H renovatn show The Block is famoly lackg diversy among s nttants – wh each year’s crop seemgly wher, more uniformly middle class, and more generilly attractive than the last. But this year Ne executiv have gracly allowed a gay uple, Mch and Mark, on the show – and they’re jt the kd that old school TV producers love; stereotypil, outrageo and edic.
Contents:
- THE BLOCK’S DARREN PALMER FENDS STG OF ‘EDY GAY UPLE’
- A GAY MICHIGAN COUPLE ARE FLIPPG HOM DETRO ON THEIR VERY OWN HGTV SHOW
- THE GAY DETROERS ARE ROCKG THE BLOCK YET ANOTHER HGTV REALY SHOW COMPETN
THE BLOCK’S DARREN PALMER FENDS STG OF ‘EDY GAY UPLE’
But this year Ne executiv have allowed a gay uple, Mch and Mark, on the show – and they’re jt the kd that old school TV producers love; outrageo and edic.
‘Image a day when gay upl aren’t st on Atralian realy TV shows as rtoonish edy figur or bchy antagonists, ’ tweeted an annoyed Matt, ially whout namg the show, amid a strg of scen that some perceived as playg on stereotyp. Judge Darren, who is gay, rpond that he feels the show has a good rerd wh the portrayal of gay people.
A GAY MICHIGAN COUPLE ARE FLIPPG HOM DETRO ON THEIR VERY OWN HGTV SHOW
Nomatg himself and fellow judge Neale Whaker as balance to Mch and Mark, Darren claims the show is great for the gay muny.
‘Wh 2/3rds of the judg beg gay & a large amount of people behd the scen the block do a lot for our muny. The days of gay people beg given space only if they perform as the clown or the bch are over. Matt clapped back at the judge for his 'misreprentatn' of his views, notg he was fely not cricisg Mch and Mark, but was rather highlightg how Asie realy TV seems to disproportnately st gay male nttants to play certa pre-termed characters.
‘I’m cricisg the stg procs that nsistently shoehorns gay men to those limed rol.
THE GAY DETROERS ARE ROCKG THE BLOCK YET ANOTHER HGTV REALY SHOW COMPETN
But Sunday night’s episo of Channel 9’s The Block — along wh s Monday night teaser — was somethg else Stt Cam’s nontatn wh gay nttants Mch and Mark is gearg up to be one of the uglit altertns I’ve ever seen on 21st century televisn. When kept happeng, over and over, particularly the broar ntext of the way Mch and Mark were portrayed by the show several other ways, the implitn beme gay boys om Sydney were makg a big, noisy, clichéd gay dis for themselv and other ivolo gays jt like them. Their terrace room, nudge, wk wk, was a “party room”, acrdg to Darren Palmer (at this pot, ’s perhaps worth notg that Palmer and Whtaker are both gay themselv).
Ever sce the “boys” — as the two mature men their 50s are variably lled — were troduced, the dience has been remd aga and aga that their fg characteristic is that they are “gay”. Durg Mardi Gras, the uple’s tradi donned fuchsia feather boas — bee “gay”. A few episos , Kylie Mogue appeared on set and Mch and Mark were the only uple told to forfe prec time workg on their build to go and meet her — bee “gay”.
Bee “gay” this is how sual, sid stereotypg and margalisg works — whether ’s aimed at gay people, people of lour, women or other non-domant groups. "Keh actually has a lot of experienc the nstctn dtry and a lot of homophobia and not super great employment opportuni for people like , " Thomas said. Conttants Warren Son and Gav Atks beme the first gay uple to feature on an Atralian TV show when they appeared on the first season of The Block.