Letter: Hollywood needs to work on LGBTQ representation

I am writing in response to Scott Pierce’s “While James Corden’s performance in ‘The Prom’ is offensive, straight actors can play gay characters,” from Sunday’s paper. Mr. Pierce argues that, while Corden’s performance is offensive, there is no overall problem with straight actors playing gay characters, and in only casting actors as characters whose sexual orientation matches theirs, we are “limiting” and “destroying” the careers of gay actors.

In his protracted defense of heterosexuals, Mr. Pierce fails to address the real problem with Corden’s performance is that it is yet another example of how little LGBTQ representation there is in media, and how often actual LGBTQ people are left out of it.

Corden’s casting represents a deeper systemic problem of excluding LGBTQ people from their own stories. While we are seeing more diversity on-screen, behind the scenes, Hollywood remains overwhelmingly white, male, straight and cisgender. Though it’s better than it was, queer characters in media are still rare, and it’s even rarer that they are played by queer people. Instead, straight actors chosen for the job of representing LGBTQ experiences rely on tired, often weaponized stereotypes in place of real emotion. Mr. Pierce backs up his argument with a list of straight actors who have played queer characters to Oscar-level acclaim, but “this is how it’s always been” is a weak justification for continued marginalization. White actors have been cast in roles written for people of color since the earliest films — is that a good reason to keep whitewashing?

Instead of lamenting what we’d lose if straight actors did not play LGBTQ characters, consider what we are losing in continuing to sideline marginalized performers and creators. The real work of inclusivity comes when majority groups don’t try to speak for minorities, but rather make space for them to speak for themselves.

Mackenzie Van Engelenhoven, Salt Lake City

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