How important is accessibility?

With last week's readings, I was most struck by Su Friedrich's article. I was surprised when I checked the date it was written (1989), expecting something at least a decade earlier- it seems to me that while certain societal stipulations still seem frustratingly backwards, we have come a long way. The fight for equality seems to have shifted, somewhat, if only because "radical" is a term that now seems like it would be wielded by the oppressors, and one that many on the left want to avoid. We don't want gay or lesbian stories to be seen as radical based solely on the sexuality of the characters. Friedrich says, "Both avant-garde film and gay consciousness must be resolutely created in a world that insists on a homogeneous sexuality and narrowly-defined aesthetic enforced through a stiflingly limited media" (119). While the mainstream film world is still overwhelmingly heteronormative, I think our world has changed vastly since 1989 in terms of expecting a "homogeneous sexuality." We have gone beyond Shotime-only fare like "The L Word" and seen queer characters pop up all over television, from teen-aimed hits like "Glee" and "Pretty Little Liars," to shows that also have an older fanbase, like "Modern Family" and "The Good Wife," and "Rizzoli &...oh wait, never mind about that last one. Of course I'd also be remiss if I weren't to mention our good friends to the north and "Degrassi," which I think has probably now covered every possible issue that could ever possibly happen to anyone, now including transphobia. (Go Canada!) Actually the reason I bring up Degrassi is because of how it helped me start thinking about homosexuality when I first started watching it at 13 or 14 years old. It's a ridiculously soapy show, yes, but it talked openly about these issues when American television was full of stereotypes and nothing else. In essence, it "taught [me] about how others live, think and feel, and that experience has made me re-evaluate my own prejudices, taught me the narrowness of my own thinking and my own experiences, and compelled me to put my life in the context of all those other lives out there" (122). That's why I feel it's important to have films with these kinds of stories be accessible to a more mainstream audience. For better or worse, media is how many of us accept and learn things and grow as a result. -Chelsea Gibbs