I think I am going to have to defend to the death Seth McFarlane's right to make fun of transgender people and the "straight" reaction to them through Family Guy. Everything about that show is tasteless, and that's why it's funny. The fact that Brian pukes after he learns that he's slept with a transgender woman isn't supposed to be business-as-usual, it's supposed to be funny. One of the blog posts you linked to said that it's "too soon" to make jokes about transgender people, but I came away thinking that the joke was on the straight male Brian (i.e., McFarlane making fun of himself) for overreacting. In a show that is all about offensive humor, puking after having had that particular sexual experience is funny because it's offensive.
That McFarlane considers such a reaction as normative and still makes fun of it is a good thing. Things that are hidden or glossed over or handled with kid gloves are scary, not things that are openly mocked. I'm personally more concerned about shows like Modern Family that present a gay couple but never allow them to kiss (unlike all of the other characters in a relationship on the show).
I'm not sure whether or not it's the responsibility of a transgender person to disclose their sexual identity (or whatever) before having sex, but I would tend to think not. In a perfect world, sure, but sometimes people fall in love and get drunk and do stupid things. Sex is always kind of screwy in any case, which is why comedians have been making fun of it in all its various forms and manifestations forever and ever and ever.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-08-09 01:11 pm (UTC)That McFarlane considers such a reaction as normative and still makes fun of it is a good thing. Things that are hidden or glossed over or handled with kid gloves are scary, not things that are openly mocked. I'm personally more concerned about shows like Modern Family that present a gay couple but never allow them to kiss (unlike all of the other characters in a relationship on the show).
I'm not sure whether or not it's the responsibility of a transgender person to disclose their sexual identity (or whatever) before having sex, but I would tend to think not. In a perfect world, sure, but sometimes people fall in love and get drunk and do stupid things. Sex is always kind of screwy in any case, which is why comedians have been making fun of it in all its various forms and manifestations forever and ever and ever.