When Lesbians Are No Longer Just Depicted as Cat-loving Hipsters
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This article is part of the 54th issue of LEAP — Voices of Youth e-letter. Subscribe now.
Taiwan Pride, the annual LGBTQIA+ parade, just celebrated its 21st year. At the end of every October, participants decked out in rainbow accessories, flashy costumes, and all the colors on the spectrum added their personal touches to the parade advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community.
However, from my observation, gay men and lesbians seem to have distinctly different public images and uneven representations. Gay men can more easily discuss and reveal their sexuality and desires in public. Lesbians, on the other hand, appear unable to shed the general public’s stereotypes: cat lovers, melancholy loners, and hipsters who carry a more reserved and conservative composure, regarding their body image. From my personal experiences, gay men in both Taiwan and abroad seem to be the majority in queer groups; and at any mention of the LGBTQIA+ community, they are the first group that comes to mind for most people.
Gay men — the most visible queer group
In addition to the more distinct image of gay men, when it comes to choices of parties, bars, or social media, gay men also have a plethora of options, unlike lesbians and people of other sexual orientations. For example, on the second Saturday evening of each month, crowds of gay men turn out for the “Taipei Drinking Party” in downtown Taipei. At this event, gay couples can be seen flooding the open spaces between malls, holding hands or dancing passionately.
Another example is the collection of gay bars in the commercial district near Ximen, a busy area where young people gather in Taipei for evening promenades. There, several shops sell queer sex toys, their storefronts displaying photos of macho men in tight underwear, standing with their arms crossed. And if you walk into a famous drag queen bar, you will notice that most of the people singing and dancing their hearts out on stage, staring wide-eyed among the audience, or making out in the corner, are men.
Additionally, in the Taiwan Pride parade, gay men turn out in droves, dressing up and performing in a far more eye-catching manner than lesbians, transgender people, and non-binary people. This seems to indirectly highlight the fact that even though gay men are also queer, their figures and voices are more acceptable in the eyes of the public.
Difficulties lesbians face in displaying sexual desire
In 2022, on Lesbian Visibility Day (April 26), the British DIVA Media Group released the results of an online survey that spoke to a total of 1,423 LGBTQI people who identified themselves as cisgender or transgender women, and as nonbinary. According to that survey, 79% of interviewees believed that gay men were more visible to the public compared to women. Some of the interviewees stated that the lack of activities and gatherings for non-heterosexual groups also reduced the chances of exposure for certain groups.
In Taiwan, the display of sexual desire is affected by gender norms under the patriarchal system. Not even gay men and lesbians can escape the operating logic of these gender norms. For example, the sexual desires of lesbians are more restrained. Compared to homosexual men, they are less likely to express their sexual desire in public. Another example is the restrictions on nudity. Compared to gay men, lesbians have to pay more attention to the way they dress to avoid being “slut-shamed” and labeled as erotic, immodest, or promiscuous.
Men’s sexuality and primal urges seem more justified, whereas women are seen to be passive or lacking in sexual desire. Although the Taiwanese saying “Men are animals that think with their dicks” suggests a certain stigma, it also rationalizes men’s need for sex. By contrast, when it comes to discussions about women and sex, besides the topic of menstruation and the use of condoms in national compulsory education, there is almost no further conversation. In most health education classes, the male genitalia is also more commonly used for demonstrations.
The difficulty of openly discussing female libido also affects the entire lesbian community’s perception and presentation of sexuality and nudity. WLW (woman loving woman) chat rooms are also often infiltrated by straight men who believe these women just “haven’t found the right man yet.” This also results in the generally scarce discussion about sexual desire among lesbians. Invitations for hookups, common among heterosexuals and gay men, are also uncommon for lesbians. Any such discussions or invitations that do arise occur mostly in anonymous forums.
Should lesbians be presented more frequently in Taiwan’s film and television industry?
In the film and television industry, there is a generally smaller body of work related to lesbians. This theme is often proposed for programs or films; however, once the sponsors become involved, questions inevitably arise as to whether the product will fit the public’s taste or gain traction. This situation reduces the likelihood of lesbian representation, and it limits the ways in which they can be portrayed.
Statistics from Glaad, a non-governmental organization that focuses on LGBTQIA+, show that in 2019, 20 of the 110 movies released by major studios had queer characters. That was an increase of nearly 5.4% over the previous year. Additionally, in movies with non-heterosexual characters released in 2017, the ratio of gay men to lesbians was about 2 to 1. Data from 2018 showed that the exposure rate of lesbian characters was close to that of gay men at about 55%. Last year, however, that gap in representation was slightly larger.
In Taiwan, the more popular gender diverse films, such as, Your Name Engraved Herein and Marry My Dead Body, still generally depict the feelings and family relationships of gay men, but relatively few films depict lesbians. In October this year, the lesbian romance Who’ll Stop the Rain was released, paving a small lane for open discussion of lesbian emotions and sexual desire on the big screen and in public. It is my personal hope that, in the future, when queer groups are portrayed in movies and films, lesbians will no longer simply appear in supporting roles, but give voice to different viewpoints and ethnic groups, leading to more diverse perspectives and inclusive discussions.
Also in This Issue: Creating a Unique Lesbian Love Story — An Interview with Su I-Hsuan, Director of Who’ll Stop the Rain
Director Su I-Hsuan’s debut, Who’ll Stop the Rain, is a refreshing lesbian tale, and a self statement of resistance against the patriarchy.
Author : Vivian May
Freelance journalist exploring gender and public issues.
