News Cruz: Showing Gays In Pop Culture Is Important

[AutoAdmin]

A new news article has been published at TrekToday:

Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber) spoke about the importance of showing gay relationships in today’s television shows and movies. As a Trek...

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[Shaka Zulu]

Good article, and yes, Cruz is right, doing this is important.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I really like this cast, they really get why some of the choices were important and why it matters.

 

[Mach5]

Showing people being people... Who also happen to be homosexuals... Is the way to go and Discovery does it perfectly IMO. Stamets and Culber are excellent characters, both individually, and as a couple.

 

[GeekUSACarl]

Showing people being people... Who also happen to be homosexuals... Is the way to go and Discovery does it perfectly IMO. Stamets and Culber are excellent characters, both individually, and as a couple.

Exactly

 

[GeekUSACarl]

"Culber and Stamets “represent hope and an ideal that we’re all working for,” said Cruz. “It will be a larger-than-life love story in the vein of Romeo and Juliet. Very rarely do we see in pop culture an LGBT relationship that stands up on those terms. We really haven’t been allowed to see it in the past.”"

This is why Culbers death doesn't really fit the bury your gays trope IMO. Their writing and their relationship is truly different. Its very organically written and a very natural relationship. The way their relationship stands up to many others, including straight ones is very special and I have a hunch the rest of the season will bear this out

 

[Mach5]

Its very organically written and a very natural relationship. The way their relationship stands up to many others, including straight ones is very special and I have a hunch the rest of the season will bear this out

The teeth brushing scene was so refreshing for Trek. Holy shit, a couple doing a couple thing.

I wish the writers on Enterprise had given us something like that. Instead, the show's "big romance" came down to will they - won't they, and an offscreen breakup.

 

[Tuskin38]

B’Elanna abd Paris sometimes did normal couple things IIRC

 

[Bandini]

There's a lot of chance that in a deep future, we accept this way more than today especially if we can make peace with aliens.

 

[Mach5]

B’Elanna abd Paris sometimes did normal couple things IIRC

I liked their disagreement over room temperature. And as much as I disliked "Endgame", I did find that scene when B’Elanna's water breaks funny and charming. The thing is, Robbie McNeill and Roxann Dawson did a pretty decent job with the material they were given and same goes for Cruz and Rapp who are both really good actors.

 

[Jayson1]

Cruz is right. In fact I hope to see more gay characters on the show. Curious about a Romeo and Juliet type of romance. We know how that story ends .Actually I would much prefer they ape Chief O'Brien and Keiko. To me they are basically the most realistic romance in Trek because it felt grounded and real. They felt like they had a marriage like people have in the modern world.

Romeo and Juliet inspires larger than life type of stuff but that also can work. Of course they got to improve the Culber character. Right now the actors got the chemistry but Culber has mostly been relegated to being the romantic interest. I am surprised so many people got upset at his murder. Him being murdered and dying I think is going to be the best thing that has happened to the character. Finally we will get a chance to see the character expand his role when he comes back to life. Me I am hoping for a "Pet Sematary" return where he comes back "kind of wrong" and eventually regains his humanity through story.

Jason

 

[Vger23]

"Culber and Stamets “represent hope and an ideal that we’re all working for,” said Cruz. “It will be a larger-than-life love story in the vein of Romeo and Juliet. Very rarely do we see in pop culture an LGBT relationship that stands up on those terms. We really haven’t been allowed to see it in the past.”"

This is why Culbers death doesn't really fit the bury your gays trope IMO. Their writing and their relationship is truly different. Its very organically written and a very natural relationship. The way their relationship stands up to many others, including straight ones is very special and I have a hunch the rest of the season will bear this out

The statement you've quoted gives me hope for the future of Culber's character and this relationship!

 

[ClintDagger]

Showing people being people... Who also happen to be homosexuals... Is the way to go and Discovery does it perfectly IMO. Stamets and Culber are excellent characters, both individually, and as a couple.

This 1000%. If people see Stamets/Culber as “those gay characters” then the purpose is lost. When done correctly everything blends in seamlessly and it becomes about the characters and their relationships with each other.

 

[Albinator]

I'm really really pleased nobody has disagreed (so far).

 

[Nyotarules]

“It will be a larger-than-life love story in the vein of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet had a bad end, so hopefully the Star Trek couple will have a better ending. He should have chosen a positive example lol

 

[STR]

The point of Romeo and Juliet is "look at these stupid infatuated kids and their dumb impulsive melodrama". That popular perception has morphed R & J into some kind of ideal example of love would have Shakespeare shaking is head.

What had me shaking my head is that my original draft of this post called them "the platonic ideal of romantic love" which while succinct is a terrible sentence.

 

[Jayson1]

The point of Romeo and Juliet is "look at these stupid infatuated kids and their dumb impulsive melodrama". That popular perception has morphed R & J into some kind of ideal example of love would have Shakespeare shaking is head.

What had me shaking my head is that my original draft of this post called them "the platonic ideal of romantic love" which while succinct is a terrible sentence.

If he wanted to use a trully epic love he could have went with Sheirdan and Deleen from "Babylon 5" but when I think about it can you do epic love if the characters aren't the lead character? I'm trying to think of some secondary characters where that might fit and at the moment the only thing I can think of is Willow and Tara on "Buffy."

Jason

 

[Succubint]

Finally we will get a chance to see the character expand his role when he comes back to life. Me I am hoping for a "Pet Sematary" return where he comes back "kind of wrong" and eventually regains his humanity through story.
Jason

I definitely think we should temper our expectations in terms of how Culber's character returns to the show. I don't think we should assume for a second that he's brought back to life in the conventional sense. The hints are pointing more towards a 'love transcends all borders' kinda story, in my opinion.

 

[Jayson1]

I definitely think we should temper our expectations in terms of how Culber's character returns to the show. I don't think we should assume for a second that he's brought back to life in the conventional sense. The hints are pointing more towards a 'love transcends all borders' kinda story, in my opinion.

That sounds okay if it's the subtext. I don't want it to feel like they treat love like magic though. Something like how Stamets kisses him and he returns to life or it turns out the Spores are powered by love and only work for people who are in Love. It's the only reason they worked is because Stamets has so much love for Culber and now the Love power within the Spores gives him power to bring him back to life. The whole Mind Meld with Sarek and Burnham already stretched credibility in those regards.

Jason

 

[Shaka Zulu]

The teeth brushing scene was so refreshing for Trek. Holy shit, a couple doing a couple thing.

I wish the writers on Enterprise had given us something like that. Instead, the show's "big romance" came down to will they - won't they, and an offscreen breakup.

Plus nothing more then decon gel shenanigans, and foot massaging.