In The Celluloid Closet, stereotypes for queer characters began with the "sissy". The sissy is the stock gay character used in early films. With an asexual role, sissies were used in films and were shown to be queer through subliminal messages. The understanding of these characters, according to Harvey, was never explicitly stated, but was known. Homosexuals in these early films were portrayed as villains and predators. Queer women in these films were either objectified or filled the predator villain roles. Being that the church kept these all of these characters from being shown as queer and righteous; the queer characters in these films were always in the closet. This has progressed through the decades, though every gay character had died fairly violently through the 80's. This has a profound impact because it taught the viewer that people who identified as queer were to be in the closet. Looking into Harvey's notion of visibility further shows the impact of the lack of representation in films. To accept such a negative depiction proves the desperation for a relatable character. Since these depictions were developed there has been progress in how Queer and GLBT people are shown in films. The age of the late 90's to early 2000's was the time of the all knowing and quip filled gay character. Though this was a more positive stereotype, it was still a stereotype. Until film makers start to use queer and GLBT characters in the same way they use the straight-white-male in films I will still be upset.
I like your last line because upset is pretty much how I feel at the end of every film I see unless I try to change the plot or ending in my head. The part that hit me the most in your last sentence was that if you erased the word queer, you could put virtually ANY other demographic in that spot and it would still make sense. That is what is most upsetting to me, that the entire film industry seems to revolve around the straight-white-male perspective. Even in movies like Hard Candy where there is a strong female protagonist and the white male villain dies in the end, you can't help but notice that Ellen Paige is definitely eroticized in certain scenes, and my point with that statement is that even in the "underground" or "indie" film realm, things still tend to be from a male perspective if not a white-straight-male perspective. Even within the LGBT community, patriarchy still has a strong grip on things. For instance if you look up "gay bars" in google search, they will generally be geared towards men, and it is nearly impossible to find more than one lesbian bar (at least in Minneapolis). If we can't throw off patriarchy in the queer community, how will it ever be defeated in the mainstream?
The most equalized gay character I can think of is Ian from Showtime's Shameless(US). The show is about six neglected kids ranging from 2-21 years old living in Chicago's southside projects. While Ian is miserable, alone, and constantly struggling, his five other siblings are doing the same. Ian's hardships have nothing to do with the fact that he's gay. His relationships are painted no differently than the ones of his straight siblings. When his older sister Fiona brings another inappropriate stranger home, and his brother Lip once again sleeps with the engaged neighborhood slut, Ian has sex with his best friend's brother and is judged no differently than the others. Another refreshing facet to Ian's character is that he is far from Hollywood's standard "sissy." Ian is a well respected ROTC with dreams of attending West Point after high school. He is strong, masculine, and who he has sex with is as important or unimportant as any other straight sex occurrence in the show. It's a shame that the only way for a GLBT character to be seen as equal to other straight characters is through a balance of negativity, but it is absolutely a start. More of this to come, please!