LGBT+ media

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Gay media refers to media that predominantly targets a gay, lesbian or LGBTQ+ allied audience. [1] The primary target market for gay media may also more broadly be considered to include members of an LGBTQ+ community. [2] Secondary targets are LGBTQ+ allies, and in some instances those who oppose gay rights may be targeted as a form of activism to change their minds. [1] There are many types of gay media, and the type is determined by the purpose of the media presented. [3] Gay or queer media can also be defined as web sites, films, magazines and other cultural products that were created by queer individuals, or groups that are typically out, meaning that they are public or open about their identity. [4] Gay creators do not always include gay themes or issues in their productions but there is usually at least subtle references to queerness or acceptance in these media. [4]

Contents

Representation in gay media is something that is important to consider. Again, the type or purpose of the media being produced has an impact on what challenges it faces and what should be monitored. [1] One example is stereotypes, popular media has used this to characterize, classify, and attack LGBTQ+ people for decades. [3] There have been both positive and negative representations of gay people in various types of media such as film, television, literature, press, etc. [3]

Representation in the media is powerful, and particularly for youth. [5] Therefore, invisibility in media keeps the powerless groups at the bottom of our social hierarchy. [6] There have been studies that have shown that media can have an influence on LGBTQ+ people's self-realization, coming out, and current identities. [7]

Film

Motion Picture Production Code (Hays Code). Motion Picture Production Code.png
Motion Picture Production Code (Hays Code).

Hollywood has a complicated history with gay representation, evidenced by the Motion Picture Production Code which was an industry guideline to self-censor all major motion pictures from 1934 to 1968. [8] Gay invisibility in media was a by-product of this Production Code that was held in place for more than 30 years. However, even in the 1960s and 1970s when gay representation was becoming more visible, it was also becoming more homophobic. Gay characters in this time period were represented very negatively whether that meant they were dangerous and suicidal or predatory and violent in such movies as The Children's Hour, The Boys in the Band, Midnight Express, and Vanishing Point [4] . In the 1990s, films such as The Birdcage, Philadelphia, To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Flawless and In & Out were quite popular and proved that audiences were eager for gay representation. In 2005, Brokeback Mountain grossed over $178 million [9] and in 2017, Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture along with Actor in a Supporting Role and Adapted Screenplay. [10] Gay representation is now quite commonplace in film so it is now more important to analyze how accurate and beneficial these representations actually are. The gay man and heterosexual woman couple has become a genre itself in popular culture which does bring more mainstream visibility for gay men. This coupling exists in popular films such as My Best Friend's Wedding, The Object of my Affection, and The Next Best Thing. Some scholars argue that homosexuality is recoded and modified in these films to approve sexism as well as heteronormativity. [11]

Television

Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel, an openly gay character on the hit television show Glee, performing on the tour "Glee Live! In Concert!" in 2011. Glee - Single Ladies cropped.jpg
Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel, an openly gay character on the hit television show Glee, performing on the tour "Glee Live! In Concert!" in 2011.

According to The Los Angeles Times, gays are so present on television because they are so present in television, meaning that gay people have always been somewhat integrated into the hierarchal structure of Hollywood [6] However, this does not mean that all gay people in Hollywood were out, as the Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters indirectly prohibited positive homosexual representation from 1952 to 1983. In 1997, Ellen became the first show to have a gay main character. [12] After this, there was an increase in shows that included recurring gay characters such as Will & Grace, Dawson's Creek, Spin City, ER, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nightline, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Queer as Folk, The Young and Restless, Ugly Betty and Glee. Reality TV shows have also frequently represented openly gay people, such as MTV's The Real World, CBS's Survivor and The Amazing Race. In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and storylines across a wide range of television genres, reflecting a growing recognition of the importance of diverse representation in mainstream media. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT community</span> Community and culture of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people

The LGBT community is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality. LGBT activists and sociologists see LGBT community-building as a counterweight to heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, sexualism, and conformist pressures that exist in the larger society. The term pride or sometimes gay pride expresses the LGBT community's identity and collective strength; pride parades provide both a prime example of the use and a demonstration of the general meaning of the term. The LGBT community is diverse in political affiliation. Not all people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender consider themselves part of the LGBT community.

Heteronormativity is the concept that heterosexuality is the preferred or normal sexual orientation. It assumes the gender binary and that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between people of opposite sex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture</span> Common culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people

LGBT culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture, while the term gay culture may be used to mean either "LGBT culture" or homosexual culture specifically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT stereotypes</span> Stereotypes around LGBTQ people and communities

LGBT stereotypes are stereotypes about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are based on their sexual orientations, gender identities, or gender expressions. Stereotypical perceptions may be acquired through interactions with parents, teachers, peers and mass media, or, more generally, through a lack of firsthand familiarity, resulting in an increased reliance on generalizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT themes in horror fiction</span>

LGBT themes in horror fiction refers to sexuality in horror fiction that can often focus on LGBTQ+ characters and themes within various forms of media. It may deal with characters who are coded as or who are openly LGBTQ+, or it may deal with themes or plots that are specific to gender and sexual minorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisexual erasure</span> Dismissing or misrepresenting bisexuals in the public perception

Bisexual erasure, also called bisexual invisibility, is the tendency to ignore, remove, falsify, or re-explain evidence of bisexuality in history, academia, the news media, and other primary sources.

Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival, the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, and the Inside Out Film and Video Festival, in launching the North American Queer Festival Alliance, an initiative to further publicize and promote LGBT film.

Historically, the portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in media has been largely negative if not altogether absent, reflecting a general cultural intolerance of LGBT individuals; however, from the 1990s to present day, there has been an increase in the positive depictions of LGBT people, issues, and concerns within mainstream media in North America. The LGBT communities have taken an increasingly proactive stand in defining their own culture, with a primary goal of achieving an affirmative visibility in mainstream media. The positive portrayal or increased presence of the LGBT communities in media has served to increase acceptance and support for LGBT communities, establish LGBT communities as a norm, and provide information on the topic.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+(LGBTQ+)music is music that focuses on the experiences of gender and sexual minorities as a product of the broad gay liberation movement.

The modern South Korean LGBT rights movement arose in the 1990s, with several small organizations seeking to combat sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.

Racism in the LGBT community is any negative prejudice or form of discrimination against ethnic minority lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities by white LGBT communities in the Western world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libraries and the LGBT community</span> Library services to the LGBT community

In the post-Stonewall era, the role of libraries in providing information and services to LGBTQ individuals has been a topic of discussion among library professionals. Libraries can often play an important role for LGBTQ individuals looking to find information about coming out, health, and family topics, as well as leisure reading. In the past 50 years, advocate organizations for LGBTQ content in libraries have emerged, and numerous theorists have discussed various aspects of LGBTQ library service including privacy concerns, programming, collection development considerations and librarian/staff education needs, as well as special services for juvenile and teen patrons.

Despite the history of colonisation and the resulting process of Westernisation since 1842, Hong Kong still embodies many aspects of Chinese traditional values towards sexuality. It is traditionally believed that heterosexuality is the nature, coherent, and privileged sexuality. Popular media marginalises and discriminates against LGBT members of Hong Kong in an attempt to maintain "traditional lifestyles".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queerbaiting</span> In media, hinting at but not depicting queer relationships

Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but do not depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation. The purpose of this method is to attract ("bait") a queer or straight ally audience with the suggestion or possibility of relationships or characters that appeal to them, while not alienating homophobic members of the audience or censors by actually portraying queer relationships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of LGBT topics</span> Overview of and topical guide to LGBT topics

The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBT topics.

Straightwashing is portraying LGB or otherwise queer characters in fiction as heterosexual (straight), making LGB people appear heterosexual, or altering information about historical figures to make their representation comply with heteronormativity.

LGBT erasure refers to the tendency to intentionally or unintentionally remove LGBT groups or people from record, or downplay their significance, which includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people and those who identify as queer. This erasure can be found in a number of written and oral texts, including popular and scholarly texts.

Homonormativity is the adoption of heteronormative ideals and constructs onto LGBT culture and identity. It is predicated on the assumption that the norms and values of heterosexuality should be replicated and performed among homosexual people. Those who assert this theory claim homonormativity selectively privileges cisgendered homosexuality as worthy of social acceptance.

Portrayals of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters or themes within South Korean film and television make up a relatively small part of the overall body of South Korean motion picture media. The topic has consistently generated discussions both in academia and in the public LGBT movements. As the South Korean LGBT rights movement emerged in the 1990s, film portrayals of queer characters and non-heterosexual relationships grew more common. South Korea has historically not been an LGBT-affirming country, which bleeds into the culture, justice system and general public sense. However, recent study conducted in Chonnam National University states that the attitudes toward homosexuality are becoming increasingly positive.

Disability and LGBT identity both can play significant roles in the life of an individual. Disability and sexuality can intersect in compounding ways, and, for many people, being both disabled and LGBT can result in double marginizalization. The two identities, either by themselves or in tandem, can complicate questions of discrimination and access to resources like accommodations, support groups, and elder care.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Moscowitz, Leigh (2013-11-15). The Battle over Marriage: Gay Rights Activism through the Media. University of Illinois Press. ISBN   978-0-252-09538-2.
  2. ↑ "Gay Images: TV's Mixed Signals". The New York Times. 1991-05-19. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
  3. 1 2 3 Steiner, Linda; Fejes, Fred; Petrich, Kevin (1993-12-01). "Invisibility, homophobia and heterosexism: Lesbians, gays and the media". Critical Studies in Mass Communication. 10 (4): 395–422. doi:10.1080/15295039309366878. ISSN   0739-3180.
  4. 1 2 3 "Queer Representation in Film and Television". MediaSmarts. 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  5. ↑ Fürsich, Elfriede (2010). "Media and the representation of Others". International Social Science Journal. 61 (199): 113–130. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2451.2010.01751.x. ISSN   1468-2451.
  6. 1 2 Gross, Larry (2001-12-26). Up from Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Media in America. Columbia University Press. ISBN   978-0-231-52932-7.
  7. ↑ MS, Sarah C. Gomillion; PhD, Traci A. Giuliano (2011-02-22). "The Influence of Media Role Models on Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity". Journal of Homosexuality. 58 (3): 330–354. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2011.546729 . ISSN   0091-8369. PMID   21360390. S2CID   37534112.
  8. ↑ "The Motion Picture Production Code (as Published 31 March, 1930)" (PDF). Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Brokeback Mountain". IMDb. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  10. ↑ ""Moonlight"". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  11. ↑ Shugart, Helene A. (2003-01-01). "Reinventing Privilege: The New (Gay) Man in Contemporary Popular Media". Critical Studies in Media Communication. 20 (1): 67–91. doi:10.1080/0739318032000067056. ISSN   1529-5036. S2CID   29622909.
  12. ↑ Cook, Carson (2018-05-01). "A content analysis of LGBT representation on broadcast and streaming television". Honors Theses.
  13. ↑ Raja, Ashikin; Lambert, Karen; Patlamazoglou, Lefteris; Pringle, Richard (2023-05-31). "Diversity and inclusion strategies for LGBTQ + students from diverse ethnic backgrounds in higher education: a scoping review". International Journal of Inclusive Education: 1–21. doi:10.1080/13603116.2023.2217814. ISSN   1360-3116.

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