The Reflections On The Evolution Of American Queer Cinema From The Perspective Of Homosexual Subculture

Homosexuality has long been in existence in human society. It once enjoyed a high status and recognition within certain social groups. However, in America, the country deeply influenced by Puritanism, homosexuality goes against the grain with the traditional views of marriage and family, thus the gay community has always been marginalized. The rise of the Queer Theory in the 1990s explored the contesting of the categorization of gender and sexuality. Theorists claimed that identities are not fixed; there are no homosexual or heterosexual but homosexual acts at one moment and heterosexual ones the next. The theory struck a blow on the heterosexual hegemony and was welcomed by all sexual minorities for rectification.Media is everywhere nowadays, whereas the film is more advantageous regarding some sensitive topics on the strength of its unique artistic features and thus has a greater impact on the formation of social values. Queer images have existed on the screen since the birth of American films, but they have long been stereotyped or even demonized. Nevertheless, with the increasingly diverse tendency of social culture, the film depiction on the queer group has been gradually enriched and humanized. People become more tolerant towards homosexuality and the homosexual theme has become a hot topic within film studies.According to the Cone Effect Theory, the American queer cinema is a reflection of queers'real life in America. This paper will thus attempt to explore American people's changing attitudes toward the homosexual subculture through casting a general view upon the evolution of the America queer cinema. After a basic historical look on homosexuality, chapter 1 focuses on the conflict between homosexuality and the American mainstream culture while analyzing the homophobia phenomenon produced thereby. Chapter 2 and chapter 3 illuminate the prosperity and decline of American queer cinema with a combination of the social backgrounds of different periods. The last chapter, through reviewing and forecasting the development of American queer cinema, reveals the change in people's attitudes towards homosexuality. Actually, the theme of homosexuality has gained momentum in more than one field worldwide, including television, literature, comics, animation and etc. The growing tolerance for homosexuality undoubtedly signifies the progress of human society.