio is following traditional heteronormative ideas of romance, taking the masculine ideal of finding a
beautiful girl and sleeping with her, he is not fulfilled, and only through rejecting the society-taught patriarchal scripts is he able to satisfy his romantic and sexual
needs.“ (Branston, 2018)

“This truly highlights the stereotypes society has presented for male masculinity. Elio cannot admit to himself the feelings he had for Oliver.“ (Kulik, 2018)

“The concept of universality is deeply political, because it helps determine what a culture pays attention to — and what remains invisible.“ (Guadagnino, 2017)

 Redefining Masculinity
Showing how the rejection of masculine ideals can lead to greater happiness
look of stirringly non-gendered pain and confusion

To get the very consciously masculine Hammer to show something soft and scared and broken

“Underneath the romance, the film’s deeper message comments on how adherence to traditional heteronormative
romance and the masculinity involved in such relationships can be harmful to the individuals involved, and not allow
a person to fully explore their being.“ (Branston, 2018)

END

“In this way, Elio is the real masculine idol. But not masculine in the traditional sense: a new modern way, where a
man can be a man but still love, lose, win, fail, be broken, and pick himself up; to improve himself through
acknowledging his past, and hopefully building upon it. Elio Perlman, one of the most wonderfully portrayed
characters in modern cinema, is less of a hypermasculine man’s man, and instead is who all men should aspire to
be, even if just for the chance of a beautiful summer with true love.“ (Branston, 2018)

Straight Actors playing gay characters

“Aciman is married to a woman, and he doesn’t believe in labeling sexuality. Guadagnino is gay. Elio and Oliver both seem
bisexual, but Elio is likely going to move more toward women as he gets older, while Oliver is probably going to move toward men
when he feels like he can. They won’t ever forget what they felt for each other, and maybe you could say that their lives will be
ruined because of that.“ (Callahan, 2017)

“But maybe what Call Me by Your Name (both novel and film) is saying is that you are lucky if you can have your life ruined by a
love affair, if you can feel something with that much intensity. Something of that intensity wasn’t meant to last. But that close-up
of Hammer’s face where Oliver tries to smile expresses the grief over that realization as profoundly as any human facial
expression I’ve ever seen.“ (Callahan, 2017)

Director Luca Guadagnino - “I think people are so beautiful and complex as creatures that as much as I am fascinated with
gender theory — I’ve studied Judith Butler for so long — I prefer much more never to investigate or label my performers in any
way. I only cast the actors and actresses I fall in love with — truly having an emotion for them, an anticipation and enthusiasm
when seeing them — and I believe that my emotional confidence in them blends into chemistry.” (Guadagnino, 2017)

“The film is an evocative look at a world set apart from these casualties of masculinity. It’s a hopeful reminder of what we’re
working towards, of things to come.“ (Harrington, 2018)

 Conclusion
Through out time, gay characters in film have been presented as something to laugh at, to pity or to fear. The stereotypical image of
the “sissy“ character showcased gay man weak and feminine but was used then, and even now, as a comedic effect in film.
Nowadays, gay men are still associated with those stereotypical images and struggle with the gender concept of masculinity and
femininity. But Judith Butler suggests that gender is produced by culture and we “perform” sexuality.

The film Call me by your name (2017) is able to escape the model of heterosexual relationships in gay relationships and represents
the characters Elio and Oliver shifting between masculine and feminine, dominant and submissive, active and passive.

Even though society became more aware of homosexuality, there is still a long way to go in order to present authentic gay
characters and gay relationships in modern cinema.

“[T]hey all participate, to varying degrees, in a version of what might be called…‘masc-centrism’: a perspective in which same-sex
desire is largely separated from any kind of gender nonconformity, while centralizing conventional masculinity.” (Dominguez, 2017)

“With the elegantly wrought prestige cinema unwilling to deliver realistic depictions of gender nonconformity that are pervasive in
queer culture both today and historically, and with reality television unable to break out of toxic queer-phobic tropes, it’s only the
novel that can deliver queer acceptance and realistic complication when it comes to gender and sexuality.“ (Disabato, 2018)

„For years filmmakers have struggled to tell gay stories at all. And now they can — they can tell real gay stories. It would be a step
backwards to reject what they’re offering. So we should all be ready for our close up, because the camera and the people on the
other side of it will eventually see humanity, not stereotypes.“ (Crosby, 2017)