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To
out Southerlyn in her final scene on the series feels
a little like having your cake and eating it too: Law
and Order gets to expand its diversity of characters
and lay claim to a token lesbian among its cast, but avoid
the ramifications of it because the character leaves the series
immediately after her sexuality is revealed.
Many
viewers are likely to feel cheated out of
the opportunity to see Southerlyn on the series as a lesbian
character. Watching the series with the knowledge of
Southerlyn's sexual orientation changes and enriches the viewing
experience for many lesbian and bisexual women--both of the
series in general, and of Southerlyn in particular--even if
her personal life is never explored. In a world where lesbians
are still rare on network television, just knowing a character
is gay is important, and enough to keep many viewers tuned
in.
The
decision to disclose Southerlyn's sexuality during
the termination of her employment--rather than in a more neutral
context--is also problematic. While the information was imparted
in the matter-of-fact style in which Law and Order
discloses all personal information about its regular characters,
introducing it for the first time in such a negative context--as
a possible reason for termination--subtly reinforce the association
between coming out as a lesbian and negative consequences.
Even
if Branch indicated that Southerlyn's sexuality wasn't the
issue (and we have no reason to think it was), the fact that
the writers revealed Southerlyn's sexuality in the context
of being a potential problem, with no scenes during the last
four years with positive references to her sexuality to offset
this negative association, leaves viewers with a negative
impression of lesbianism overall--particularly given that
Southerlyn is not the most popular character.
Whatever your opinion of Serena Southerlyn and her
outing, she is still a confidant, assertive character with
a successful career (her recent firing notwithstanding) who
has been watched by millions of Americans for four years.
She may not be the warmest woman on the planet, but Southerlyn
is certainly not an overwhelmingly negative portrayal of a
lesbian--no small accomplishment given the parade of lesbian
stereotypes we've seen on network TV recently.
While
the way the writers handled Southerlyn's sexual orientation
certainly leaves much to be desired, the fact remains that
with this disclosure, Southerlyn has become one of the most
prominent lesbian characters on network TV in the last few
years.
She
also gives the endless Law & Order reruns on
TV--and the fourteenth season, which is now available on DVD--a
whole new appeal for lesbian viewers.
Get Law and Order
Season 14 on DVD
