The latest edition of Celebrity Big Brother started last night.
I have for sometime now forsaken the dubuous joys of the small screen, so I did not get to see it but it is, as always, difficult to escape the buzz. When I first arrived in the country, five and a half years ago, I watched the first edition of Big Brother. I did not understand much as my understanding was still limited (I had to watch Eastenders with subtitles) but I rather enjoyed the experience. My feeling is that it has been a long slide downhill since then for the show, as Channel 4 selected more and more brainless people to try and attract the masses.
In its six editions, the show has been quite consistantly gay friendly. The runner up to winning the first was a lesbian, the winner of the second edition was gay and last year's show (I think) saw a transexual entering the house. This year, there were, I think, at least two gay guys in there.
The edition taking place this month, however is quite possibly, the most LGBT friendly however:
* Pete Burns may or may not be gay (he was married) but is certainly transgendered (ie gender bending).
* Michael Barrymore is gay.
* Dennis Rodman likes to indulge in a bit of crossdressing.
* Rula Lenska (although straight) was recently touring with the London Gay Men's Chorus on their Christmas show. If I was a bitch (which, of course, I am not), I would mention here that on the occasion of those concerts, members of the audience were heard refering to Rula as a man in drag...
They even have a boy band member.
It a sad thing however and perhaps a significant comment on the dumbing down Channel 4 has been accused of several times that, after a year where gay people gained the right to "marry", to adopt and protection against discrimination in the provision of services, the selection of LGBT people made by the production team seems more akin to the mostly stereotypical cartoony freaks there to entertain and amuse displayed in the good old days of TV, rather than to a group a visibly well adjusted individuals. Although I suppose it is the name of the game on Big Brother.
I have for sometime now forsaken the dubuous joys of the small screen, so I did not get to see it but it is, as always, difficult to escape the buzz. When I first arrived in the country, five and a half years ago, I watched the first edition of Big Brother. I did not understand much as my understanding was still limited (I had to watch Eastenders with subtitles) but I rather enjoyed the experience. My feeling is that it has been a long slide downhill since then for the show, as Channel 4 selected more and more brainless people to try and attract the masses.
In its six editions, the show has been quite consistantly gay friendly. The runner up to winning the first was a lesbian, the winner of the second edition was gay and last year's show (I think) saw a transexual entering the house. This year, there were, I think, at least two gay guys in there.
The edition taking place this month, however is quite possibly, the most LGBT friendly however:
* Pete Burns may or may not be gay (he was married) but is certainly transgendered (ie gender bending).
* Michael Barrymore is gay.
* Dennis Rodman likes to indulge in a bit of crossdressing.
* Rula Lenska (although straight) was recently touring with the London Gay Men's Chorus on their Christmas show. If I was a bitch (which, of course, I am not), I would mention here that on the occasion of those concerts, members of the audience were heard refering to Rula as a man in drag...
They even have a boy band member.
It a sad thing however and perhaps a significant comment on the dumbing down Channel 4 has been accused of several times that, after a year where gay people gained the right to "marry", to adopt and protection against discrimination in the provision of services, the selection of LGBT people made by the production team seems more akin to the mostly stereotypical cartoony freaks there to entertain and amuse displayed in the good old days of TV, rather than to a group a visibly well adjusted individuals. Although I suppose it is the name of the game on Big Brother.
Tags: Pete Burns, Michael Barrymore, Dennis Rodman, Rula Lenska, London Gay Men's Chorus, Celebrity Big Brother, Big Brother, gay, LGBT, GLTB.
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