"I
did you a favor."
This
is the justification Sandy Lopez (Lisa Vidal) gives Dr. Kerry
Weaver (Laura Innes) when Kerry angrily confronts her after Sandy
"outs" Kerry to all of her coworkers by kissing her
in the middle of the ER during the Eighth Season of the hit television
series ER.
No
apology, no recognition of the potentially harmful consequences
of Sandy's actions for Kerry's career. Just a shrug and a defiant
retort. And although Kerry initially argues with Sandy, two episodes
later she caves, saying "You're right. You did do
me a favor."
Outing
is a controversial issue within the gay community. There are
a handful of lesbian and bisexual activists who believe that closeted
lesbians and bisexuals are actively contributing to the flourishing
of homophobia, and therefore they have a moral obligation to come
out - to be forced out, if they won't do it voluntarily.
But
the majority of lesbian and bisexual women believe the decision
to come out when and how you choose is an individual's sacred
right. Since you can't know the unique circumstances the closeted
person is in, AND you can't suffer the consequences for them,
you can't determine what's best for them (although many people
believe it is okay to out someone who is aggressively harming
the gay community or behaving in a hypocritical manner, such as
anti-gay politicians or right wing leaders).
It
isn't unusual for friends and lovers to try and influence you
to come out. But it's another thing altogether for a woman
who barely knows you to decide what is in your best interests and
then to act on it, as Sandy did for Kerry.
Early on in
their relationship, Sandy draws a line in the sand with Kerry,
making it clear that she won't date someone who isn't out. This
is Sandy's personal choice, one that she has every right to make.
The mistake is when Sandy decides it's not enough for her just
to determine what's best for herself, she is also going to determine
what's best for Kerry.
But whether
or not you believe in outing as a political tool isn't even
the point. ER is not actually weighing in on this issue,
attempting to sensitively explore an issue of concern to its viewers.
The outing was a cheap ratings ploy, pure and simple, a blithe
glossing-over of something which has potentially disastrous consequences
in real life.
Besides minimizing
the consequences, this trick represents a wasted opportunity for
ER since outing is an issue ripe with the potential to
bring out thoughtful, meaty storylines that also make for excellent
television drama.
What's
really bizarre is that none of the prominent gay magazines
or organizations have publicly called ER on this or even
raised the issue. Not GLAAD, not the Advocate, not even Curve
Magazine, which currently has Laura Innes on the cover.
The mainstream
gay media appears to be too busy applauding ER for including
lesbian characters at all, as if we should be grateful for any
scraps of visibility they throw at us, regardless of how
we're represented.
I'm not surprised
anymore when television shows co-opt a controversial issue to
spike ratings - but I don't expect the gay media to go along with
it en masse.
Television
is about entertainment, not changing lives. I get that. But
it doesn't sacrifice the quality of the show to approach a controversial
issue such as outing with the respect and sensitivity it deserves.
If that's
too much to ask, then the writers should just avoid the topic
altogether - and the lesbian/bisexual media that purports to represent
us shouldn't be afraid to stand up and say this.
