Jonathan Del Arco, Openly Out Braking Gay Stereotypes
It’s no secret that television and the big screen have been notoriously guilty of reinforcing the ‘gay stereotype’ by producing shows that depict gay characters who portray those stereotypes. Once actor, who is openly gay however, is trying to do something about that.
According to a post on Entertainment Tonight:
The perception that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual (GLBT) people only act a certain way or hold particular jobs is one that Jonathan hopes to change.“I think television has been at the forefront of changing that,” he says. “Of creating characters that people watch and are used to watching say, ‘oh, I’m watching a gay doctor that it’s same as everyone else.’”
With shows like "Glee," "Modern Family," "True Blood," "United States of Tara" and others, the lives of gay Americas is being represented on TV in a way they have never been shown before.Jonathan Del Arco talks to ET about defying stereotypes.
"This is not a typical gay job," he jokes. "It's not like a florist, you know? It's like a really gross job for a gay guy I have to say."
The perception that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual (GLBT) people only act a certain way or hold particular jobs is one that Jonathan hopes to change.
"I think television has been at the forefront of changing that," he says. "Of creating characters that people watch and are used to watching say, 'oh, I'm watching a gay doctor that it's same as everyone else.'"
Jonathan teaches tolerance and acceptance through the advocacy group known as GLSEN, which stands for the gay lesbian straight education network. "That is really important because it is with straight kids that the gay kids are forming clubs and saying we're all equal, we want equal rights, we want kids to be treated fairly, we don't want any kind of bullying at all against anybody."
When he is not acting, Jonathan is coordinating a gala benefit for GLSEN, which will honor the Emmy-nominated "Modern Family," which includes two gay characters struggling like any family.
"That representation of America I think is very accurate and it's happening across the country," he says.
Catch Jonathan on "The Closer" Mondays at 9/8c.
Entertainment Tonight & gayagenda.com
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