Gay and Lesbian Visibility in Movies and Television

As the years have gone by, you can see the change of how gays and lesbians are widely seen in mostly every tv show or movie in today’s society. This is something most of our own parents didn’t even grow up seeing gays throughout the media. Living in today’s time period, you’re able to see how the influence has changed the way people see gays and lesbians. The nation has become more accepting of the gay and lesbian culture verses back in the days of when our parents and even grandparents were our age. Not only was is rare to see homosexuals on television, it was portrayed negatively, and now you can see it portrayed positively.

Misrepresentation, along with a lack of representation, in the media is a problem that has plagued and continues to plague the LGBT community throughout the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. Originally, it was seen as taboo or, in some cases, illegal for LGBT characters to be shown in the media. Over time, however, these characters filtered their way into the media and although they were present, their characters were subjugated to stereotypes and ridicule. Amber B. Raley and Jennifer L. Lucas analyzed LGBT presence in television during the fall of 2001 using Clark’s theory for documenting minority representation by utilizing four categories: non-representation, ridicule, regulation, and respect. They concluded their experiment by

The sexual revolution has given rise to the prominence of “out” homosexuals and helped to increase cultural acceptance of gays, lesbians, and transsexuals. The Gay Rights Movement started in the late 1960s and drastically changed the meaning of being gay. Prior to the sexual revolution it was extremely uncommon for a gay individual to “come out;”

John D’Emilio’s “Capitalism and Gay Identity” contracts what life was like for gay men and lesbians throughout the 1970s and 1980s. During the 1970s, gay men and lesbians were able to come out freely, and eventually started to get accepted by everyone in society. They were able to express themselves without any regards, and started to become the person they were destined to be. People within the gay community have always expressed tendencies of liking the same sex, but societal norms did not allow them to express themselves. However, during the 1980s, as more people decided to openly come out, it started to take a toll on their identity. Society then started to question the importance of people who were brave enough to come out to the world.

This approach to queer subtext has been has always been a part of Western media as we as we explored in the film “The Celluloid Closet” (1995). Queer representation for many years was an continuous uncategorized personification that was vaguely acknowledged but to those who understood the subtext, it became an undercurrent of complex coded information that eventually paved the way for the integration of queer identification within the hetero film storylines. Doty speaks about this and also mentions that at some point in time representation of queer culture and sexuality

The 1970s was considered the “Me Decade” because of the increasing amount of individuality that people were beginning to exhibit. Americans started discussing important issues, such as divorce and gender roles but remained silent on the subject of sexuality. One of the reasons was because television in the 20th century hardly mentioned homosexuality. The idea was considered taboo, and many Americans were not comfortable or familiar with this issue, much less talking about it. In recent decades, Americans have made tremendous progress towards the acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in just forty years because of the television programs that have introduced Americans to these types of people. Many of the individuals that belong to either one of these categories have long struggled for equality and respect, just as other minorities have in the past, and continue to do so. Although American culture is more focused on individuality than conformity in today's times, the idea of what is “normal” is still an issue for many people. However, more television programs are bringing awareness to the idea of homosexuality, which makes for the gradual acceptance of it. The increasing amount of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters portrayed on television programs in today’s society has helped change the views of many Americans into embracing gay individuals into their lives. People are also more accepting of same-sex relationships or marriages and are

The uprising of gay and lesbian entertainment in shows such as “Will & Grace,” Showtime series “Queer As Folk” and “The L Word,” has overthrown the former cookie cutter husband and wife TV series. Gay and lesbian affairs in the media emerged quickly after the coming out of Ellen Degeneres in her hit sitcom, “Ellen.” The comedian now has her own daytime talk show, achieving mainstream popularity for obvious reasons: she’s funny, down-to-earth, and openly gay. In earlier decades homosexuality was previously limited to a closet of taboos, where no one knew about it, and no one admitted to it. Primetime programming would never house a show in which gay men and lesbian women openly discussed their sex lives and sexual preferences, nor a show that based its entire plotline on gay and lesbian couples.

Bisexual. Gay. Lesbian. These are all words that in today’s society are becoming more and more common to hear. Although just a few years ago hearing these words might have shocked some and angered many, they are becoming a part of today’s norm. People are broadening their views on sexuality and the possibilities open to them. Being bisexual, gay, or lesbian is slowly becoming accepted. On television a few years ago, a comedic sitcom Ellen attempted to make gays even more accepted by casting the main character as a gay woman. Sadly, Ellen failed because viewers weren’t ready for gays to be seen in a comfortable TV setting. The idea was too new and the show was before

Gay male culture is by far the most talked about among the LGBTQI community — it has been talked about greatly by the media. And, arguably, it is the most influential. In politics, social values, and peoples’ perceptions, the gay male culture has changed the way many think of the gay community, and the LGBTQI community as a whole. Queer, fag, bear, twink: gay men promptly made their voices heard. After Massachusetts become the first state to legalize gay marriage, and the entire United Sates following nearly 10 years later, gays have instantly became a “sensation” of sorts.

Imagine being mocked for who you are and singled out on the way you act and dress—heterosexuals face that problem everyday seeing it broadcasted on shows and movies commonly seen in the genre of drama and comedy. Stereotypes on groups of people affect whether they are true or just a perception. The gay community is discriminated against and has to overcome stereotypes in the media, as seen in Modern Family, Glee, and Mean Girls showing how they are struggling to be represented accurately and positively. Before the 1960’s gay men weren’t shown in films, plays, shows, etc.

Looking through the history of homosexual, gay and lesbian films, you can see the progress, but you can also see the era in the time when people at once was afraid to now people are more open. For example, in the 1920s people was more scared to come out and be who they are. At the time not, much actors wanted to act or portray as homosexual because they thought it will ruin their career. Compare

Throughout time, the LGBT community has became a controversial topic. A topic that society usually tries to shy away from. In recent years, we have notice a tremendous transformation within this community in which, gay marriages have became legal in many states, and the LGBT community themselves are no longer shy or as the term society like to say "in the closet". More recently, this community has not only been more openly affectionate in public, they have been appearing more on T.V. With people such as RuPaul and Laverne Cox, over the last 20+ years, the dynamic of society has changed drastically, and the public has been publicizing them both in positive and negative lights.

It was the late 1990’s when one superstar took that power back, even if it was more for herself than the gay community; that superstar being Ellen DeGeneres. It was 1997 when the sitcom Ellen featured an episode with an entirely new twist. The main character, Ellen Morgan, came out as gay on an episode late that year. In that time of history gay culture wasn’t part of many discussions, evident since the network went back and forth on whether or not to air the content. They were presumably aware of the power their media had on the public and what seeing a minority group might insinuate. But Ellen did it anyway. She went on later to explain how free and liberated she felt being out about her sexuality. Yet what was really happened here was Ellen got back the power she didn’t previously have. LGBTQ communities were rendered powerless because they were never visible but the second Ellen came out on the platform that the world tuned into, she gained that power back. She was seen and heard and now everyone knew. There was no hiding in the same way the media hid gay culture. “Foucault’s claim…to enter the confession ritual may be seemingly to escape from one power relation only to enter another (Dow 127). Even though representations may not always be accurate, this example of Ellen shows that even a little representation can give one and his or her community power; an aspect often

After watching the movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, I felt enthralled to dive deeper into the topics associated within the movie. So I begin by researching and conducting sociological analysis of the characters’ genders and sexualities. In addition, I will be examining the movie based on gender, socialization, media and evaluating the acceptance and portrayal of gay people in this particular movie. To further increase the depth and validity of the paper, I will be using terminology that directly applies to the situation, by which I shall break down accordingly. Throughout the paper, I will share with you my analysis that I have formulated, through the deconstruction of this movie.

“We’re here, we’re queer, get over it.” In 1990, these words, shouted and displayed proudly on signs waved by the activist group, Queer Nation, were revolutionary. Never, not since the Stonewall Riots, had non-straight, non-cis people been so vocal about their existence and demanded acceptance – something that straight people take for granted on a daily basis. However, in the years since the Riots, LGBT activism has become much more mainstream, no longer whispered about behind closet doors or something to be wholly ashamed of. Gay marriage is legal in all 50 United States, something that has been fought for since the conception of the LGBT movement. In fact, gay couples are routinely being featured on popular television and other forms of media. Some might say that in 2016, the dreams of the rioters in Stonewall have been realized. Marriage rights and the spotlight on nighttime television; equality seems to truly be right on the horizon.