How is sexuality portrayed in Torchwood?

In our media lesson, we watched a fight scene between Jack and John, and made notes on how Torchwood portrayed their sexuality (as they are both gay) and whether how the characters acted-as in their behaviour-reflected how the audience would stereotype a gay persons behaviour.

During the fight scene, the stereotype of sexuality are reversed. For instance: the editing misses key action, the two men getting up from the ground. This keeps the pace of the fight up and adds to the violent, masculine tone; this atmosphere isn't normally associated with the gay stereotype. Howevere there are moments in the sequence where the audiences stereotype of sexuality is confirmed. After the fight scene, the use of camera shots for instance: close ups; the use of this particular type of shot, shows the closeness between Jack and John, which is similar to how females behave after being in a fight.

The use of costumes both confirm and reverse the gay stereotype. Jack is wearing a long dark military style coat, which suggests that he is tough and masculine. However John is wearing a flamboyant bright red theatre style costume, which connotes that he cares more about his appearance, which is another stereotype about homosexuals, as he is wearing bright colour and Jack is wearing a dark colour. John also confirms the stereotype because many people believe that homosexuals like dressing up and are drama queens, but Jack wearing a military style coat gives the impression that he means business because he doesn't look as flamboyant as John.

As well as the costumes the fight scene is also flamboyant and passionate. The clip before the fight starts is Jack and John kissing in front of a plasma fire, this connotes passion and strong desire for each other. After the first punch is thrown, they both begin a full out fight, however they appear to be enjoying it, as Jack grins during the fight and the music is Blur "Song 2" which confirms an audiences view of a gay stereotype, because the song is upbeat and gives the shot an excitable tone. The passion and enjoyment between the two men suggests to the audience that it is similar to make up sex, and because the television companies can't air two men having sex, they imply that the fight is representing this; this is also connoted during the scene due the atmospheric lighting that is used, dark and mysterious which adds to the mood of passion, and takes away from the violence and masuclinity.

Another stereotype that is often associated with homosexuals is that they have more female friends than male. Although in Torchwood, Jack has an equal amount of male and female friends; however the way the shot of Jack's friends in the taxi is composed, connotes that his female friends are more important to him than his male friends because they are more central and the first close up shot the audience sees of Jack's friends is of one of his female friends. This stereotype could also be reversed, because although his female friends are more central and the first shot the audience sees of his friends is a female friend, the editing is produce in a way that cuts between his friends equally; female friend (cut) male friend (cut) female friend (cut) male friend, etc. This equally showing of Jack's friends could connote that he likes all his friends equally, and unlike the stereotype has no particular preference.

Torchwood, overall, have a balanced response to the gay stereotype. They don't entirely rely on how the audience would expect homosexuals to behave, but they also show a different side to them. The audience get the impression that Torchwood are trying to break away from the gay stereotype, in order to not stereotype people just because of their sexuality; however Torchwood don't remove everything, because the audience would have their own views of how homosexuals are supposed to behave; and as Torchwood is light entertainment they don't want to take the audience completely out of their comfort zone, by having gay stereotypes that the audience can't relate to or have any of their own understanding of.