A high-ranking editor at New York magazine has complained about the lack of women in Hulu’s gay comedy Fire Island, saying the movie fails the “Bechdel test” — the feminist standard that determines if at least two female characters talk to each other about something other than a man.
But instead of garnering support, New York editor Hanna Rosin has faced online ridicule from fellow leftists who pointed out that the movie is about gay men and even features ethnic minorities in the lead roles. Her tweet even provoked a response from the creator of the test, Alison Bechdel.
Rosin serves as editorial director of New York‘s podcasts and is a former host of NPR’s “Invisibilia” podcast.
Set in the popular gay destination in New York, Fire Island updates Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice by recasting the lead characters as gay Asian-American men. The movie stars comedian Joel Kim Booster and Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang.
In a recent tweet, Rosin declared that Fire Island scored an “F-” on the Bechdel test.
“So @hulu #FireIslandMovie gets an F- on the Bechdel test in a whole new way,” she wrote in her since-deleted tweet .“Do we just ignore the drab lesbian stereotypes bc cute gay Asian boys? Is this revenge for all those years of the gay boy best friend?”
Her tweet met with almost instant mockery, with people posting satirical applications of the Bechdel test.
Rosin eventually posted an apology, saying her tweet was “offensive.”
The creator of the Bechdel test — Alison Bechdel — tweeted her response to the furor, saying Fire Island should pass the test.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com