Historically, the portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in media has been largely negative if not altogether absent, reflecting a general cultural intolerance of LGBTQ individuals; however, from the 1990s to present day, there has been an increase in the positive depictions of LGBTQ people, issues, and concerns within mainstream media in North America. The LGBTQ 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 LGBTQ communities in media has served to increase acceptance and support for LGBT communities, establish LGBTQ communities as a norm, and provide information on the topic.
India has a long and ancient tradition of culture associated with the LGBTQ community, with many aspects that differ markedly from modern liberal western culture.
The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBTQ topics:
The Chennai Rainbow Pride March has been held by members of Tamil Nadu LGBTIQA+ communities every June since 2009. The pride march is organised under the banner Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition, which is a collective of LGBT individuals, supporters, and organizations working on human rights and healthcare for the LGBTQIA community. The Pride March occurs on the final Sunday of June every year. The Pride March is usually preceded by a month-long series of events organized by NGOs and organizations to inculcate awareness and support for the LGBTQ community, such as panel discussions, film screenings, and cultural performances. The Chennai Vaanavil Suyamariyadhai Perani a.k.a. Chennai Rainbow Self-Respect March is known for being inter-sectional in nature as it addresses issues with multiple axes such as caste, class, religion coupled with gender discrimination.
Mae Pearl Martin is a Canadian comedian, actor, and screenwriter. They co-created, co-wrote and starred in the Channel 4/Netflix comedy series Feel Good. They received a nomination for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for their work on the series.
Anwesh Kumar Sahoo is an Indian artist, blogger, writer, model, actor and a TEDx speaker. He was crowned Mr. Gay World India 2016, becoming the youngest winner of the crown at the age of 20. He represented India at the Mr. Gay World 2016 pageant held in Malta, Europe and made it to the Top 12. He is a recipient of the Troy Perry Award for compassionate activism, making him the first Indian to be honored with the award. He's a graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering from IIIT Delhi, and secured a Master of Design degree from NIFT, New Delhi in 2020. Anwesh went on to work for Aristocrat Gaming as a Technical Artist, and is now pursuing a Master of Science at University College Cork.
Alok Vaid-Menon is an American writer, performance artist, and media personality. Vaid-Menon is gender non-conforming and transfeminine, and uses the singular they third person pronouns.
Jonathan McDonald Van Ness, also commonly referred to by his initials J.V.N, is an American hairstylist, podcast host and television personality. He is best known as the grooming expert on the Netflix series Queer Eye, for his work on the web series parody Gay of Thrones, and for hosting the Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness podcast. He is also known for comedy tours, the 2023 tour entitled Fun & Slutty with Jonathan Van Ness.
The Geelong Pride Film Festival (GPFF) is an LGBT film festival held in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Chella Man is an American actor, model, artist, YouTuber, and LGBTQ activist. They are known for sharing their experiences as a transgender, deaf, Asian, and Jewish person of color. Man rose to wider prominence in 2019 for portraying a mute superhero Jericho in the second season of the DC Universe series Titans.
Taimi is a dating app that caters to the LGBTQI+ community, providing a fluid dating experience.The network matches its registered users based on their selected preferences and location. While originally an online dating service for gay men, Taimi has evolved, so that, by 2022, it became LGBTQ+ inclusive app for those on the full spectrum of the queer community. It now operates as a fluid dating app for this entire community.
Darius Shu is a British cinematographer, film director and producer. He is best known for his work on the films His Hands, Mical and Secret Child. His directorial debut short film His Hands premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2019 and was nominated for Best Narrative Short. The latest documentary he shot, Always, Asifa, part of a limited television series on ITVX and Sky TV, was nominated for a British Academy Television Award. Shu is the founder and managing director of Silverprince Pictures.
Mawaan Rizwan is a Pakistani-born British actor and comedian who began his career as a YouTuber. He created and starred in the BBC Three comedy Juice (2023). He won a British Academy Television Award for his performance, in addition to receiving writing nominations.
Patruni Sastry, popularly known as Patruni Chidananda Sastry or Suffocated art Specimen is a Expressionist dancer, performance artist, visual artist, model and drag queen.
Netflix has contributed substantially to LGBTQ representation in animation. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual and transgender characters have appeared in various animated series, and some animated films, on the streaming platform. GLAAD described Netflix as a company taking "impressive strides in viewership and impact," when it came to LGBTQ representation. Scholars have stated that LGBTQ characters on streaming services, such as Netflix, "made more displays of affection" than on broadcast networks.
Anick Soni is a British Asian intersex human rights activist, creative consultant and researcher in childhood and children's rights, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 2020, he co-founded an intersex charity in the UK named InterconnectedUK (iCONUK).
Pippa "Pips" Bunce is a British banking executive who works to promote LGBTQIA+ and ally inclusion and advocacy. Bunce, who is non-binary and genderfluid, is a senior director at Credit Suisse. They serve as the Head of Global Markets Core Engineering Strategic Programs and as the co-chair of the LGBT Ally Program at Credit Suisse.
Krishna Istha is a comedian, writer, and performance artist based in London. They have performed across the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and the United States of America.
