Soc. 3251W Race, Class, and Gender

The 1999 film, But I’m a Cheerleader, is a satire of Middle America homophobia. The movie focuses on Megan, an “All American� cheerleader with the perfect boyfriend and the perfect life. The only problem is that Megan’s parents thought she was a lesbian. Her parents sent her to a (for lack of a better phrase) “gay rehab� called True Directions to straighten her out. True Directions focuses mainly on proper gender roles and appreciation for the opposite sex. The boys wear blue and the girls wear pink. The boys spend their days playing sports and chopping wood while the girls engage in domestic activities. The rehabilitation center encourages healthy homosocial contact while using electroshock therapy to shun homosexual behaviors.
This movie feeds into many of the current stereotypes about homosexuals and reactions to homosexuality. Homosexuality was viewed as a mental disorder that needed to be cured by proper role play and many of the homosexuals in the movie conformed to the effeminate/butch stereotypes of gays and lesbians. The fact that “treatment� was considered spending the day watching/playing football displays how deeply rooted notions of masculinity are tied to heterosexuality. Class and status issues are also addressed by the movie. The middle class family would not accept their daughter as she was because that would ruin their picturesque family. The title of the movie even addresses that issue – she can’t be gay because she is a cheerleader. I found it ironic that Megan challenged the ideology that lesbians were butch, but they still thought that baking cookies and moping the floor would turn her straight. This film was very interesting and creative because it mocked normative thinking in a comedy while still sending an important message.