The media has had a significant shift from the past in their portrayal of gay people including in gay marriage and gay rights. In the 1980’s and 90’s the subject was much more taboo and the idea of gay marriage was popularly opposed. However today, the majority of Americans support legalizing gay marriage. What could be the reason for such a change? Could it be the media portrayal?
Beginning in 1975, the first gay couple was shown on television. After that a variety of other programs included the ideas of homosexuality until 1991 when the first kiss between a same-sex couple was shown. This was on L.A Law and advertisers threatened to pull their ads after the scene. In the late 90s with the popularity of shows like Will and Grace and Queer as Folk.
Today television shows are widely praised for their portrayal of different characters sexuality. On Modern Family a same-sex couple’s life is shown through their relations with their family and raising a child. There’s also shows aimed at young adults that are receiving attention for their depiction of gay or lesbian characters such as Glee and Pretty Little Liars. Even the Disney Channel has shown a same-sex couple on the show Good Luck Charlie (with some backlash claiming that since Disney is intended for children that they should seek merely to entertain and not to push an agenda). On the contrary to this argument is the idea, that same-sex couples are becoming more and more normal thus they should make it recognizable to children.
This addition of multiple different depictions of same-sex couples and gay and lesbian people by television is being widely praised by the LBGT community. It makes the idea of homosexuality more common and representative of the actual community.
However there have been a variety of critiques regarding the media’s portrayal of same-sex couples and gay marriage. People who go solely off the media’s depiction of gay and lesbians could have a skewed view of what they are actually like. This could be detrimental for youth who are developing their ideas of what homosexuals are actually like and this is their only source of information on it. This leads to stereotyping different types of gay people. Also for young people, the media depiction of gay people has led to the idea that this is “cool” and treat their homosexual friends differently.
Another critique of the media’s portrayal of homosexuals and same sex couples are shown as straight people would want to see them. Gay men are usually seen as overly flamboyant and feminine leading to that stereotype. And women are either seen as manly, or as seen on the show The L Word as what a straight man would want to see.
So is the media’s portrayal of gays and lesbians a positive thing? In one way it brings attention to something that was once a taboo and makes it more commonplace. Also it highlights the political undertones of the issue, with some people even claiming the media driving the gay marriage debate. Not only does the television media focus on the LBGT issues, but the news media is constantly covering stories on gay rights. This brings more attention to the issue and by showing same-sex couples on television in real life situations, make the public more open to gay marriage.
On the contrary though, the television media creates confusing ideas especially for adolescents who are discovering their sexuality. The gay and lesbian characters they see on television are all roughly the same, so they feel complied to act that way. For instance, if they’re a boy they feel like must act overly feminine and if they’re a girl overly masculine. The media’s portrayal of gay and lesbian characters has made them more commonplace, but has also created stereotypes.
Veronika Onischenko says
While I do think it’s a really good thing that same-sex couples being portrayed on television, and seeing it on television will help people realize that it’s normal; I think that you do bring up a good point about stereotypes. It’s a problem for television in general. I hope that the media does not create one-type of gay or lesbian couple that’s seen on tv; because like opposite sex couples, there are many different kinds of relationships
Sarah Bailin says
This is an interesting topic. I feel like it’s important to have gay characters on TV shows, because it’s realistic, especially for a show like Modern Family, which is trying to focus on the life of an average American family. Although that show makes everyday situations funnier then they normally would be, I know my family can definitely relate to the plots and messages of each episode. So having a gay couple on the show makes it seem even more realistic for my family, because there are gay couples in my family, and I’m sure many other families have gay couples as well. However, TV shows need to be careful how they portray these people and couples. On Modern Family, Cam is portrayed fairly flamboyantly, which may relate to some gay men, but definitely not everyone. TV shows have to make sure they don’t enhance stereotypes. As for Disney introducing their first gay couple, I don’t see this as pushing an agenda exactly. They may have been trying to make some kind of statement, but the reality is, these young children who are watching the TV show are going to grow up in a world where they are exposed to gay couples, so it’s probably good if they are exposed to it now.
Jennifer Taylor says
The media definitely has a reputation for creating stereotypes in all spheres, not just among LGBT. This message has been preached so much that I would honestly be surprised to find anyone who doesn’t take everything they see on TV with a grain of salt. I also think that, especially in recent years, popular TV shows have especially taken to “riding the wave” of popular issues, not so much as an honest expose but rather to attract attention to themselves. Therefore, while current portrayal of LGBT characters may be untrue and overdramatized, I think it is only fair to note that all popular TV shows, in some way, shape, or form, are untrue and overdramatized.
rsc5206 says
I can see where certain stereotypes are represented in different television shows, but it definitely isn’t true for all. I believe that it is overall a good thing to have same-sex couples on favorite TV shows because even if it is a skewed perception, at least they aren’t negative examples. Like, in Modern Family, the gay couple is shown to be completely capable parents and have a loving family. I think that it is allowing us to introduce the idea more to people and I think it is their civic obligation to learn more about same-sex couples rather than JUST relying on what the fictional TV show says about them.
Morgan Nachman says
Personally, I think the increasing portrayal of gay and lesbian characters in the media is a positive step towards increasing LGBT awareness and creating a sense of openness. Many people want TV shows to show what the lives of regular Americans look like. With same-sex couples becoming more and more of a social norm and with issues such as gay marriage becoming increasingly prevalent, why shouldn’t the media portray them more? I think that the most important part of showing gay and lesbian couples in the media is that it is helping to remove the remaining stigma surrounding same-sex issues. On a slightly different note, however, I really like your points about the way the media portrays gay couples. While portraying same-sex couples on TV is definitely a good way to increase awareness of lgbt issues and sort of normalize gay culture, we need to ask if the stereotypes shown are having unintended negative consequences.