Diverse and authentic LGBTQ+ representation in media is important and impactful. Yet, we continue to see a lack of nuanced portrayals in mainstream entertainment. This post explores and challenges the "GBF (gay best friend)" trope, which has become all too familiar.
What is the GBF Trope?
The GBF (gay best friend) trope is a common theme in movies, TV, and other media in which a gay character is cast as a friend of a straight character (often a woman), often providing emotional support, comic relief, and relationship or fashion advice without having a developed backstory of their own.
The GBF might be a person with any LGBTQ+ identity, but is most often a gay man who is portrayed one-dimensionally, and feeds into stereotypes that all gay men are sassy, flamboyant, effeminate and exist primarily as an accessory to support straight people. Stereotypes about LGBTQ+ people can also intersect with racial stereotypes on screen. Perpetuating any and all of these stereotypes can contribute to harmful social dynamics off-screen.
LGBTQ+ Characters Deserve Nuance
Emily Maskell on Letterboxd writes, “while any morsel of queer representation was once treasured like pure gold, its shine often reflected a warped image of queerness, more a hollow caricature than any semblance of a thoughtful depiction.”
While including “GBF” characters might be entertaining and seem progressive on the surface, many films ultimately reduce members of the LGBTQ+ community to tropes that don’t represent their full humanity and range of experiences - and often makes these characters’ relationships to gender and sexuality the butt of the joke.
Yet, as we discussed in our last post, diverse and authentically depicted LGBTQ+ characters and experiences are still lacking in mainstream entertainment. As we continue to endeavor to better include and represent the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities on screen and in the media, we need to do so with nuance and care to honor both the wide range of identities, and the wide range of friendships, that exist in our shared world.
Additional sources:
The GBF- What's Wrong with the Commodification of Gay Men: Mark Pampanin at TEDxChapmanU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5pvUaMgfC8
Emily Maskell, “Always the Bridesmaid: is there a future for cinema’s gay best friend?” Letterboxd, 2022. Includes links to lists! https://letterboxd.com/journal/always-the-bridesmaid-gay-best-friend-pride/
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