LGBT Characters: Misrepresentation In The Media

The representation of the LGBT community in the film industry has long been a topic of much debate. In her article, “It Ain’t Easy Being Bisexual on TV,” Amy Zimmerman addresses this topic with specific interest on bisexual representation. By appealing to the logic of her audience, using an informal tone, and referring to relatable content, Zimmerman constructs an argument which persuades readers of The Daily Beast that the film industry is unfairly and inaccurately representing bisexuals. However, her argument holds little influence over those who are not movie fans or The Daily Beast readers.

What dictates the social roles, the individual responsibility everyone has in society, and stereotypes, an overgeneralized and oversimplified belief of a particular person or group, in America’s 21st century society? Can rationale and critical thinking be held accountable for the establishment of ethical beliefs involving people and their sex, gender related value systems? The following readings covered in this essay are both found within the textbook, Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers; the Introduction: Popular Signs written by coauthors Sonia Maasik, a writing programs lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Jack Solomon, an English Professor at California State University, and located within the second chapter of the textbook, the brief article, Dove’s “Real Beauty” backlash, written by Jennifer L. Pozner, the executive director of Women In Media & News (“Sonia Maasik”)(“Jack Solomon”)(194). Mass entertainment culture, the popular interests of the majority broadcasted in the media, can be attributed for constituting and sustaining the potentially hindering culture myths, a fictitious but widely accepted belief of a certain culture, regarding all genders. These cultural myths are not exclusive to men and women as they also involve transgender individuals and others who identify as another gender not classified under ‘cisgender.’ An extensive analysis of mass entertainment culture and

Television and film is a huge part of American culture. As the “face” of America changes, it is expected for our media to reflect it. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Since the beginning of film, minorities have been misrepresented and underrepresented. While there has been a significant increase in minority actors since the beginning of film, there is still a huge underrepresentation present in American television and film. Our media needs to reflect out diverse country. This topic is always important and relevant because race, gender, and sexuality, in general, have been issues throughout the growth of television and film. Even today, minorities are subject to

Contemporary popular culture influences the general publics perception of gender and family in modern society, this gives the filmmakers and show runners and incredibly powerful and socially responsible position. Not only is there a pressure to produce good content, but in these changing times it is unequivocal that representation is on the forefront of their minds. Unfortunately to many people of color, women, and those who identify as non-binary, this responsibility is not met.

Growing up as a Catholic, Puerto Rican gay boy in the 90s and early 2000s, I struggled to discover my queer identity as well as queer representation in the media I consumed. Being gay was something that was never discussed. If it was brought up, it was usually in hushed tones (I remember being introduced to my uncle 's close 'friend ' each holiday) or as something negative (I still remember the sting of being called a faggot in elementary school). This reflected exactly how homosexuality was portrayed in media at the time. Queer characters and homosexuality were at best portrayed in codified, 'blink-and-you 'll-miss it ' labels and affectations, or at worst, something to laugh at, pity or even hate. As someone who still regularly reads comics, watches Saturday morning cartoons and play video games, it is so exciting to discover the lengths of progress that has been made in queer representation in all age media. In this paper I hope to detail the highs and lows of LGBTQ representation in all age media and highlight the positive and negative impact of media representation.

Not only are LGBTQ people not represented on TV or in the movies, LGBTQ actors are few and far between due to the homophobia present throughout the entertainment industry. “LGBT actors are discriminated against, and many of them feel uncomfortable being out professionally because of the risk to their career prospects (Gray).” Faced with discrimination it makes sense that only 53% of lesbian and gay actors are out to most of their fellow actors, 36% have revealed to agents they are gay, and only 13% have told industry executives (Child). Nevermind getting the chance to play characters they can relate to, LGBTQ actors aren’t even allowed to exist as their true selves without risk of ruining their career. LGBTQ actors exist and they should be

The depictions of lesbians throughout the TV industry and other forms of media is often used to increase ratings, sexually titillate men and for entertainment purposes. The problem the culture encounters is the stereotypes are widely agreed upon and thought to be right. Many media outlets have made the distinction that attractive women kissing equal to ratings. For example, the kiss between Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair during the movie Cruel Intentions was widely talked about in the media and amongst the movies target audience. The scene featured two young attractive females engaging in a 10 second kiss. Although

Once the humanization of an idea is created people realize that these ideas aren’t as foreign as they seem. The importance of this paper and media influence on the subject shaped many people’s early understanding of the issue. It included both sides of the argument going back and forth leading to a clear divide amongst the media. Some used it (media) to promote their own opinions and political agendas while others used it as visual ornaments to sell magazines. Images of gay individuals were twisted and used to shape political ideology in an upcoming controversial issue at the time.

Michael Omi makes arguments that racial minority subcultures are constantly disrespected and stereotyped in the media, and he argues that these stereotypes presented in popular culture have created a subconscious feeling towards minorities (Omi 116). Omi’s argument about racial minorities relates with the struggles of members of the LGBT community because they are unfairly labeled and their identities are construed by the media just the same as racial minorities. Omi’s argument can be complicated by David Bergman’s argument that LGBT members have the same interests, feelings, and do not represent the stereotypes as the media portrays them to be (Bergman 17). He also argues that, “Gay acceptance has been fueled at least as much by market forces as by a sense of justice”, American consumerism has put members of the LGBT community on a level playing ground (Bergman 17). Bergman is making the point that consumerism has created a greater acceptance of LGBT members, while media outlet still often create prejudice towards these same individuals. His argument ties closely with Omi’s because they are both arguing that minorities are falsely represented in popular culture due to stereotypes presented by visual media. Yet, Bergman also argues that popular culture and visual media have contributed to the acceptance of LGBT members by creating a niche market and

In the first period, (mid 80's) the homosexual man, the "gay" was something not completely caught on. Gays were depicted as a stereotype. A qualification between a homosexual man and a transgender was not made. Anybody "not typical" was thought to be gay person. Within pages of the newspapers frequently utilized homosexuals as subjects to news of "murder, perversity and immorality." Homosexuality was demonstrated as an issue to excite the general population. This was additionally the period when AIDS got to be known as a disease of gay people. AIDS was breaking news, along with homosexuality.

The media, in recent years, has depicted homosexual characters and relationships, as seen by popular shows such as The Fosters and Shadowhunters. The role of the media within this social problem is the fact that media attention makes the behavior that was once deemed impermissible more accepted and deemed more common within our society. The media, not only television shows but also news outlets, has also determined the way in which we perceive this social problem, as seen by the fact that several liberal and republican news outlets cover this topic, as recorded by The Advocate, a website dedicated to documenting LGBTQ+ stories (The Advocate, 2016). The media has fluctuated during the progression of this social problem, as the newfound commonality of homosexuality leads it to be present in the media on a regular basis. The media has also discussed and depicted other social problems, such as the discrimination imposed upon women and African Americans. The media, on a global level, has made these topics have a decreased stigma within society, as we can assess (even if it is just on our television screens) that individuals will different sexual preferences do exist. Also, media outlets allow these individuals to have a role model that could help them, allowing them to become more accepting of themselves and in turn allowing others to be more accepting of them. Being able to identify with have someone alike to oneself regardless of race or sexual preference within the media is something that would have been impossible just a few years ago. The media not only updates us on news regarding homosexuality, it also illuminates the topic at hand and evidently depicts how real and genuine it is, as it is present within our society and other societies all around the world. The globalized approach to accessing

There are many stereotypes and false depictions that gravitate amongst different ethnicities, genders, and sexualities in television and film. We are all affected by this in positive and negative ways, there is no hiding from it. Although, what is one to do if they are constantly ridiculed because of who or what they are based on their own sexuality? Gay men are often seen in television shows and films as flamboyant and lesbian women are often seen to be this type of masculine-type female try to evolve herself as a man. These depictions can be true for some gay men and lesbian females, but certainly not all within the lesbian and gay communities. When a man identifies as gay, he is identifying himself and to others that he is attracted to males and because of this, it should not allow people to assume he is a flamboyant individual based on his sexual preference. When a woman identifies as a lesbian it should only change the fact that she has a preference for women, not her appearance. Where have these influences come from and how do they affect the gay community? Mainly focusing on gay males. We will explore television shows and films that reflect positive and negative representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual community, the influences that caused these certain stereotypes and the effects of these stereotypes to the community itself.

As reported by the Williams Institute at UCLA, about 3.5% of the U.S. identified as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual and only 2% were speaking characters in television shows and movies. In today’s society the more representation we have for the LGBT community the better it is for viewers to feel open and comfortable with themselves. The report also mentions that 78.9% of the LGBT characters were white, whereas, 21.1% were from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Even when there is a small amount of representation given, there continues to be some lack of racial or ethnic

Even in the recent public opinion toward homosexuals and same-sex marriage with approval and approval, in the past 40 or 50 years, news media has generally held that homosexuality is a social issue that will weaken the combat effectiveness of the U.S. military and affect the security of the U.S. government.In 1980s or 1990s, after public discussion of human rights through the organization, the media focus on the question that same-sex marriage on the children grow and the past he concept of a happy family.

Many people don’t think twice about their representation in the media, but it’s important. Think of all the times characters have been relatable in some way. From Brave’s Merida with her curly hair, to The Hunger Games’ Katniss, characters in media have shaped the way I see myself. The same is true for everyone, but it’s a lot more difficult for minority groups to see themselves in the characters on TV, as well as in books, movies, and music. The LGBTQ+ community is seeing this issue very clearly now that same-sex marriage is legal across the United States. For people who are not members of the LGBTQ+ community, it is not as difficult to find characters and stories they can relate to, as well as people in the real world who they can relate to as it is for those within the community. Minorities need representation just as much as majorities do, if not more. It’s vital to the young boy who is questioning his sexuality and fearing he’s wrong for doing so, for the transgender woman in her twenties, to the lesbian couple who has been together for fifty years, and everyone in between. Some people don’t want to see more media diversity, but it’s mainly because of fear of the unknown. But if media just made the push to become more diverse, people would be educated and acceptance would be more widespread. There are many reasons that LGBTQ+ diversity should increase in the media, and a lot less reasons for levels of diversity to stay the same.