Representation In Film

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.

A controversial issue these days is over Hollywood’s negative depictions of homosexuality. Such portrayals were so focused on silencing queer people and basically putting their emotions in the “closet.” A documentary The Celluloid Closet, which is based on The Celluloid Closet book by Vito Russo, analyzes the representation of gays and lesbians in Hollywood films from the 1890s to the 1980s. The Celluloid Closet argues that Hollywood’s portrayal of gays and lesbians has often been harsh and homophobic, which led gays and lesbians characters to be defined by their sexuality, lacking any character development throughout the plot.

LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender. Most recently the community added on “QI” to represent those who identify as queer and intersex individuals.

Since media has a large impact on the way gender identities are constructed, perhaps companies can televise the inclusion of people who do not fit the general social norm. In fact companies are just starting to initiate in this practice. One recent example can be seen in the new Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast, where a cast member is portrayed as an openly gay character or Amazons streaming release of Transparent, about a Transgender Mother. No law states that film cinema must be this inclusive in their productions, yet Disney decided to promote the civil liberties of others through their inclusion and did so successfully. Disney did obtain some criticism from this action however it has also obtained praise from progressive communities. If this were the 1960s Disney would have never considered casting an openly gay character but since todays society and culture are more accepting and open minded this was possible. Disney was influenced by society to move forward on such an uncommon casting decision, which portrays the countervailing forces model. The model suggests there is no dominant entity and

Before celebrating the strides of queer representation in all ages media, it is important to look back at queer representation in the past. The late film scholar Vito Russo painstakingly researched the evolution of queer representation in cinema in his landmark book The Celluloid Closet. In both the book and the documentary based of the book, Russo details the

Media is not only a form of entertainment; it also shows the social perspectives around the world. Through television and other forms of media, people learn social norms and how to interact with others. It can also influence personal perceptions, views and values. Media also has a large influence on how people view and treat others. How media portray events related to homosexuality has a powerful influence on public opinion. Many movies and TV series include gay and lesbian characters such as Modern Family, The Fosters & Pretty Little Liars. The media has encouraged social acceptance of homosexuality. Twitter has given a greater voice to the LGBT community worldwide to promote and support LGBT rights by starting campaigns such as the ‘It Gets Better Project’ which gives individuals to share their coming-out

In 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report: Flipping the Script, Drs. Darnell Hunt and Ana-Christina Ramon takes a hard look at the statistics of women of color involved on television, in movies, and behind the scenes. In 2013, cable scripted television programs had approximately 62.9% lead male roles and 37.1% female lead roles – of that 80.7% of lead female roles were white and 19.3% were Asian, Latino, Indian, and black women of color – a slight increase of 4.6% since 2012. It was in 2012 that women held the most female leads in the history of film: 30.8% – of these 15.1% were women of color; however, in 2013, the percentage of female leads dropped to 25.3% while increasing in minority roles to 16.7%. Furthermore, it is seen that female television writers and directors make up approximately 30% with 30% of these women being minorities. Oscar winners by gender was an even 50% in 2012, and increase of 32% since 2011. Of these female actresses, 25% of them were minorities – an increase from 0 in 2011. Drs. Hunt and Roman admit to studying these finding in an attempt to shed light on the “Hollywood race and gender problem” (Ramon). The increase and decrease of gender roles and minority roles is proof that Hollywood has the capacity to correct the problem when it comes to discrimination and prejudice, but seemingly refuse to do

In chapter seven, of Social Inequality Forms, Causes, and Consequences, gender identity and sexual orientation are discussed. The chapter discusses transgender;

Since the beginning of the Australian film industry Homosexuals have had a certain depiction made of them. One of the first ever Australian films to include the idea of homosexuality is The Set which was released in 1970 (Davidson, 2016). This movie assisted in the set up the stereotype of gays in the Australian film industry. Although, Since the 70’s the representation of the minority group of homosexuals has changed drastically in the 21st century.

The increasing prevalence of LGBT representations in film and television has had positive contributions in challenging the dominance of heteronormativity. Representations through LGBT characters in film and television increases awareness of the LGBT community. These representations may challenge people’s perceptions of things such as masculinity and femininity or homosexuality and heterosexuality. However, not all representations are positive, as they often distort characters into dangerous stereotypes and misrepresent the community entirely. This misrepresentation holds true with bisexual characters.

society. Sometimes, films or film movements can function as incentives that can commence different ways of thinking. Audiences need to analyze the film or film movements from a historical point of view in order to gain full understanding of the context, importance and message that the film represents to serve as a social incentive. This is the case with the film movement “New Queer Cinema”. The films that were based on homosexual content were greatly popular during mid-1980s and early 1900s. This was the time period when in American history when supporting homosexual lifestyle and/or films was damage to the health of heterosexuals. The most common stereotype during

While it’s widely known that men dominate board rooms, newsrooms, and political offices, it’s arguably less obvious that they also determine what viewers see when they are relaxing in front of the TV or theater screen. It is not surprising that the male-dominant culture of Hollywood display itself in a lack of female characters. “With a lack of women behind the camera comes with a lack of women’s speaking roles and screen presence (Missouri, M. 2014).” When female characters are present, sexist stereotypes often convert them into little more than background props- the “damsel in distress” who is often saved by a male hero or the “dream girl” who attracts a male protagonist. Because Hollywood is so male-dominated, films and television often gives a limited perspective on women themselves. Viewers see only that the world is driven by men which sends women and girls troubling message and harm.

Some terms that I will use throughout my research essay are queer, cisgender, heteronormativity, and social identity. I will define these terms to convey a more uniform understanding of the term and its use in this research paper. Using the University of Michigan’s definition,

Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of the term ‘‘queer’’ in relation to film analysis, drawing on academic debates and one or two films of your choice.

Asking for proper representation within the entertainment industry should not be an outrageous request. However, it seems that it is a request that is always ignored, or, (if it is acknowledged), executed poorly and inaccurately. One common instance occurs in nearly every film set in ancient Egypt, more specifically, and most recently, “Gods of Egypt,” which has a primary cast composed almost entirely of white members, thus neglecting the history of the film’s setting and adding to the monotonous cycle of misrepresentation. Currently, though, there are issues with representation in regards to the upcoming film, “Anything” which stars Matt Bomer playing the role of a transgender woman.