ACTING STRAIGHT
THE STORY.
Anyone who is not familiar with the gay scene and relies on (outdated) stereotypes, thinks of a culture of flamboyance and femininity. But masculinity seems the highest attainable. Dating apps are teeming with photos of sculpted torsos with tough looks, conversations are conducted as subtly as possible ('Hey man') and then there is also the recurring hashtag #mascformasc, code language for masculine seeking masculine. Others are even more direct, they use #nofemme in their profiles.
A survey of five thousand men by the British gay magazine Attitude in 2017 showed that 71 percent are turned off by feminine traits in a man. How is it that the gay scene glorifies masculinity? In the documentary Acting Straight: masculinity in the gay scene, Tofik Dibi and I investigate how this is expressed. Above all, the film exposes an uncomfortable truth: even though Pride is the mantra of the gay community, the shame of not being masculine enough still holds many gays in its grip.
THE FILM.
THE PRODUCTION.
Acting Straight was born from a process of self-examination by Tofik Dibi and me. We noticed that the gay scene can be a tough place, actually the opposite of what you would expect from a group of people coming out of the closet. According to the popular self-help book The Velvet Rage (2005) by American therapist Alan Downs, many gays suffer trauma because they realize at a very young age that they are growing up in a world that rejects them. In adulthood, this manifests itself through hyper-self-awareness and overcompensation to be loved and accepted. For example through a blazing career or perfect gym body.
Ultimately, the masc-for-masc culture is internalized homophobia. Those who deviate too much from what is seen as masculine are punished for it at a young age. If that is ingrained early, it is difficult to unlearn. As a result, it remains an internal battle after coming out, because it is so ingrained in your brain. For many gays, the gym is the easiest way to masculinity. They want to be able to move safely in the heteronormative world and feel that feminine homosexuals give them a bad reputation. This insight eventually led to making a film about this to bring about change.
My role
Director, scenario, camera
Release
Augustus 2019
Length
25 minutes
Film location
the Netherlands
Year of production
2018 - 2019
Broadcaster
VPRO
More info on
vpro.nl
