Ken Has Always Been Barbie’s Gay Bt Friend—Not Her Boyiend

Contents:

• THE TROPE OF THE ‘GAY BT FRIEND’ MOVI AND TELEVISN, EXPLAED
• 10 IENDS TO LOVERS TROP TO WRE GAY ROMANCE NOVELS ABOUT BT IENDS THAT HAVE GRIPPG NFLICT
• HIGH MATENANCE GIV US A BRILLIANT DENSTCTN OF THE “GAY BT FRIEND” TROPE
• KEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN BARBIE’S GAY BT FRIEND—NOT HER BOYIEND
• WHY THE “GAY BT FRIEND” STEREOTYPE NEEDS TO STOP
• THE PERFECT DATE SHOWS JT HOW BADLY ROM-COMS STILL TREAT THEIR GAY BT FRIENDS

THE TROPE OF THE ‘GAY BT FRIEND’ MOVI AND TELEVISN, EXPLAED

While straight people haven't always been supportive of our rights, there's nothg they want more than a sassy and stylish gay bt iend to give them advice, read them when necsary, and never be aaid to speak the tth.

10 IENDS TO LOVERS TROP TO WRE GAY ROMANCE NOVELS ABOUT BT IENDS THAT HAVE GRIPPG NFLICT

Kurt, played by Chris Colfer, actually had a lot of character growth over the seri, but still, for much of , he was basilly Rachel's gay bt iend. Cz beme the first out gay actor to play a lead gay character on Amerin TV when he played Vasquez, forever changg gay Hollywood ABC. One of the most classic exampl of this trope, the entire premise of Will & Grace was explorg the Gay Bt Friend and his relatnship wh his straight btie.

And while the trope was already old and ed up at this time, the show did help a whole segment of Ameri bee more fortable wh gay people, even if Will was played by a straight NBC.

HIGH MATENANCE GIV US A BRILLIANT DENSTCTN OF THE “GAY BT FRIEND” TROPE

The Hays Co, which banned nudy, suggtive dancg, ltful kissg, and of urse, pictns of "homosexualy" on screen.

KEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN BARBIE’S GAY BT FRIEND—NOT HER BOYIEND

Increasg acceptance over the past few s has allowed gay men to e out of the cematic closet, albe a limed pacy. GLAAD revealed at a panel Augt that 62 gay and bisexual televisn characters were killed off on televisn the past two years, cludg on Orange Is the New Black, Hoe of Cards, Pretty Ltle Liars, The Walkg Dead, and Empire.

WHY THE “GAY BT FRIEND” STEREOTYPE NEEDS TO STOP

From Aled Hchck's oedipal Bno Strangers on a Tra to his Leopold and Loeb stand-s Rope to the serial killer offg gay men the servedly much-maligned Cisg to the recent French film Stranger by the Lake, the praved homosexual has been a mastay of the big screen. Exampl of the evil and nnivg, while not necsarily murro, gay n be found Downton Abbey's footman Thomas, Orange Is the New Black's Pistella, Sndal's Cys, and Bat Motel's eratn of Norman.

Atralia's Wentworth rape to terrifyg effect while this season's Orange Is the New Black even clud a flashback sequence of gay male guard Pistella's rcerated love tert beg gang-raped.

The Unsettg Genr Reveal is a trope employed by Hollywood, ually for edic or shockg effect, which may have tragic unrton of homophobia and transphobia. Films gog back as far as the '80s Brish perd piece Another Country have featured gay male characters who e sex to ver for their abily to feel te timacy wh another human beg.

THE PERFECT DATE SHOWS JT HOW BADLY ROM-COMS STILL TREAT THEIR GAY BT FRIENDS

Queer people serve more than the mockery of trans/nonbary people seen the Zoolanr 2 character of All, portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch, or the butt-of-gay-jok character Bradley Dirty Grandpa. Almost as long as rom-s and high school TV shows have existed, the Gay Bt Friend(tm) has been a source of edy and ntroversy.

Often an important first step troducg queer storyl to mastream dienc, the GBF trope had a tenncy to rerce stereotyp about gay men: that their only terts are makeovers, shoppg and drama, that their stggl and relatnships fa to the background unls they're supportg a straight person's story, and that they only exist to be wise oracl about love and LGBTQ+ reprentatn Hollywood improv both onscreen and behd the mera, movi and TV shows are gettg creasgly self-aware, creatg gay characters who provi the ic relief we love while tearg down outdated ias.

Perhaps the earlit example of the classic Gay Bt Friend character is 1984 movie The Woman Red, a Gene Wilr edy about a married man who be obssed wh a mol (Kelly LeBrock) after he se her skirt get blown up by a wd grate, Marilyn Monroe-style.