The Cape I already talked about the series The new normal, which tells the story of a gay couple who decide to have a child via surrogacy and premiered last week in the United States, already with a kiss on the small screen. The show, which has caused controversy since its announcement, with conservatives wanting to pull a boycott, now he must also face another challenge: avoiding stereotypes.
This is because having exaggerated gay stereotypes was one of the criticisms received by the series after its premiere. In the magazine Oct, for example, an article written by Frank Bua – himself a gay father – had the following comment: "Watching the first two episodes […] left me with a level of disappointment that I only felt the last time when Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act.”
For Bua, the show brings "nothing new": "Worse still: many of the generalizations [...] are probably more harmful than amusing: gays are rich, decadent materialists with an absurd amount of disposable income. Gays randomly wake up and decide they want having a child as the latest fashion accessory […]. A gay couple? One of them is an effeminate man-child, the other is a handsome guy who watches football".
The reviews made Andrew Rannells (in the photo, on the right), one of the protagonists of the series, who plays the gay couple with Justin Bartha, from If You Drink Don't Marry, give your opinion on the matter. In an interview given to the website Vulture, Rannells said the creators of sitcom, Ryan Murphy, from Glee, and Ali Adler are being "very careful" to prevent gay characters from becoming stereotypes.
"I certainly understand," said the outspoken Rannells, regarding concerns about the issue of stereotyping. "As a homosexual, having watched gays being portrayed on TV, sometimes it's really cool and sometimes it's just a joke [...], and I can say, talking about the future, that they have particularly given me some real reach with this character."
Rannells took the opportunity to praise Bartha, who is straight, for playing a gay character: "I feel very happy, and I think he does too. He's not gay. I am. There could have been something that was difficult to do."
