The film The Making of Me was created in 2008, discussing one of the most burning modern society issues – sexuality. Even though there has been a significant progress in the world’s inclusivity level, the film poses questions that are still relevant to the contemporary media agenda. On the one hand, The Making of Me explores some widely known trends and observations like the gene discussion in the analysis of sexuality origins or discrimination against LGBT. On the other hand, the film uncovers new aspects like speculations over the immunology factor or the movement of people giving up their initial sexuality.
Already Known Information
To begin with, the film starts with a semi-humorous experiment testing the existence of a so-called gaydar – gay radar. It is a notion describing an individual’s ability to sense and judge whether a person standing in front of them belongs to homosexuals or not. John tries to verify if his skill is reliable by guessing ten men’s sexual orientation (The Making of Me: John Barrowman, 2016). He appears to be correct in 60% of the cases, which is not surprising (The Making of Me: John Barrowman, 2016). John reasonably points out that he based his assumptions on stereotypes, and it is a piece of common knowledge that gaydar is not scientifically proven.
Speaking of more serious issues, the film covers the question of the sexuality treatment practiced in some societies. John visits a gay man who voluntarily tried to go through a therapy (The Making of Me: John Barrowman, 2016). The creators of this process appear to be unaware of sexual orientation origins. In many traditionalist countries, where homosexuality is illegal, treatment is known to be obligatory. Hence, this episode of the film is quite depressing yet, unsurprising.
Another issue raised in the film considers LGBT-community discrimination. As shown in the film, gay people of young age face discrimination and experience suicidal thoughts (The Making of Me: John Barrowman, 2016). This phenomenon is prevalent in societies where homosexual orientation is a taboo. Notably, due to the time of its production, the film does not cover the issue of discrimination against the queer community as a contemporary notion.
As for the possible biological explanations presented in the film, the gene discussion is still relevant even though it was produced twelve years ago. John’s test shows no genetic difference between him and his heterosexual blood brother (The Making of Me: John Barrowman, 2016). This result coincides with the latest research that proves no such gene would predict homosexuality – at least not one.
Moreover, the argument around environmental factors is broadly presented in the contemporary agenda. Is appears to be the most important question that John explores in the film under analysis (The Making of Me: John Barrowman, 2016). He does not find the final and undeniable solution, and it saves space for further discussion. For instance, there is a law forbidding so-called gay propaganda in Russia, which implies that one can be convinced to choose their sexual orientation. Hence, environmental factors are still considered as elements forming sexuality.
New Information
The first moment that appears in the film’s narrative and may surprise one is the phenomena of people switching their sexual orientation. John meets an ex-gay who changed his lifestyle and sexual preferences and married a woman (The Making of Me: John Barrowman, 2016). The man does not seem convincing, but it is a fact that he managed to change his life for the sake of his family’s happiness. Thus, it is common knowledge that people come out at any age; however, the opposite situation appears to be not as widespread.
What is more, the finger theory presented at the end of the film seems relatively new. The idea is that the ring and index fingers’ length indicates testosterone exposure before birth (The Making of Me: John Barrowman, 2016). In a word, even though it is just a theory, and it is not ultimately proved, it seems to be a peculiar idea, not commonly discussed.
However, the film’s most interesting point could be the theory on immunology and the number of brothers. Seeking the answers in science, John finds it in this concept (The Making of Me: John Barrowman, 2016). His mother had two boys in her body before him, and it presumably must have contributed to his sexual orientation (The Making of Me: John Barrowman, 2008). John is relieved to hear this information, as it gives hope to many confused youngsters facing the challenge of being gay in contemporary society that still discriminates LGBT-people. The fact that biological factors predict sexual orientation means a strong argument for freedoms, even though non-naturality of a phenomenon does not necessarily have to mean it must be forbidden.
Conclusion
To conclude, The Making of Me is a piece essential for the social discussion of sexuality and its freedom, still relevant after the twelve years after the film’s production. The main character of the documentary, John, explores various aspects of the phenomena trying to understand himself as well. Overall, the film provides the audience with a poll of strong arguments in favor of the biological origins of sexuality. Moreover, the piece poses many questions, some of which are not yet answered by modern science.
Reference
The Making of Me: John Barrowman. (2016). The making of me: John Barrowman (complete) [Video]. YouTube. Web.