The Motion Picture Production Code: LGBT Representation In The Media

The inaccurate or lacking representations of LGBTQ people in media results in misconceptions about the community. Media, such as literature, television, and music, particularly those targeted towards middle

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.

Mainstream media’s portrayal of lesbians is one that is constantly evolving and should be monitored because it holds an incredible influence on how one perceive certain types of individuals that one does not normally interact with. Organizations like the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) are dedicated to promoting the fair and accurate representation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals in the media. The group itself became better known in the 80’s in light of the AIDS crisis. Over the years GLAAD’s efforts have had an impact in the media. Ranging from the years of 1989 to 1996 they managed to get the New York Times to change its editorial policy to allow the use of the word gay, they protested CBS commentator Andy Rooney for a remark that he said, which resulted in him being suspended, and also partnered with Drug-Free America to alter the public service announcement that seemed to imply that homosexuality was worse than drug addiction.

Although, we have improved in our acceptance many still target such individuals who sexual orientation differs. It is alarming when looking at the advertisements and media in today’s society and how they depict women and gay individuals. Women for instance are often depicted in the media as objects of men’s desires and treated as so on television broadcasts. Gay individuals are depicted in a comical way which is degrading. Another alarming factor that went unmentioned in the documentary is the age of many girls in the advertisements.

When a characteristic of a person is less common than the status quo, it becomes far more likely to be faced with prejudice as the power is automatically handed to those in the majority. This can be seen with many different characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, and sexuality. It is because of this principle of power along with many other reasons that queerness has been and continues to be, though to a lesser extent in modern developed societies, a characteristic that faces much prejudice forcing queer people to hide their identity from the world. Queer men, specifically, are often ostracized when they expose this part of their identity facing major backlash from society as their queerness is perceived as a threat to masculinity. The film The

My PIP is a cross-generational comparison of media’s influence towards public perception of homosexuality throughout decades. Society has become more accepting in recent years and it’s expected to grow even more in the future. The rise in support for same-sex marriage over the past decade is among the largest changes in opinion on any policy issue. In my PIP, I’m going to be discussing media’s perception of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders and asexuals in the past decades to how it is perceived now. Homosexuality is defined as a sexual desire or behaviour directed towards a person of his or her own sex. I’m going to be comparing my generation (Generation Z) to my parent’s generation (Generation X) to see how media has affected views towards homosexuals.

While many believe that homosexuality has only been seen in mainstream media for only a few decades, it has actually been with America cinema since the early 1920’s. The portrayal of homosexuality in film and TV has come a very long way since the 1920’s. What viewers see on TV about homosexuality is really just a representation of America’s changing public view on the subject. While we have come to accept the topic of homosexuality in American society more willingly, we have substituted much of our prejudice about gays with the stereotypes that we see on TV constantly. Because as a society we are constantly forced to see these stereotypes, we are being halted in our progression to accept all different kinds of lifestyles.

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 watches reads comics, watches Saturday morning cartoons and plays video games, it is so exciting to discover the lengths of progress that has been made in queer representation in all ages media. In this paper I hope to detail the highs and lows of LGBTQ representation in all ages media and highlight the impact of media representation.

In the article Column: LGBTQIA+ community distorted by media, written by Lily Cusack, discusses the importance of media representation. Cusack stresses concern of the kinds of roles LGBT characters casted in popular movies and TV shows. She acknowledges that most LGBT characters are written into the script as a “prop, something that they are obligated to include to appeal to more people…Most LGBT characters are defined merely by their sexuality; they have no other reason to be included in the show other than what they identify as. Often these roles are very minor and have little to no plot development.” (Cusack 2014, pg.1).

Pop culture has largely ignored "different" or "minority" groups, especially gays. However, during the 1980's new support/ religious and action networks

Media has always been highly influential in our society; it’s carefully constructed in order to show certain values, beliefs and messages. When viewers are exposed to topics they have little experience or knowledge in, media can especially play a large role in shaping their own opinions. It has been shown that people who know a LGBT+ person in their lives are much more likely to be supportive of same-sex marriage and the community in general. In place of that, viewing characters in film or television can adequately supplement the empathy gained from personal experience. This is exemplified by Wilson Cruz, the actor of Rickie Vasquez, a gay character on the 1994 television series My So-Called Life: “...Vasquez was the first gay person that they knew and because of the light he shed on the issue...I think people took up the cause of LGBT rights...I know for many people the only LGBT people that they know are people that they meet on their television screens or at the movie theater.” Since then, the amount of programming featuring openly gay characters has steadily increased, and with it, people are gaining a better understanding of the issues they face. As the years progress, Canada is being exposed to greater diversity: both on the television screen and within its community.

There are four central elements that are prevalent in all forms of oppression, each of these elements are complimentary of one another and helps perpetuate the existence of oppression. (Pharr, 1988). Invisibility of the oppressed group occurs when those in power omit or distort the past and current accomplishments of the oppressed group. This practice of invisibility occurs through television, movies, and educational books which omit or rewrite historical actions and achievements of minority groups. This reinforces the idea the societal norm is the majority, and those who do not fall within this category are nonexistent, or have not made any positive contributions to society. While members of the LGBT community have become more visible in

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.

Media and its representation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual (LGBT) themes has been prevalent throughout time. According to the collections of studies and stories by Meem, Mitchell and Jonathan (2010) concerning LGBT individuals, it is important to represent such themes because it is able to enlighten people on how our society as a whole, has become dynamic. The Media can be seen as a “central source” where negative perceptions can be created. As a result, stereotypes can be either created or perpetuated about this group, negative or otherwise. Media as a medium, therefore, is an extremely powerful tool in our society, and can be used to change or create people 's perceptions about this particular segment of our world (LGBT).

This research aims to illustrate the growing acceptance of non-normative sexualities and gender identities by focusing on the media representation and looking at recent research into the topic of sexual fluidity. Some of the questions this research will focus on are;