The recent posts about Asian stereotypes made me think about actor/comedian Alec Mapa’s character on the popular ABC show, “Ugly Betty.” The veteran out gay actor plays fashion journalist “Suzuki St. Clair.”Need I say more?
Apparently I will. ;-) Mapa, who is Filipino-American, has delivered a character in full living color that has become a regular on the series (currently on a mid-season break). Few Asian actors have such a regular high-profile gig. (The only other Asian guy I can think of is Rex Lee, who plays Jeremy Piven’s gay assistant on HBO’s “Entourage.” But I don’t have HBO, so I don’t know if he’s still in that role.)
Mapa’s “Suzuki St. Clair,” not surprisingly, is flamboyant and gossipy, always looking for the dirt in the fashion industry. Mapa plays him with relish — all he’s missing is his feather boa.
To be fair, we all know people like Suzuki St. Clair in our community and we embrace them as the many colors in our rainbow-colored flag. But when we talk about breaking Asian gay stereotypes, Mapa’s dragon-lady-like performance doesn’t seem to break new ground.
When it comes to new views on gay images, I believe the gay characters on “Brothers and Sisters” raise the game with their portrayal of professional gay men trying to nurture a loving relationship in a dysfunctional family environment.
Mapa’s character on “Ugly Betty” doesn’t change any perceptions about gay Asian males. Ironically, in one storyline on the series we discovered that Suzuki St. Clair is actually a straight guy living in the suburbs with a wife and two kids. So he’s not even gay! And he plays gay just to be accepted in the fashion world. It’s a stereotype within a stereotype.
TV and movies continue to serve as the platform to both build or preserve stereotypes of gay Asian men in our society. Let’s hope that we see more variety and not more Suzuki St. Clairs.
Now you got me thinking about the Law and Order: SVU character that B.D. Wong plays. It's not said if he's gay on the show or not, but it's also very vague. His character's personal life is not explored--and he certainly is not played as flamboyant. And of course, in real life he's gay, in a relationship and I believe has adopted a child.
ReplyDelete