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Episode
5.8 (“Abomination”) saw the murder of a gay
man by his lover's actively homophobic father (referred to as
"Dr Homophobe" in the episode). It's the father and
anti-gay groups who were portrayed as wackos, and the surviving
boyfriend pitched in a sympathetic and positive light.
At
one point after an inappropriate comment by the more conservative
Stabler, Benson responded with, "Oh, so you chose to be heterosexual?"
(other times, however, Stabler has been very supportive of gay
people).
But
with the number of SVU episodes dealing with gay men,
it seems odd that in five seasons, no lesbian or bisexual women
have been featured characters.
It
may be an indication of how far we need
to go in the portrayal of lesbians
and bisexual women on television that viewers get excited about
a character like Benson despite no clear evidence that she's gay.
In the case of SVU, producers and stars are most certainly
aware of their gay and lesbian fans and the impression that Detective
Benson may be a lesbian. On a 2003 appearance on Late Night with
Conan O’Brien, Hargitay told this story.
MARISKA:
A week ago, I'm walking down Seventh Ave. I am with my boyfriend,
and he’s got his arm right here [around hip]…. Nobody
recognizes me, and all of a sudden this guy yells, and he goes,
“Oh my god! Oh my god!” And I go, “What?”
You know, I thought someone had been hurt, and I turn around,
and he goes, “Damn! I thought you were a lesbian!”
CONAN: Really? Because of your character on the show?
MARISKA:
Yes, everyone thinks that, and I don't know why. [smiles and throws
up her hands]
As
she alludes to above,
Hargitay is persistantly rumored to be a lesbian herself, despite
statements from her to the contrary. In the online SVU
fandom, the line between discussion of Detective Benson and the
actress who plays her is often blurred; a “Mariska Hargitay
Debate Club” was even formed to deal with the topic of Hargitay's
public proclamations of heterosexuality and perceived discomfort
with her character’s ambiguous sexual orientation. A story
circulated widely that Hargitay requested a boyfriend for her character
in season five, but the veracity of that rumor is not known; regardless,
Olivia did not get a boyfriend in Season 5.
Rumors aside, Hargitay and Meloni both attended the 2004 GLAAD awards
as presenters, and Hargitay has become active in rape survivor groups
in the New York City area, recognizing that her character (who is
the product of a rape) is also an important symbol to real-life
victims of sex crimes.
Despite the controversy and ambiguety,
the SVU fandom is only growing in popularly among
lesbians. Online fan fiction pairing Benson with ADA Alexandra Cabot
has reached almost 200 stories, across at least 30 websites and
mailing lists with sections devoted to the examination and expansion
of the show’s subtext.
Whatever
Hargitay or the producers believe about Benson's sexuality, in lieu
of few other “soft butch” characters on our television
screens, Olivia's attitude and androgyny will likely continue to
make her appealing to lesbian and bisexual viewers for a long time
to come.
For more info, visit our Law
and Order section
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