Media and the LGBTQ Community

Media and the LGBTQ Community
Today, the campaign against discrimination based on sexual orientation has been advanced by the media. The media have turned their cameras in great extent on the members of the LGBTQ community. Recently, it is hard to find a Television series or a film that does not project the element of this disenfranchised section of the society. The media primarily aims act encouraging equality and diversity. However, small sections of the media have a tendency of projecting this disenfranchised group negatively. The thesis of this analysis is that the media has played a significant role in integrating the LGBTQ community with society in general. Despite the varying perception in regards to LGBTQ community presented in the media, their overall representation has offered an enlightenment appeal on issues of equality in the society. For instance, animations and cartoons producers have also incorporated the issues of promoting diversity of sexual orientation to the younger generation.
The media campaign in support of LGBTQ community agenda has been a progressive system. In the 1990s, the media had ignored any shred of the existence of the aspect of gay or lesbian relationships (Becker, 36). In fact, even in the most popular film, the viewers could not spot any handful concept of the existence of the lesbian, gay and bisexual characters in the film. In the late 1900s, the concept gay-themed content saturated the film industry. For example, every casual viewer could spot several openly gay characters in any random film.

Movies such as Chicago Hope, Suddenly Susan, N.Y.P.D. Blue, and Coach are examples of films in the late 1990s that had openly projected lesbian, gay and bisexual characters (Becker, 36). Many people blamed the gays- in- the military scandal experienced during the Clinton presidency has the major reason why the media pursued this trend in the late 1990s and started being fascinated with homosexuality (Becker, 36). Alternatively, some experts suggest that the network television executives are fascinated with homosexuality-themed contents in the hope of attracting sophisticated audiences such as liberally minded grownups, and upscale college-educated individuals. Therefore, the media uses gay-themed films to appeal more on the upper and middle-class gay individuals of the society.
More ever, the idea of projecting the concept of homosexuality content assists to highlight the serious consideration of the consequences in line with any gay politics. Furthermore, popular television channels such as NBC used to target family hour for them to project homosexuality-themed film content (Becker, 38). Many people condemned them for violating the family hour policy, which prohibited the media from airing adult contents during family hours. This trend made other channels like CBS, Fox, and ABC to start projecting adult based film content in this restricted hours. Additionally, this is where shows like Full House, Murder One, and Evening Shade started to project some aspect of gay-themed sections in their weekly episodes (Becker, 38). The main purpose why the media had this trend was on the basis of transforming the demographic of people aged eighteen to forty years to be skeptical in changing their conservative attitude and be able to embrace the social changes being experienced (Becker, 39). This strategy was successful since currently, many people have become social liberal to the idea of sexual orientation. So far, the gay-themed content films or television series such as Modern Family, How to Get Away with Murder, or Younger and Hunger are the most viewed television show in the world.
Consequently, the media familiarity strategies on issues of homosexuality have desensitized the society from being homophobic into being social liberal individuals. Personally, I do watch animations and cartoons. The existence of same-gender attraction in animation themed filmed can be viewed as a foreign concept. However, popular film producers like Rebecca Sugar have successfully incorporated the LGBTQ community in her films. In Steven Universe, the aspect of same-sex couples was vividly visible. In this film, she reiterates the significant of showcasing queer folk to kids. Additionally, through Sugar`s productions, people can realize the relevance of sharing love with kids.
Besides, the extent of incorporating the LGBTQ community in the kid-based film has been questioned by many people. For example, many people criticized Sugar when she showcased Elsa female partner in film Frozen (Becker, 44). Sugar defended herself calming that kids are influenced by the concept of love and relationships in regards to heterosexual perspective, and they end up growing up despising other people with distinct sexual preference. Hence, children should be exposed to other forms of relationship that are based on queer and homosexual perspective so that they can be informed on diversity and complexity of the global from different points of view. According to psychology, the aspect of nurture always surpasses nature in the cycle of child`s development (Becker, 43). The ability to have negative attitudes toward the LGBTQ society is always as a result of background and upbringing mindset (Luibheid, 290). Therefore, the media is one of necessary significant tool that can be used in shaping people mindset so that they can accept disenfranchised groups like the LGBTQ society.
In an economic perspective, in the past, producers have lost millions of dollars in trying to showcase the homosexual content in the film. For instance, Thirty Something show aired by ABC in the early1990s tried to project two gay characters in bed together (Becker, 39). Even though the ABC producers were forced to conduct some editing such as the elimination of same-sex kiss many advertisers drop their sponsorship and the ABC network was subject to a revenue loss of $ 1.5 million dollars and the episode was not aired again in the usual summer’s reruns (Becker, 39). Currently, many networks are gaining economic benefits from airing gay and lesbian content. Many sponsors are targeting shows that appeal to the homosexuals. Therefore, many mainstream marketers are developing ads that reach clients who are homosexuals. According to Ray Mulryan, who is an advertising expert stated that “the only way to reach Americans in term of promotion is through identifying them on a group basis, and then you market your product (Becker, 40).” Furthermore, with the intensely growing competition in various industries, many co operations have started targeting the small section of the demographic population. According to Stuart Elliott who is an economic expert asserts that “economic incentives have influenced mainstream firms to search for new markets that were ignored in the past (Becker, 41).” Therefore, the LGBTQ community is one of the societies that is being targeted by many sponsors for economic incentives.
Contrarily, it is hard to avoid media influence based on theories, viewpoint and directly calculated stunts on the issues of LGBTQ community. The society perception of the entire group can be based purely on what the media has been broadcasting in concerns with the group. Even though the LGBTQ community has faced scrutiny, fear, and confusion from many media platform post World War, they still continue to compel and pursued the minds of most Americans into accepting this disenfranchised section of the entire community. It has been estimated that 40% of Americans draw their knowledge of LGBTQ community from images and reports they viewed from varying media platforms that range from award-winning publications to entertainment based shows (Luibheid, 297).
In my opinion, the integration of the LGBTQ content in media has enabled me to learn the significant of diversity. For instance, when various individual socializes and interacts they results obtained are more beneficial. The media always try to project the similarities and normalcy that exists between heterosexual and queer affairs. The fact that many people do not understand homosexual chemistry, their projection in media platforms serves as an avenue for people to comprehend their relationship. For example, there is a huge section of the society who are curious to understand how coitus happens between two females who are in a relationship (Warner, 157). Additionally, the aspect of gender roles in gay marriage is also of great curiosity. Therefore, the media has assisted in providing insight and education on how lesbian relationship function. For example, every relationship is ruled by its own rules and either heterosexual and homosexual marriage or relationship function on the foundation of shared roles and equality (Warner, 156).
Simultaneously, mainstream is not the only media solemnly responsible for influencing societal perspectives on LGBTQ people but the social media also plays a significant role in this duty. Social media is based on storytelling aspect as well as the fight in support of LGBTQ equality (MacAulay and Moldes, 7). Therefore, through the social media avenue, the LGBTQ individuals are given an opportunity to share their personal challenges through a system based on stories and experience. Seeing images of friendship and families on profile or timeline can draw the hardship people go through by loving or being committed to their couples, and this can significantly impact our perception and thoughts towards the LGBTQ individual (MacAulay and Moldes, 8).
In addition to that, social media avenues like Facebook present the concept of humanity on the civil right movement spearheaded by the LGBTQ community (MacAulay and Moldes, 10). Through the ability to like, share, comment and tag triggers a movement chain based on friends who support the LGBTQ struggle for equality. Civil rights lobby members require the mobilization of various groups in social media as a tool that will strategically spearhead they LGBTQ equality agenda. Well-organized campaigns on the social media can spread the information of LGBTQ equality call across the world (MacAulay and Moldes, 11). This will ensure that the message is delivered to both in countries that are tolerant and intolerant of LGBTQ agenda and right. Political activist such as public figures and youths have utilized the social media to support the LGBTQ campaign publicly. The social media has also been used to report nations like Russia and Egypt, where LGBTQ members are attacked or harassed, and this has improved repression and developed a grassroots support for the rights of LGBTQ community (MacAulay and Moldes, 15).
In conclusion, the media has played a significant role in integrating the LGBTQ community with society in general. The involvement of the disenfranchised section of the community in media platform influences a culture of appreciation and tolerance. It is essential to embrace diversity issues like the one presented by LGBTQ community so that unity and peace can be enhanced in the entire globe. Finally, through the utilization of various media platform, the LGBTQ members can be projected, or they can present themselves as normal people in same manner heterosexual are being showcased over the years. Therefore, the media is the perfect tool for exposure that will guarantee social liberalism in future.
Work Cited
Becker Ron. Prime-Time Television in the Gay Nineties: Networks Television, Quality Audiences and Gay Politics. Pdf. Print
Luibheid Eithne. Sexuality, Migration, and the Shifting Line between Legal and Illegal Status. Published by Duke University Press. Pdf. Print
MacAulay Maggie and Moldes Daniel Marcos. Queen don`t Compute: reading and casting shade on Facebook`s real names policy. Critical Studies in Media Communication.33:1,6-22,DOI:Pdf. Print
Warner Michael. Unsafe: Why Gay Men are having Risky Sex. Village Voice publication.pdf. print