The movie Beginners is partially about the life of a man, Hal, who stayed married to a woman until her death, even though he always knew he was gay. After his wife died, Hal came out as gay to his son and put an ad in the newspaper to find a partner. In this blog post I will be analyzing the effect that a dominant heterosexual society can have on the mental health of an LGBTQ individual. Using Adrienne Rich's article on "compulsory" heterosexuality and Martin Manalasan's article on community, I will demonstrate how living in a society in which heterosexuality is the norm can effect one's mental health and take away one's true happiness.
Living a life in which everyone assumes heterosexuality as the norm can be devastating to one's mental health. In beginners, Hal's wife accused him of not showing any emotions, when in reality he was not able to express what he was actually feeling. In Adrienne Rich's article she explains that "if we think of heterosexuality as the "natural" emotional and sensual inclination for women, lives such as these as seen as deviant , as pathological, or as emotionally and sensually deprived" (1995,195). In Beginners, Hal expressed to his son that he had tried not to be gay for all the years he was married. He stated, "She proposed to me, you know? I said, uh look, I love you and we're great buddies, but you know what I am. And then she says that doesn't matter, I'll fix that. I thought, oh god, I'll try anything" (Mills, 2010). This demonstrates how an individual can be so desperate to fit in with society even though it doesn't make them happy. If one continues on to try to "fix themselves", it can lead to the deterioration of one's mental health because there will always be the idea stuck in one's head that there is something wrong with the way they feel. In Hal's case, it took a majority of his life to realize that there were other people that shared feelings like his.
In the movie after Hal's wife died and he came out as gay, there was an abundance of support from his son and his new found community. He was finally able to be himself and enjoy life. Not only was he engaged in a new relationship with another man, but he was also an active member of the gay community. The men often had social gatherings like movies night and book clubs. In Manalasan's article, he describes this community as "a sense of dissent and contestation along with the sense of belonging to a group or a cause" (1993, 275). Even when Hal was diagnosed with stage four cancer, he still seemed to be living his life and loving more than ever before. His son observed that, " for the first time I saw him really in love" (Mills, 2010) when watching his father and his boyfriend interact. This demonstrates the positive effect that a supportive community can have on one's mental health.
Even though Hal was influenced by a heterosexually dominant society for most of his life, he was still able to create a new life for himself with the support of his son and the gay community that he surrounded himself with. As demonstrated here, one can see how living in a society that is heterosexuality dominant can put ideas into one's head that homosexuality is not normal and should be "fixed". However, later in the movie we are able to observe a different side of society, which Hal was lucky to experience in his last few years. Here, it is obvious that a supportive community and family are key to one's happiness.
Bibliography
Adrienne Rich. "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence" from Professions of Desire: Lesbian and Gay Studies in Literature. ed. George Haggerty and Bonnie Zimmermann. New York: Modern Language Association, 1995.
Martin F Manalasan IV "Searching for Community: FIlipino Gay Men from New York City". GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. Routledge Chapman Hall, 1993.
Mills, M. (Director), & Urdang, L., Knudsen, L., Vanech, D., Van Hoy, J., Pencier, M. (Producers). (2010). Beginners [Motion picture]. United States: Olympus Pictures.
Reply by: Ryan Agsalud
ReplyDeleteI agree with your ideas regarding heteronormativity and its effects on society. In the case of Hal, he knew from the very beginning that he was gay, but due to the social climate towards homosexuality, he believed that he needed “fixing.” Gayle Rubin (1993) best explains it in her article when she states, “Variation is a fundamental property of all life, from the simplest biological organisms to the most complex human social formations. Yet sexuality is supposed to conform to a single standard.” This quote best expresses the idea of heteronormativity where any form of sexual activity other than man and woman is seen as deviant. The impact of heteronormativity was so evident during Hal’s earlier years that he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness and freedom as a gay man to fit into society.
A similar storyline was expressed on an episode of “Desperate Housewives.” In this story arc, Lynette believed her beloved stepdad left her mother because she was a horrible wife. However, it turns out, her stepdad left to finally embrace his life as a homosexual. Both Lynette’s mother and stepdad found it in their best interest to hide the truth due to the heavy influence of heteronormativity. Both “Beginners” and “Desperate Housewives” depicts the negative effects of heteronormativity towards the LGBTQ culture, such as the suppression of true identities, which Hal had to endure.
Another thing to consider is the fact that Christopher Plummer (the actor who portrays Hal and recently won an Academy Award for the portrayal) is 82-years-old. His character is depicted at roughly the same age, so it’s safe to assume that Hal was influenced by the wave of homophobia that occurred around the 50’s, such as the portrayals of homosexuality by society. One example of such false depiction is the Dade county’s motto, “Save the Children” (Rubin, 1993).
Rubin, Gayle. “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality.” Social Perspectives in Gay and Lesbian Studies. Ed. Peter Nardi and Beth Schneider.
Living in a world where Heterosexuality is considered normal and expected can cause LGBTQ people to feel pressured to fit in. “Sexuality is supposed to conform to a single standard” (Rubin, 7) In the movie Beginners, the main character feels so pressured to fit in with society that he marries a woman, has a child and leads a heterosexual lifestyle until the death of his wife. As Alex notes, those who lead this in the closet lifestyle well into their adult years are often very depressed and uncomfortable with themselves. They continue to face difficulty when they “come out” because those around them do not accept them. However, in this movie, there is a happy twist of sorts, since the main character ends up becoming truly happy with himself. Even when he faces death, he’s more content with his life because he is finally himself. He found support in the LGBTQ community. This speaks to the importance of community in mental health. When one finds a group that they can belong to and relate to, it often helps with the pains of depression.
ReplyDeleteRubin, Gayle. “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality” Social Perspectives in Gay and Lesbian Studies ed. Peter M Nardi and Beth Schneider.