# I don't understand why there's a Gay/Lesbian film section on Netflix **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910 "2005-03-04T16:18:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/21 "2005-03-04T19:23:41Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Nah, just learn to write more clearly. Keep it up, and maybe you’ll learn how to express yourself without having to resort to smilies. Seriously. Fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/22 "2005-03-04T19:28:07Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > Honestly? Because there are some folks in the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) community that only live within those confines. They only watch movies with GLBT characters or themes, only go to bars, restaurants that cater to GLBTs, and pretty much stay in their little GLBT circles. It’s a very sad, but true thing. The same thing could be said about furries, but I don’t see a section for THEM on Netflix (although Muppets Take Manhattan would probably be towards the top of that list) ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/23 "2005-03-04T19:45:38Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > The same thing could be said about furries, but I don’t see a section for THEM on Netflix (although Muppets Take Manhattan would probably be towards the top of that list) Are you also saying that Chuck E. Cheese counts as a furries’ restaurant? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/24 "2005-03-04T19:59:23Z")
I wouldn’t eat there, otherwise. The pizza is like cardboard. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/25 "2005-03-04T20:06:41Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > I have no major homophobia issues Just minor ones? Why would you feel weird about watching a movie that some database has tagged “gay”? Why would it make any possible difference to you? ---
**Author:** ![Hamish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Hamish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamish)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/26 "2005-03-04T20:11:37Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Or is it possible that there may be gay folks who might just be interested in watching gay-themed entertainment _in addition to_ hetero romances? It’s not as either-or as you make it out to be. I agree. Many of us do like to see ourselves in movies, books, music etc, aside from just one badly-written token character off in the margins. We don’t do it exclusively, but it is nice once in awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/27 "2005-03-04T20:14:28Z")
This Gay and Lesbian film section is tearing us apart! ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/28 "2005-03-04T20:38:58Z")
It’s a marketing scheme, just like labeling a movie “horror” or “science fiction” or “mystery” or “film noir” or “MST3K-worthy”. The advantage of a virtual directory is that a movie can be cross-referenced indefinately, you don’t have find one spot to put a movie…a movie can be searched by actor, director, plot elements, themes, country of origin, key grips, year released, awards won, whatever. It just so happens that there are a lot of confirmed bachelors and women who might be pretty if only they’d wear a little makeup out there, and it just so happens that those folks sometimes happen to find themselves looking for movies to add to their netflix queues. If letting confirmed bachelors know that a particular movie is likely to feature hot sweaty throbbing man-on-man action is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Of course, I, er, don’t care for it myself, but if THEY like it, well… ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/29 "2005-03-04T21:03:12Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > If letting confirmed bachelors know that a particular movie is likely to feature hot sweaty throbbing man-on-man action is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Of course, I, er, don’t care for it myself, but if THEY like it, well… Of course, some of us women who actually do wear a bit of makeup might not be offended by naughty boys at play! ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/30 "2005-03-04T22:08:56Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Nah, just learn to write more clearly. Keep it up, and maybe you’ll learn how to express yourself without having to resort to smilies. Sometimes an “argument” is so inane that it doesn’t warrant anything more than a smiley. **stpauler** ’s observation is completely, 100% valid, and so I repeat it here in its non-diluted, completely clear form, bolding mine: > [@stpauler](#): > > Honestly? Because there are **some folks** in the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) community that only live within those confines. **They** only watch movies with GLBT characters or themes, only go to bars, restaurants that cater to GLBTs, and pretty much stay in their little GLBT circles. It’s a very sad, but true thing. Which is a statement that someone would have to be just _looking_ to be offended to find anything wrong with. And it’s a completely accurate assessment of some people. Like the guy I went out with several months ago, who broke out _Sordid Lives_ on our first date as a “hilarious must-see” movie. And the rest of his video collection looked like he just used the Gay & Lesbian section of Netflix as a checklist, and then threw in a copy of each of the _Star Trek_ movies for “balance.” > [@Otto](#): > > Just minor ones? > > Why would you feel weird about watching a movie that some database has tagged “gay”? Why would it make any possible difference to you? Maybe because it suddenly means that some shallow person somewhere has tried to attach greater significance to the movie than it deserves. And suddenly you can’t say, “Well, you know, _Philadelphia_ was kind of boring” without having a bunch of screaming queens in your face saying that you’re a homophobe and probably a latent homo yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Hamish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Hamish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamish)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/31 "2005-03-04T22:24:33Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > Which is a statement that someone would have to be just _looking_ to be offended to find anything wrong with. And it’s a completely accurate assessment of some people. Like the guy I went out with several months ago, who broke out _Sordid Lives_ on our first date as a “hilarious must-see” movie. And the rest of his video collection looked like he just used the Gay & Lesbian section of Netflix as a checklist, and then threw in a copy of each of the _Star Trek_ movies for “balance.” Taken out of context, you’d be quite right. But look at the context of **stpauler** ’s reply. It answered the OP with a statement beginning “Because.” That’s restrictive – it leaves no room for those of us who like to watch queer film in addition to other films. It supplies a blanket answer that only takes one group of people into account as an explanation for the OP’s query. It does not take effort to be offended at that. Frankly, I thought **stpauler** ’s first reply to be deliberately inflammatory. To me, the “some people” refers not to “some people who use this database” – it refers to “all people who use this database” who in turn are a sub-section (“some people”) of the queer community. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/32 "2005-03-04T22:34:18Z")
> [@Hamish](#): > > Taken out of context, you’d be quite right. But look at the context of **stpauler** ’s reply. It answered the OP with a statement beginning “Because.” > > That’s restrictive – it leaves no room for those of us who like to watch queer film in addition to other films. It supplies a blanket answer that only takes one group of people into account as an explanation for the OP’s query. It does not take effort to be offended at that. > > Frankly, I thought **stpauler** ’s first reply to be deliberately inflammatory. To me, the “some people” refers not to “some people who use this database” – it refers to “all people who use this database” who in turn are a sub-section (“some people”) of the queer community. Deliberately inflammatory? To whom? To the sad, sad, subsection of people that live solely in their rainbow colored basements afraid of catching “the straight”? Yeah, to them. I’ll openly and honestly admit I have no respect for that type of person that lives so tightly in his/her enclave. Of course my word “Some” meant actually “some” and not ALL and my word “Because” meant “Because” because it was referring to the “some”. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/33 "2005-03-04T22:45:23Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > Maybe because it suddenly means that some shallow person somewhere has tried to attach greater significance to the movie than it deserves. And suddenly you can’t say, “Well, you know, _Philadelphia_ was kind of boring” without having a bunch of screaming queens in your face saying that you’re a homophobe and probably a latent homo yourself. If I can’t think _Philadelphia_ was boring without being labeled a homophobe then I don’t want to live any more. I don’t see how slapping a “gay” label on a film becuase it has gay characters or plots is “attaching significance” to it. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/34 "2005-03-04T23:07:33Z")
> [@teleute12](#): > > …_Muppets Take Manhattan_? A dozen umarried pastel colored characters walk through Greenwich Village while having fists up their bums… how much gayer do you get? ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/35 "2005-03-04T23:13:31Z")
> [@Hamish](#): > > Taken out of context, you’d be quite right. But look at the context of **stpauler** ’s reply. It answered the OP with a statement beginning “Because.” […] > Frankly, I thought **stpauler** ’s first reply to be deliberately inflammatory. To me, the “some people” refers not to “some people who use this database” – it refers to “all people who use this database” who in turn are a sub-section (“some people”) of the queer community. You’re right; it is about context. But honestly, I can’t think of a context in which saying “There are a lot of people out there who are all wrapped up in the gay” is offensive, exclusionary, or undue stereotyping. Except maybe the context of “I’m suddenly feeling defensive because I just realized I have all the episodes of ‘Queer as Folk’, _Longtime Companion_, and four Pedro Almodovar movies in my Netflix queue.” There are people who embrace the stereotypes and have absolutely nothing more to contribute to the world than the fact that they’re Gay Homosexual People Who Are Gay. And there are people who are desperate to distance themselves as far as possible from the stereotypes and deny that it has any relevance to them whatever. And then there are the majority of us who are somewhere in between, muddling through trying to figure out how significant it really is in day-to-day life and how much attention it really warrants. > [@Otto](#): > > I don’t see how slapping a “gay” label on a film becuase it has gay characters or plots is “attaching significance” to it. That’s kind of the whole point of the OP, though. If you’re on Netflix and you’re clicking on the “Gay & Lesbian” section, it means that you want to watch a movie about the whole “gay experience,” whatever that entails. And are you going to get that from _Go_ or _The Talented Mr. Ripley?_ (Personally, when I’m in the mood to watch a “gay movie,” I don’t mean _Love! Valor! Compassion!_, and they don’t carry those movies on Netflix). You could say that having gay characters in a movie is just incidental to the movie as a whole, has no significance, and would be appealing to anyone no matter if they’re interested in “the gay stuff.” If that’s the case, why the need for a separate section? Well, then that implies that this is the section for movies about Gay People Talking About Gay Things And How They Affect Them As Gay People. And if that’s the case, then… well, how much is there to say, really? You’re gay, and yeah, it’s difficult sometimes. What else you got? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/36 "2005-03-04T23:20:14Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > That’s kind of the whole point of the OP, though. If you’re on Netflix and you’re clicking on the “Gay & Lesbian” section, it means that you want to watch a movie about the whole “gay experience,” whatever that entails. But that’s you putting that spin on the label. Do you really think Netflix, when designating a film “gay,” is attempting to indicate that the movie is “about the whole ‘gay experience’”? Isn’t it more likely that “gay” to Netflix means “gay characters” or “gay plotlines”? > [@Sol](#): > > You could say that having gay characters in a movie is just incidental to the movie as a whole, has no significance, and would be appealing to anyone no matter if they’re interested in “the gay stuff.” If that’s the case, why the need for a separate section? Ease of use? Convenience to the customer who knows that, say, “Go” has gay themes but doesn’t know whether it’s a comedy or drama? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/37 "2005-03-04T23:29:21Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > Deliberately inflammatory? To whom? To the sad, sad, subsection of people that live solely in their rainbow colored basements afraid of catching “the straight”? Yeah, to them. I’ll openly and honestly admit I have no respect for that type of person that lives so tightly in his/her enclave. Of course my word “Some” meant actually “some” and not ALL and my word “Because” meant “Because” because it was referring to the “some”. You need to realize that many of us have read far too many denunciations to the effect that the only reason a person could be interested in Queer culture is if they were one of those chimerical people in rainbow-coloured basements care about. As your statement read, it certainly sounded as though that’s what you meant. Even accepting that you meant that _only one_ of the reasons for the category’s existence are these hermetically-queered people the community is supposedly beset with, the statement is still pretty skeevy. I mean, I’ve been accused of “living in a tight enclave” on occasion; what the accusation usually means is that I unrepentantly exhibit interest in (or even believe in the concept of) Queer culture and history, occasionally frequent businesses that cater to gays and lesbians, discuss the political implications of my sexuality, and do charity work with a view to preventing Queer youth suicide. _Quel horreur._ You can understand, then, why I’m suspicious of the whole idea that there are scads of fags living in a bubble, and that this category is set up for them. Blaming those scary ghetto queers is, fairly often, a convenient, easy-to-swallow manner to deny that Queers have a history or a culture, or indeed that we exist altogether. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/38 "2005-03-04T23:32:00Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > What else you got? A history? A culture? A community? A set of experiences we often share? A way to learn about different experiences that those like us face in other parts of the world? ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/39 "2005-03-04T23:42:06Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > But that’s you putting that spin on the label. Do you really think Netflix, when designating a film “gay,” is attempting to indicate that the movie is “about the whole ‘gay experience’”? Isn’t it more likely that “gay” to Netflix means “gay characters” or “gay plotlines”? I’m not talking about the Netflix Agenda, though, I’m talking about what a person is looking for when he starts browsing the “Gay & Lesbian” section. It means that “Gay characters” and “gay plotlines” are significant to him for whatever reason. Ergo, he’s looking for movies like _Bound_ not because they’re modern noir crime capers, but because it’s got two chicks doin’ it. > [@Otto](#): > > Ease of use? Convenience to the customer who knows that, say, “Go” has gay themes but doesn’t know whether it’s a comedy or drama? So is that the answer? It’s included to cater to people who are shallow enough that the fact that _Go_ has gay people somewhere in it is more significant than what it’s actually saying, and whether it’s funny or sad? _And_ is too lazy to type “Go” into a search field? Is _The Talented Mr. Ripley_ a movie about a homosexual, or is it about a sociopath who happens to be homosexual? Actually, the question has already been answered by **Hamish** and others, and the rest is just bickering. Some people want to see movies (at certain times, not at the exclusion of other forms of entertainment or other subject matter, offer void where not applicable, your mileage may vary) that have insight or a different spin on what it means to be gay. That’s not saying that’s all the movie has to offer, and that’s not saying that’s all the person is interested in. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910/40 "2005-03-05T00:01:45Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > I’m not talking about the Netflix Agenda, though, I’m talking about what a person is looking for when he starts browsing the “Gay & Lesbian” section. It means that “Gay characters” and “gay plotlines” are significant to him for whatever reason. Ergo, he’s looking for movies like _Bound_ not because they’re modern noir crime capers, but because it’s got two chicks doin’ it. Well… yeah. And sometimes I want to read _The Edible Woman_ or _Bonheur d’occasion_ not because they’re a feminist satire/a wrenching tale of poverty, but because they’re CanLit - they come out of, and speak to, and were seminal within, a particular culture: mine. Furthermore, I spend so much time being bombarded with images of straight people - not that there’s anything wrong with that - that sometimes I might like to see a piece of culture that has to do with my reality. It doesn’t mean I’m hermetically sealed; but it means that I am, in fact, not straight, and yet I occasionally like having my existence mentioned. I can relate to two boys or two girls in luff in a way that is different, more intimate, than the way I relate to a heterosexual love story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-understand-why-theres-a-gay-lesbian-film-section-on-netflix/292910.md?page=3)