Avoiding 'Queer People are Funny'

So one of the subplots of something I've been working on (this still needs much development, so please bear with me) involves two guys who are close friends (one of whom is married to a woman) who have to pretend to be married.

• They end up in this predictament when they are forced to go into hiding and recieve help from an hauty aristocratic woman who develops a lust for the the married man. Knowing that she won't accept his heterosexual marriage as an excuse to not sleep with her, they pull off a Sorry, I'm Gay for an extended amount of time. (The fact that the woman apparently believes in No Bisexuals is brought up in universe) This is played for laughs multiple times, but most of it involves one of the characters being forced to 'go along with' whatever the other is improvising and having to fabricate backstory out of nowhere.
• This isn't the main focus of the plot, but is reocurring. There are also examples of other actual canonical LGBT couples in-universe that aren't played for laughs
  • So, how am I looking so far? Any other particualr elements/cliches of Queer People Are Funny that I should avoid? Thanks :)

I think you're fine, honestly. What you're doing is basically what Some Like It Hot did back in the 50s...and a good many of my LGBT friends actually adore that movie. Granted, there's time and place to consider (even invoking Teh Gay back in the 50s was pretty out there, even for comedy) but even so, laughter is not always bad.

I'd avoid too much referencing of gay stereotypes though. Play up the discomfort of two people forced to act a part they aren't suited to, that's a universal. Maybe even go so far as to have the noblewoman be suspicious of their act at first because they're acting too "obviously gay" or something.

You should consider averting Trans Equals Gay, or at least subvert it.

Good point. I hadn't thought of that.

I wasn't planning on making either of them Camp Straight or affecting Camp Gay mannerisms in the first place. Sure they have some interests/hobbies that aren't 'traditionally masculine,' but that doesn't make them more than Ambiguously Gay to certain people.

• Any what exactly do you mean by averting Trans Equals Gay? Do you mean something like not having same-sex relationships have a rigid 'man' and 'woman'?

No, don't put a guy in a dress and heels just because he's supposedly gay, because gay and transgender are not the same thing.

edited 12th Jun '13 12:19:21 PM by nekomoon14

Okay, wasn't planning on doing that anyway, but thanks for the clarification