The Baffling Case of the Flipping The Script Event

Media visibility is an issue I feel strongly about, as the representation of people in popular culture reveals much about society’s feeling towards that group.

That is why I was pleased to read about Flipping The Script: Beyond Homophobia in Black Hollywood, a panel sponsored by the Writers Guild of America to discuss homophobia and lack of LGBT representation in black films and television shows.

While I was happy to know that people are willing to talk about these issues, I was disheartened by the lack of coverage for the event.

Only EDGE magazine provided any reporting of the panel. Mainstream gay publications like the Advocate and Out failed to mention it, as did the larger LGBT blogs. Even within the black LGBT blogsophere, the panel seems to have been ignored.

Was it that people were not aware that it was happening? I find it hard to believe that people in Hollywood would be incapable of getting the word out about their activities.

Panelists included Wilson Cruz, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Quincy LeNear, and Maurice Jamal, four entertainers with significant fan bases, especially in the black LGBT community. Knowing that people are able to keep up with the tiniest of details about celebrities, I am not sure how this panel went unnoticed.

Is that people just don’t care? Would examining homphobia in black media raise too many uncomfortable questions? Are there that many more people interested in hardcore politics, eye candy, or gossip than cultural issues that media outlets did not think this was worth their time?

I feel bad that a group of people came together to raise some significant issues and were essentially ignored.