‘Basic’ Difference

It seems clear from recent letters in Calendar that readers simply do not understand the complaints of those in the lesbian and gay community concerning their portrayals in movies.

I would like to issue a challenge to Williamson: For every negative portrayal of a heterosexual character, I will name her 50 positive portrayals, but for every negative portrayal of a homosexual character, I defy her to name even five positive portrayals.

For the bisexual or lesbian murderesses in “Basic Instinct,” I can’t think of a single good or even ordinary lesbian character. I would suggest the characters in “Fried Green Tomatoes,” but I think The Times has a policy against “outing,” and since those women never state their sexuality and the makers of the film deny any homosexual themes, they don’t count.

“Basic Instinct” depicts ice-pick-wielding, man-hating lesbians, “Silence of the Lambs” gives us a woman-loathing psychopathic transvestite who aspires to be Buffalo Billie, and “Paris Is Burning” is just a film about a bunch of black drag queens and doesn’t even merit consideration for an award.

With the vast numbers of good-guy heterosexuals seen in every movie ever made, it is highly unlikely that heterosexuals will have any worries about being beaten to death by roving gangs of gay and lesbian teen-agers. I am not that lucky. And as long as I have to fight for my very existence, I will take that battle to the streets, to the movie theaters and to the Letters to Calendar.

HAMP SIMMONS

West Hollywood