What's your view on Jack Whitehall playing a gay character?

[LyndorCake]

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/film/2018/aug/13/jack-whitehall-role-gay-disney-character-row-jungle-cruise

People have gone wild on twitter about it.
One argument says that as he is straight, he can't understand the role properly and is taking roles always from LGBTQ+ actors. The other side of that is he's an actor and therefore he is always pretending to be someone he isn't in any role, how is this different?

I can sort of see both sides but curious as to what you think?

I'm not "it is" trans woman

You’re clutching at straws, Red didn’t refer to a trans woman as “it”, she referred to “it's” (ie the terms for woman and trans woman) as the it, not the woman or the trans woman.

What I firmly object to is being told I am a label, I have enough of those thanks. I don’t need or want another one forced on me.

Okay, stepping away. Didn't want an argument. Maybe jumped on wasn't the right word. I didn't mind being told that people were offended and have apologised, but the "cis off" etc comments felt a bit uncalled for. I honestly didn't know it was a big deal on here or anywhere really. Obviously my own fault and maybe I live in a bit of a LGBT active bubble than most posters where language is different.

What else would you say?

Oh for goodness sake! Same with that Eddie in the trans role! If we only let people play roles they are soon you won't be able to play a policeman or surgeon?! I'm so confused! The world has gone mad? Would they be angry if a gay man got a straight part? Because the man out of' how I met your mother' , Barney, is gay and plays a straight man?

Oh I love Jack Whitehall He’s so funny!

I honestly can’t see what the problem is whether he plays a gay character or not. He’s an ACTOR.

What the hell have we come to that an actor - supposedly playing a part - has to make their sexuality known before they can be approved for said part.

Does this uproar on twitter mean that the people objecting would object in the same way if a gay actor plays a straight man or woman? If I were gay I'd find that awfully patronizing.

Actors act, what difference does it make what their sexual preferences are.

Having said that, I didn't realize that Jack Whitehall was actually an actor. I always thought he was a rather wooden, unfunny comedian.

You’re clutching at straws, Red didn’t refer to a trans woman as “it”, she referred to “it's”

Sorry, wasn't implying anyone was called it. I wrote that badly. Was just saying I disagreed the phraseology was definitively woman or trans woman. Just to clarify!

Obviously my own fault and maybe I live in a bit of a LGBT active bubble than most posters where language is different

Genuine question, not intended at all nastily.

If that’s the case, are you unaware of “Get the L out” which is a huge part of the LGBT community at the moment, and has been widely publicised?

Was just saying I disagreed the phraseology was definitively woman or trans woman

Why? (Again genuine question)

Was just saying I disagreed the phraseology was definitively woman or trans woman

What is, in your opinion?

• Genuine question, not intended at all nastily.

If that’s the case, are you unaware of “Get the L out” which is a huge part of the LGBT community at the moment, and has been widely publicised?*

I am, but I'd disagree it's a huge part of the LGBT community. They get a lot of publicity, but don't think they have the support of many LGBTs in numbers they or the media would like you to believe. There was about 20 of them when they gatecrashed Pride recently and they were roundly booed by the tens of thousands of people present.

Surely your sexuality has little to do with how well you do your job? In any other industry selecting or decking a candidate based on their sexuality would be completely out of the question- why is acting any different?

To all asking, I just use "woman" for all. Might be unpopular on here and with some feminists, but I think from a queer perspective, I'm inclined to accept the language cues from the minority group themselves as I know from experience how hurtful the wrong language can be (and currently reminded of it by what I've said in here!)

bonquiqui thank you for answering.

Booed by whom?

Seriously Toodleoo?

By that reckoning though bon it is the minority group who are defining what everyone should be called, irrespective of opinion. That is what is most unfair, that the activists for trans rights (separate from trans men and trans women who are not specifically activists) are fully prepared and in actual fact intend to erode the rights and feelings of women with genuine concerns.

That is my issue with the whole situation.

A third space is something I would be happy to support. Self ID with no method of avoiding abuse/loopholes I will never support.

Because you need actual representation of minorities in the media rather than just lip service - ie straight acting gay, abled acting disabled, white with a bit of boot polish.

Not many gay actors get to be gay on screen - they generally have to act straight to get parts. So they can never truly represent their sexual orientation or their community.

That was to biscuitaddict ^^

They're not there to represent their sexual orientation or community Tatiana they're there to play a part.

Why stop at sexuality. You could say the same about Dustin Hoffman play a autistic man in Rain Man by the reasoning. Why wasn't that part given to an autistic actor?

You could say the same about Dustin Hoffman play a autistic man in Rain Man by the reasoning. Why wasn't that part given to an autistic actor?

I hate that fucking film with a fiery passion. When you’re autistic and your kids are it gets trotted out regularly and it makes me want to scream!

Sorry, just had to get that out

“So they can never truly represent their sexual orientation or their community.”

So challenge the writers, directors, producers and studios who actually have the power to change this, instead of hounding individual actors like JW and Scarlett Johansson who are a tiny cog in the huge Hollywood machine.

I'm not one to think of things in terms of minorities, because there's nothing to prevent the majority group being the ones with less power. Ie white people are a minority on this planet by some distance. There are roughly equal numbers of men and women, yet that hasn't prevented the former dominating the latter. And so many societies have had oppressor groups at the top who were quite a small percentage of the population.

Hen

I can see your concerns. It is a grey area, you're right. I don't think anybody wants to see abuse of safe spaces etc, but do think this can be overly focused on sometimes. It reminds me of the anti-gay marriage types saying that it'd just lead to friends marrying for tax benefits etc. But I'd like to think a lot of sensible LGBT and straight people agree on that and would work together to avoid any abuses/issues.

On self identification, I don't know. Suppose gender is different. But if I want to be called queer and you think I'm a lesbian, it wouldn't stop me identifying as queer and neither would I want you forced to call me that. But I know myself better than you, if you get my drift? Like I say, gender is different and I suppose comes down to opinion as it is at the moment.

They're not there to represent their sexual orientation or community Tatiana they're there to play a part.

If you’re a gay person playing a gay part then you are representing both.

Who says they might not like to? Instead of always having to fake their sexuality on screen? Who says gay people might not like actual gay people representing them on screen?

Why stop at sexuality. You could say the same about Dustin Hoffman play a autistic man in Rain Man by the reasoning. Why wasn't that part given to an autistic actor?

Indeed - everyone now accepts that blacking up is weird, but it was acceptable 30 years ago. There is a strong movement to use disabled actors for disabled parts.

So challenge the writers, directors, producers and studios who actually have the power to change this, instead of hounding individual actors like JW and Scarlett Johansson who are a tiny cog in the huge Hollywood machine.

Already addressed that point above.