Is the world of theater, cinema and television as inclusive as people say? This bold question is the one posed by the Jasmin Roy Sophie Desmarais Foundation on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia which will take place on May 17.
Through four capsules unveiled on the organization’s website, fifteen artists (Joseph Bellerose, Dany Boudreault, Maxime Carbonneau, Frédéric Boudreault, Daniel Dô, Gabriel.le Lepage, David Emmanuel Jauniaux, Geneviève Labelle, Marc-André Leclair, Lyraël, Sébastien Potvin, Maxime Robin, Mélodie Noël Rousseau, Robert D’Entremont, Charlotte Poitras) speak out to denounce prejudice, injustice and the double standards that affect those who are homosexual, lesbian or trans.
I admit that when I listened to the words of these actors, both my arms fell off.
Far be it from me to assert that the entire community discriminates against artists who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, but the words of the people interviewed show that a section of decision-makers tries to convince them to remain in the closet.
Joseph Bellerose (STAT, Mégantic) does not hesitate to break a certain image that we have of the arts world which we imagine to be “more open and more avant-garde” than the others. “That’s not so true,” he said. I think we can do better. »
IMAGE TAKEN FROM A VIDEO PRODUCED BY THE JASMIN ROY SOPHIE DESMARAIS FOUNDATION
The actor Maxime Robin
Maxime Robin (Reasonable Doubt, With a Beating Heart) talks about the machismo that still exists in the world of theater, cinema and television.
We don’t realize it, but it’s there. He has changed his face, he is subtle, but he is still there.
Maxime Robin, actor
By watching these clips, we learn that from their training, theater students are told to hide this aspect of their lives. This is what Robert D’Entremont says, who made his coming out when he was studying at Concordia University. He was advised not to say that he is gay, because it would “limit him” in the roles he might eventually take on.
Maxime Carbonneau was also advised not to talk about his sexual orientation. These recommendations came from people who were in the industry, but also from actors who had had bad experiences.
The reason given by these kind people? Let the actor be labeled. “By exposing yourself, you get categorized,” says David Emmanuel Jauniaux. And this category is very restricted. »
According to most of those interviewed, this closes doors. And those who close them have power.
IMAGE TAKEN FROM A VIDEO PRODUCED BY THE JASMIN ROY SOPHIE DESMARAIS FOUNDATION
The actor David Emmanuel Jauniaux
As soon as we know that an actor is gay, unconsciously we will not think of him to play a straight guy.
David Emmanuel Jauniaux, actor
Frondeur, Dany Boudreault (A Streetcar Named Desire, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) decided not to follow the recommendations of those around him. “But I understand that some people are afraid. »
Charlotte Poitras deplores the fact that straight actors often find themselves playing straight, gay and trans people, but that this palette is rarer among LGBTQ+ artists. “We reward straight actors who play homosexual desire, but we rarely offer this possibility to actors from the LGBTQ+ community,” says Maxime Carbonneau.
During their training, already “labeled” students sometimes come up against exaggerated expectations from teachers. Dany Boudreault felt that he was required to have a greater register than his colleagues with so-called “normative” masculinity.
Are LGBTQ+ actors and actresses condemned to only playing roles related to their own sexual orientation? “We could have characters without specifying their orientation,” thinks Robert D’Entremont. The postman or doctor may be cheerful. But it might not be written into history. »
Nearly 35 years separate the question posed by the Jasmin Roy Sophie Desmarais Foundation from an affair which caused a stir in 1987. On September 30, in an open letter published in The duty and entitled “The homosexual ghetto”, the author Claude Jasmin deplored the too large number of gay themes addressed in Quebec works with a well-felt “too much, it’s too much”.
“Arcand installs one who pisses thick tomato juice in his Decline…Lauzon illustrates sadomasochistic homos in his Zoo…here is The Feluettes of young Bouchard at Fred Barry. »
A few days later, Claude Jasmin and Michel Tremblay crossed swords at the microphone of Pierre Pascau, prince of debate at CKAC. On October 10, Bruno Dostie wrote a column in The Press where he reframed Claude Jasmin. “Because basically, what Mr. Jasmin says to Michel Tremblay and Michel Marc Bouchard is: “be homosexual as much as you want, but please us more with that”. »
It is sad to see that the evolved society to which we believe we belong still has a long way to go.
35 years ago, creators were told to calm down about giving gay people a voice. Today, those who are part of the expanded acronym are asked to hide what they really are.
Visit the foundation website
Read “Gay actors hampered in their careers? »