Jo Being a Gay Icon - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Gemini_89 · 02-02-2016, 11:43 PM

I loved Nancy's reponse on Jo being a Gay Icon:

TVGO: We've gotta ask. Did you know Jo from Facts of Life is a lesbian icon?

McKeon: (Laughs) I haven't heard that, but I think that's a wonderful thing. I think that was helpful to girls our age to have that kind of a role model, to see a girl who was strong and standing up for what she believed in, living her life on her own terms and not bowing to peer pressure and becoming a cookie-cutter person. And it was great to go to work and speak your mind all day long. I got the greatest lines and comebacks!

http://www.oocities.org/mckeon_nancy...cript-DOD.html

I find it incredible though that she was oblivious to that for all of those years on the show. It seems like since she was getting the most fan-mails that she would be getting 10s of hundreds of mails from young gay kids/adults on how her character impacted and changed their life for the better.

What do you guys feel about all of this? Is Jo a Gay Icon in your opinion?

'80sSitcoms · 02-03-2016, 09:57 AM

I too find that very hard to believe. Maybe she had heard/seen things like "gay role model" pertaining to Jo, but just had never heard the phrase "lesbian icon"? I don't know, but yeah, you'd think she would at least know of the generalization.

And yes, Jo has long been thought of as a gay icon.

02-02-2016, 11:43 PM	#1
Gemini_89 Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 09, 2009 Location: Unknown Posts: 1,294	Jo Being a Gay Icon I loved Nancy's reponse on Jo being a Gay Icon: TVGO: We've gotta ask. Did you know Jo from Facts of Life is a lesbian icon? McKeon: (Laughs) I haven't heard that, but I think that's a wonderful thing. I think that was helpful to girls our age to have that kind of a role model, to see a girl who was strong and standing up for what she believed in, living her life on her own terms and not bowing to peer pressure and becoming a cookie-cutter person. And it was great to go to work and speak your mind all day long. I got the greatest lines and comebacks! http://www.oocities.org/mckeon_nancy...cript-DOD.html I find it incredible though that she was oblivious to that for all of those years on the show. It seems like since she was getting the most fan-mails that she would be getting 10s of hundreds of mails from young gay kids/adults on how her character impacted and changed their life for the better. What do you guys feel about all of this? Is Jo a Gay Icon in your opinion?
	Last edited by Gemini_89; 02-03-2016 at 12:00 AM.

02-03-2016, 09:57 AM	#2
'80sSitcoms Member Forum Star Join Date: Jan 30, 2013 Posts: 12,474	I too find that very hard to believe. Maybe she had heard/seen things like "gay role model" pertaining to Jo, but just had never heard the phrase "lesbian icon"? I don't know, but yeah, you'd think she would at least know of the generalization. And yes, Jo has long been thought of as a gay icon.