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Homosexual parenting in TV series
Following the adventures of two dads or two moms is more and more common in TV series. But how is homoparentality treated through these soap operas? Nicolas Bellet, head of the series section at Première.fr, enlightens us …
Homoparentality: TV late?
“Modern Family”, “Six feet under”, “Desperate Housewives”… all these successful series have dealt with homoparentality in various forms. Indeed, this subject is more and more frequent on TV. However, as Nicolas Bellet, section editor at Première.fr explains, the small screen which was “a precursor in homosexuality, especially in France with the character of Gérard in “The girls next door”, is behind on the issue of homoparentality. It is a relatively recent subject on television, whereas in general, this one tends to precede the questions of society ”. But the specialist observes above all a lack of commitment from screenwriters and directors. “Apart from militant series such as“ Queer as folk ”or“ The L Word ”, which specifically target the homosexual community, in series for all audiences, homoparentality is not at the heart of plot. Gay parents are often secondary roles. In “Modern Family” or “Brothers and Sisters”, they are drowned by the main characters “. TV is still cautious, we wonder why ”. And the series “Glee” is a perfect example: Rachel has two dads, but her family history is not developed, homoparentality is just mentioned. With the Cosby show in the 1990s, a series was for the first time devoted to the daily life of a black family. But one can wonder if the fact of not dwelling on this question does not mark the entry of homoparentality in the normality. Why make such a fuss about what would be ordinary ?
Gay marriage: gay couples victims of television discrimination?
For Nicolas Bellet, there is on the small screen some discrimination vis-à-vis gay parents. “They are under-represented compared to real society. In the television landscape, the traditional model is a dad, a mom and two children. No wonder then that the latest polls show that 50% of the population is against adoption for same-sex couples. I don’t know if that’s really his role, but television should be an opening to the world, to change mores. “
Scenarios galore
Failing not to open minds enough, homoparentality is “a mine of scriptwriting springs”. “In Tiger Lily, Lio plays a lesbian mom, in a relationship with a woman who bore their first child. In turn, at 45, she wants to be pregnant, to have a baby from her own eggs. In “The New Normal”, we realize how difficult it is to find a surrogate mother. It’s interesting to see all the issues related to homoparentality (going abroad to donate sperm, what role given to the father, etc.). “Clearly, the scenarios are not lacking and it is quite normal sincein matters of procreation, reality far exceeds fiction…