Hello friends, welcome back to our blog. This week we will be discussion about the representation of both gay and poly themes in mainstream media. How are these two facets of life illustrated? While this topic is broad and open ended, it allows us to explore two of our identities.
Looking back, I am kind of envious of LGBT+ youth growing up in this era because there is more access and awareness of gay culture in social media, TV, and movies. I would’ve loved seeing that growing up and knowing that gay is okay. But that wasn’t the case. Oppositely, with polyamory, I had the opportunity to see that lifestyle portrayed in mainstream media. Interesting enough, after coming out to friends and family members as polyamourous, some came back with more insight about how polyamory was showcased in TV and Movies. Knowledge is power. Perhaps they were seeing a non-monogamous lifestyle on these outlets and thought of me.
Let’s begin… I still remember having one of my favorite animated shows, Futurama, on in the background as white noise because I’ve seen it several times. One in particular resonates with this topic, The Beast With A Billion Backs (2008.) It had some poly input, where an alien from another universe seeks love with the people on earth. One creature with 7 billion individuals. It was interesting to revisit that movie and see that in some fashion it did exhibit some forms of polyamory.
Another example of polyamory in mainstream media is the movie, Professor Marston and The Wonder Women (2017.) This movie is available on Hulu for those of you who are members. It talks about the creation of the comic book character, Wonder Woman. For those who don’t know, the creator of Wonder Woman was in a non-monogamous relationship with two women, who he had kids with. It was super interesting to see non-monogamy in a historical sense.
In addition, Single Parents (2018), an ABC sitcom that explores the wonders of being a single parent. I found it refreshing to see one of the characters help normalize polyamory with a loving thouple. The fact that it was also a POC (person of color) that was featured in the relationship was calming. I don’t see much of it in other media outlets. It is great to see non-monogamy making its way into mainstream TV.
Equally important, the most recent gay non-mongamous movie that I watched was, Kill The Monsters (2018.) It is a movie about three cis-white men living in a throuple. The movie is self-described as an American allegory and while watching the movie I was lost. Perhaps it was the style of the movie or something else. It did portray three men in a sexual and emotional relationship.
Lastly, before posting tonight, I decided to watch one more mainstream media that explores the world of non-monogamy in an action film called, Savages (2012.) It features some big name actors and actresses such as Blake Lively, Salma Hayek, and John Travolta. I won’t spoil too much as I am still going through feels of sorts. I will leave you with a quote from the movie, “I’m not sure there can ever be three people equally in love. It just doesn’t work that way… I looked up the definition of savage. It means, cruel, crippled. Regressed back to a primal state of being.”
These are just a couple of examples that both polyamory and gay culture have come into mainstream media. Exposure to such things can be influential to others who might not have the support in their own lives. Whether it’s for satire, laughs or any other reason, portraying some kind of non-monogamous lifestyle is good for the community and others that are interested in the matter. Like Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Through our blog we are able to do so by expressing our voice and experience.
And as always, stay safe, stay healthy, and as always, like, share, and subscribe to our blog for new insights into happiness, heartbreak, and everything else that comes with our exploration of polyamory.
-Your Friendly Poly Guy 2
