Why are so many hollywood actors gay

Not so long ago, when discrimination was more extreme, those actors who did come out would have suffered the penalty of lost work. So why is there a discrepancy when it comes to mainstream cinema? Can Hollywood be seen as a beacon of enlightenment when it comes to gay matters?

Knowledge is power. I think the show-runners are actually exploiting lgbtq people. During the Golden Age of Hollywood in the s, actors and actresses shot to fame—but only if they tailored their images to the demands of the big studios. We had gay characters on tv, but they didnt make out with someone every time they were on camera.

The same logic does not apply to straight actors, like “Call Me by Your Name” stars Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet, for whom playing gay (albeit in a prestigious film) actually bolstered. Some gay media activists put the blame on studio executives whose views they claim are behind the times.

Despite big names in American sport, music and broadcasting coming out of the closet, no major A-list Hollywood star has yet declared themselves to be gay. It changes their level of understanding.

Is Hollywood really gay

Hollywood’s Gay Double Standard: Why So Many Actresses Can Come Out, But Young Actors Stay in the Closet. Out of films released, only 14 of them had a character identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual and sometimes they were on screen for little more than just a few seconds.

Hollywood has always been a world of illusion—a place where the brightest stars shined on screen while their off-screen lives remained hidden in the shadows. None of the films had a transgender character. Nowhere is this more true than in LGBTQIA+ Hollywood history representation in the entertainment industry.

The Oscars was recently hosted for the second time by Ellen DeGeneres, an openly gay woman. LGBT characters routinely appear in movies and an increasing number of actors are coming out of the closet. For decades, queer actors, directors, and creatives were forced to live in secrecy, their personal lives hidden behind fabricated.

But there are no guarantees that the studios would embrace a newly proclaimed, openly gay megastar and slot them into a high-profile role. There are many in the LGBT community who are determined to see that change. There are more gay characters on screen than ever before.

He hopes the film studios can learn from the TV industry. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. Most would agree that at first sight, screen depictions of gay people, and the narratives in which they feature, are more positive than ever, especially on US television.

But Billik believes there will be change. I think once that A-lister comes out more will follow. For some in the LGBT community, having a major star come out is seen as vital because of the impact it could have on isolated gay teens who may be struggling with their sexual identity.

Price to pay? The big six studios are hardly paragons of innovation, originality and inspiration. But generally speaking they are thought of as being politically liberal and progressive. For LGBTQ+ actors, that often meant.

There is still the view that a gay actor well known for playing the heterosexual romantic lead might no longer be able to find work in those roles if he revealed he was gay. US television is radically different with whole TV shows built around gay characters.