The Stage: Gay performers’ experiences of working in the entertainment sector are being put under the spotlight, following concerns the industry may not be safe for artists who are open about their sexuality.
A new Equity survey will ask gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members a series of questions about working in the profession, including whether or not they are ‘out’, what the positive or negative aspects of this have been and whether they have ever experienced homophobia in their careers.
11 comments:
Hopefully this survey will yield some insight into the experiences of LGBT people in the industry that can spark some progress. However, I feel that by only having LGBT people fill out a survey will leave a void of essential information from the point of view of heterosexual equity members. Granted, some of the survey questions would not be applicable to everyone. In reference to a scenario described in the article; it is not enough to find out if someone received professional advice to remain closeted or to come out and how that effected their life and career, but it is also useful to know why another professional gave them that advice. Equity is going to miss a big part of the picture. None the less, this survey indicates a move in the right direction. The fact that there is a survey at all means there has already been some serious changes in the industry regarding the LGBT community.
It is sad to hear that enough people in Equity feel uncomfortable being themselves for this survey to even be necessary. I appreciate that the article points out that people sort of stereotypically assume that everyone in the theatre/entertainment world is readily accepting of those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. That is obviously a misconception. This is still a severe problem within all social and professional circles in the U.S. Our country has a long way to go. I am pleased to hear that Equity is beginning to take steps in the right direction to correct this issue and make sure that all of its members are given the same respect and consideration, regardless of their sexual orientation.
This article was really interesting and necessary for people all throughout this industry and for people associating with this industry. Many people, myself included, don't realize that this can be an issue for the theater of all places. Coming out can be very difficult at times and being an actor or any kind of performer isn't exempt from that. I can see how others assume that it would be easier for someone that is used to being in the spotlight. The hunt for work and opportunities makes up a performers career, and making the right connections means everything. Being turned down because of sexuality never crossed my mind but I'm considering it to be more of an issue now that I'm aware of it.
Performing in general, is an interesting topic and maybe there is a question of where the performer starts to bring in their personal life. Connecting to a role on a personal level does make for a better performance. To feel uncomfortable with one's self hinders that, which is also hurting an actor's career. On top of that, it is simply disappointing that someone would be turned down for a job or bullied while on a job for their sexuality. Our sexuality should be a natural part of us that everyone should accept. It doesn't make a person a better or worse performer, sports player, musician, doctor, etc... The survey should bring some light to this issue and make a few changes. Maybe it is a naive way of thinking, but a person shouldn't be set back from something that isn't even an issue.
I agree with Shannon that equity is taking a big step by creating this survey. For as long as I can remember, the theatre industry has had a reputation for hiring many people from the LGBT community, so I am sad to hear that there are still many workers who feel that they need to hide this quality in themselves. Establishing this survey does at least show that the theatre community is taking steps toward making everyone feel welcome, which is already way ahead of many other industries.
I agree with the other comments about how this survey seems like a good thing, and a step in the right direction towards revealing and solving any issues that still exist in the the industry for people who feel they might be misjudged based on their sexuality. I would be very interested to see the results of this survey just to see how far off from reality the assumed perception is. Just because theater in known to be more open-minded than other fields, doesn't mean that issues of homophobia aren't present within it. The percetption could even make it easier for someone to conceal discriminatory actions, because it would seem less likely to happen.
I also agree with Abigail in that by only asking LGBT members of the community about their opinions they could be missing some key information. What stood out to me was that they said they were going to gather information from people who had not come out publically. If they haven't come out, and you're restricting the survey to people who are known to be part of the LGBT community... how's that going to work? Sure some of them could find the survey themselves and fill it out, but if part of the point of the survey is too see if anyone feels they have to hide their sexuality in the industry, wouldn't that be the sort of person who might chose to not take the survey because they're nervous about someone possible learning about their orientation before they are ready to go public with it?
For that reason alone I think the survey shouldn't be limited. That could then make it easier for someone who doesn't want to come out publicly to participate in the survey and allow Equity to gather information from the demographic they seem to most want to help. It seems like a good first step, but may end up falling short when it comes to getting all the information they are hoping to get.
At first I was surprised to hear that AEA may not be as initially gay-friendly as I had hoped, especially when so many openly LGBT actors seem to be getting roles in NY, both straight and not. However, I thought back to the NY Post article last year claiming that Sean Hayes (of Will and Grace) couldn't play straight in Promises, Promises, and the outburst it caused withing the Broadway community. Like another article this week about how women writers are being shut out of TV because they can't write about men, I think it is silly to think that an actor's own sexual orientation has any effect on how well he plays a character; it's ACTING, after all! I'll be interested to see this survey's results and if any immediate changes are made within AEA.
I agree with Shannon. It makes me feel so sad that there needs to be a survey like this. I know its bad saying this but I always just assumed that everyone in the entertainment and theater business were very accepting of those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. I know that's very naive but I have never experienced something that this before. But this is a good reminder that we are still dealing with a severe problem when it comes to LGBT rights and that even in the most accepting circles there are still problems that need to be solved and we cannot ignore them anywhere.
I agree with shannon too. Its sad that they need this survey and actually, I am surprised that people are being judges by their sexuality even in our field.
it's great that equity is trying to make everyone feel comfortable in their working environment. I wish more industries took steps like these. My brother is a waiter and used to work at this terrible restaurant where other members of the staff harassed him about being gay. It made his life hell. he eventually moved and went to work somewhere else. It infuriates me that people have to go through that.
When trying to decide my opinion on this question, I could not honestly swing towards one side of either yes or no. I can’t help but want actors to be comfortably “out” in the business and be open about who they are as person separate from their work. However, no matter how hard a performer tries, I feel that they will always be tied to their work and constantly be considered for future parts. They are walking clay waiting for a shape and adding color to the clay, is a predetermined factor when shaping the clay. In other words, actors cannot help but bring in their own lives and directors cannot help but see through them. Therefore hiding who they are sexually is silly, but I understand why it is being considering.
There definitely is an assumption in this industry that if you're gay, there's no reason to not be out because it's such an open and accepting industry. However, the line of work that someone is in is not the only factor that influences whether or not one wants to come out. Other factors include family, friends, culture, and upbringing. I would love to read the results of this survey and see how different actors have experienced how their sexuality influences their acting experience.
I guess I am surprised to hear that there is a potential problems for those with various backgrounds in our industry. I've always thought of theatre as a largely accepting community. Maybe it is personally accepting, and I hope the survey affirms that. On the other side, I suppose I never assumed there might be a professional bias when it comes to casting roles to actors. I will have to keep my eye on this and see what this industry is really like for some of our colleagues.
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