Gay male flight attendants I’m So Exced: The history of the gay steward stereotype.

Contents:

• HOW THE GAY AIRLE STEWARD BEME A STEREOTYPE
• OUT OF THE CLOSET AND ON TO THE NWAY: GAY PILOTS
• OMAR LTLE ON ‘THE WIRE’ WAS ONE OF TV’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO
• THE GAY-FRIENDLIT AIRL THE SKI
• DIPLO ALLEGEDLY CAME OUT AND TOLD HIS FANS HE ‘MIGHT BE GAY’
• ICELANDIC AIRLE ANNOUNC ONE OF ITS AIRPLAN IS GAY

HOW THE GAY AIRLE STEWARD BEME A STEREOTYPE

In this sense, to some, Johnny reprents one of the movie's more problematic parts: an offensive stereotype of a gay man that hasn't aged well, time-stampg Airplane! (Source)It's also possible, however, that Johnny is actually progrsive for his time, a character that is unapologetilly gay an era where that was still taboo.

Stucker has a notable legacy as one of the first openly gay actors Hollywood at a time when there was ser paranoia around the AIDS epimic.

Some mentary on Pedro Almodóvar’s new edy I’m So Exced has noted that rerc gay stereotyp, particularly the characters of s sassy male flight attendants, who are all gay. Some stewards were hired back after returng om World War II—often out of a sense of loyalty or patrtic duty—but bee they performed what was nsired “women’s work, ” they were thought to be effemate and were therefore spected of beg homosexual, acrdg to the bias of the time. This perceptn was further rerced when the killg of a gay male flight attendant a “lover’s lane” Miami brought the stereotype to the headl of sensatnal stori the Miami Daily News.

OUT OF THE CLOSET AND ON TO THE NWAY: GAY PILOTS

In the macho, homophobic years of the 1950s, this provoked a crackdown on the cy’s unrground gay muny, and stori like the were seen as evince that gay people were “perverts. ” Many airl (some of which traed their stewards Miami) turn quietly did away wh hirg stewards, both gay and straight.

OMAR LTLE ON ‘THE WIRE’ WAS ONE OF TV’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO

Ever sce, men have generally prised about 15 percent of flight attendants, pendg on the airle, and a high percentage of the men returng to the ranks of the flight attendant rps the 1970s were gay.

For gay men, there were many reasons to bee a flight attendant— wasn’t jt the willgns of many to do stereotypilly feme work. As Tiemeyer wr, “the aisl and galleys of airplan, as well as crew hotels and crash pads, served the same role that other gays and lbians found bars: a place where they uld meet others like themselv and even embrace their same-sex sir for the first time.

They timated that “between 30 and 50 percent of male flight attendants were gay the 1950s, and between 50 and 90 percent the 1970s. The history of homosexualy and aviatn is not wily rearched or for that matter acknowledged, yet there is a rich history volvg this quiet group the field startg wh one of the first pneers.

THE GAY-FRIENDLIT AIRL THE SKI

The aviatn muny is startg to foc on this group of dividuals startg wh the Natnal Gay Pilots Associatn (NGPA).

Formed twenty years ago, the NGPA’s missn is to enurage gays and lbians to enter to the field of aviatn through tn, outreach programm and social events. You don’t have to be gay to be part of the anisatn, but you need to be supportive of the lbian and gay muny. ” The NGPA provis an avenue for formg allianc wh bs and airl wh the aviatn muny while matag a fortable environment for gays and lbians to reach out for support.

I remember readg articl (that’s what we ed to ll thkpiec, child) the queer prs eagerly applyg that sipid and blandly normalizg phrase “who happens to be gay” to Omar, as if were a prize medal.

DIPLO ALLEGEDLY CAME OUT AND TOLD HIS FANS HE ‘MIGHT BE GAY’

In season one, for example, dg-aler Avon Barksdale puts a price on Omar’s head – and upon learng that Omar is gay, promptly doubl . It was that the show never treated the outward signs of gayns as somethg Rickie should be ashamed of, or as thgs the dience should take as symbols for gayns wr-large. There was a specificy to the character that allowed him to move beyond the kd of didacticism "very special episos" featurg gay characters had long been rced to.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer didn't portray her as broken or wicked bee she was gay, but bee she was pa, and a pa that dienc uld unrstand stead of judge.

ICELANDIC AIRLE ANNOUNC ONE OF ITS AIRPLAN IS GAY

When Ellen Man says, "I'm gay" to an airport gate microphone, what she was really sayg was, "You loved me five mut ago, and I'm still the same person. For me, Jack's refal to be anythg but himself, to give anyone the power to huiate him, was credibly powerful to watch not only as a small gay child, but as a medium-sized gay adult too.