| Chapter : | Introduction |
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The talk show hosts on ART are not always veiled, though some are. You are not likely to see anyone wearing a veil on LBC, even though Muslims form a large section of the population. The open sexual exploitation of women that the veil was originally intended to eliminate is something Lebanese audiences are exposed to, i.e., implicit visual sexual codes. Nevertheless, LBC is still governed by a double standard, for although the women who appear on it are permitted, even expected, to exude a sex appeal, they are nevertheless not inclined to be forward about this, since a woman’s reputation is still marred by even the hint of a rumour about her chastity. Lebanon is also the first Arab country to feature a real life drag queen on prime time television. Bassam is a drag queen who imitates Arab divas, not only in dress but in singing style as well. He has become a household name, even though his performances are known for what they are only to those who would know what they are, while those too innocent or unfamiliar would continue to see his performances as that of a mere transvestite creating light entertainment. In one of the clips featuring Bassam as he takes on the Latin American performer Shakira, there are male dancers around him, clad in cruising leather uniforms (right down to the cap and sun glasses) and as he sings and sports an exceptionally feminine physique, one could almost feel the tension between his desire to perform as he might in a San Francisco Bay night club and how he is with the LBC cameras pointed at him and projecting his camp performance to a less knowing, predominantly heterosexual, and presumably homophobic Arab audience throughout the world.14 Fortunately, Bassam’s performances are for the present time archived and preserved by a user whose tag name is “AnaArabGay” (I am a Gay Arab) on the internet phenomenon “YouTube.”