As you may know, actress Bea Arthur died over the weekend. Much of the LGBT media and blogosphere coverage of Arthur's death referenced her fan base in the gay community. Arthur's star turn as Dorothy on The Golden Girls, her history-making role as Maude in the sitcom of the same name and her Broadway, film and other TV work endeared her to millions of fans.
It's not always obvious why some people become gay icons or why some television programs resonate so strongly with different LGBT communities. Our very own Peter Klaus examined this issue more than a year ago right here on the Out Front Blog. In Bea Arthur's honor, we thought we'd run Peter's post again to give a useful perspective on that question. In this Re:Post, we present Peter's original post from January 4, 2008:
I’ve often wondered exactly why the classic TV sitcom The Golden Girls is a stereotypical favorite of LGBT community and what that communicates about this specific audience. I started thinking about this again when I stayed at a gay friend’s apartment (he’s in his late twenties) in NYC on New Year’s Eve and tripped over a stack of The Golden Girls DVDs the size of a loaf of bread (must have been every season).
Certainly, the razor wit of the dialogue, inclusion of LGBT-sensitive plot lines (according to Wikipedia, the show’s original pilot episode even featured a gay character named Coco who was the girls’ cook…who knew?), and the larger-than-life characters are key draws.
However, I think I have a more fundamental answer to the question after reading the results of a new study focusing on the behavior of older LGB adults.
Some of the study’s key findings are featured on 365Gay.com. It was conducted by Arnold H. Grossman and Eliza Dragowski of New York University, and Anthony D'Augelli of Pennsylvania State University and was published in the Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services.
The research finds that older LGB adults have a “history of caregiving” during times of illness and that social networks in this population often develop to fill unique support gaps, such as estrangement from biological families (based on homophobia or being closeted) or the inability to access health coverage through partner benefit plans.
Despite increased debate and discussion about gay adoption during the past several years, the fact remains that the majority of LGBT folks do not have children. Even though not all children may end up supporting their parents when they fall ill, I believe there is still a general societal assumption that children are obligated to support their parents when they reach an age when they can no longer care for themselves.
Well, where does that leave most in the LGBT community? I know I’ve personally thought about this particular concern: “Who’s going to care for me if I become ill when I’m in my twilight years? Who is going to care for me and about me during that time?”
Who knows? Maybe I will have children someday? Maybe my partner will be around when I fall ill (guess I should find one first… +smile+)? Or, maybe my younger siblings will help me?
I still don’t know the answer to that question and I don’t think many other LGBT people do either. And maybe it’s the inability to answer this question that provides insight into why The Golden Girls continues to be a community favorite despite the fact that the show stopped airing new episodes in 1992.
I think the show, despite featuring four straight characters, communicates a message of hope to the LGBT population. Point blank, we deal with a unique set of challenges, assumptions, and fears with respect to becoming senior citizens.
Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia provide one model of how it is possible to survive life’s twists and turns outside of traditional support structures. The show exemplifies that chosen families can be just as important and meaningful as biological families.
This reality of LGBT life has already impacted Fleishman-Hillard’s Out Front team. In fact, we’ve already worked on a couple of LGBT-specific real estate projects that were developed, at least in part, to appeal to those seeking to become park of an extended, supportive community.
What about you? Can you envision yourself living with three of your best friends when you get older? Are you already doing it? Or do you have another story altogether? We’d love to hear about it…so drop us a comment.
[photo credit via flickr]
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That was such a loss in the community/industry. We sympathize with you and also with those who are concerned and affected.