Lgbtq representation article
The overwhelming abundance of media in the 21st century has changed the way people view and adapt to the world around them. With entertainment always readily available in the form of movies, television shows, books, music, and more, young people today are growing up constantly exposed to fictional representations of reality. However, the term “fictional” itself doesn’t signify that these representations aren’t informed by reality or that they don’t impact reality—quite the antonym is true. When consuming media, audiences from a little age often observe reflections of themselves in on-screen move heroes, romance protagonists, world-class detectives, and so on. These reflections are far more impactful than they seem, as they ultimately power the way individuals see themselves and others in the real world. Unfortunately, positive media representations are not equally distributed among the social groups that make up contemporary society’s vastly diverse population. While some groups are given a wide variety of positive media portrayals, other groups struggle to acquire any positive advocacy at all. Historically, the LGBTQ+ group in particular has been subjected to an abundance of bot
The Kids Are Not All Right: Why LGBTQIA+ Voice in Literature Matters
Jayne Walters
Jayne Walters, Branch Manager of the West Indianapolis branch of the Indianapolis Widespread Library (IndyPL), has worked in libraries for over fourteen years. She is the first openly trans manager in IndyPL’s history. She is a contributing author in the upcoming book, Trans and Gender Diverse Voices in Libraries (Litwin Books).
Let’s initiate off with a doubt. How old were you when you read your first book with a lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans person, queer/questioning, intersex, or asexual character in it?
Now another question—how did that story end? Probably not well, and that’s not uncommon.
Throughout much of history, in literature featuring LGBTQIA+ themes, the character, or characters, does not possess a good outcome. These books feature common themes, which often revolve around being assaulted, contemplating or completing suicide, being murdered, dying alone—often of an incurable disease—a woven death shroud of dark conclusions for characters who stray from the straight and cisgender.
Thankfully, when it comes to LGBTQIA+ literature today, we have witnessed marked improv
Record number of LGBT characters on US TV, study says
A new describe has found LGBT representation on US TV is at a high, with nearly 12% of regular characters who are LGBT, up 2.8% from last year.
The numbers appear from a learn by LGBT media advocacy group GLAAD.
But the study also found there were shortfalls and missing opportunities to reveal a wider range of stories about LGBT characters.
The "Where We Are on TV" analysis looked at overall diversity of shows, focusing on the US.
The report examined publish TV, which is free, cable TV, which is paid for and streaming platforms - mentioning popular shows such as Sex Knowledge, Euphoria and Killing Eve for positive representation.
The breakdown
Out of 775 series-regular characters on broadcast TV, 11.9% are LGBT, making up 92 characters, with an additional 49 in recurring roles.
Lesbian characters, such as Batwoman on CW, represented the majority of LGBT characters on broadcast and cable.
Gay men on screen saw a decrease by 5% on broadcast and 3% on cable compared to last year.
Bisexual visibility such as Loki in Disney+'s Marvel series Loki, made up 29% of all
The good and the gross of LGBTQ+ representation in film and television
Over the years, LGBTQ+ representation has become increasingly more prominent in television and production. For the most part, this is a wonderful thing, especially when it’s done well. However, that is not always the case.
A few projects contain made poor attempts to incorporate it, leading to bad and occasionally insensitive LGBTQ+ representation.
Here are some examples of when visibility works, as well as when it doesn’t.
The good
Released in 1998, “Will & Grace” was groundbreaking for LGBTQ+ representation on TV. The show was one of the first flourishing series to feature openly gay characters, although it did face some criticism and backlash for stereotypical portrayals. Despite the controversy, the show helped to normalize the presence of gay characters on television in a time where it wasn’t very accepted or accepted.
“But I’m a Cheerleader,” a comedy starring Natasha Lyonne as a closeted lesbian cheerleader who gets sent to a conversion camp, was released in 1999. Once again, this film was released before LGBTQ+ characters in entertainment were commonly approved. Today, it’s regarded as a lesbian clas
The Impact of Representation in the Media for Little Queer People
Representation, especially for young queer people, can be instrumental in how they view themselves, the world around them, and their identities. Positive portrayals of queer characters and relationships can help members of the community undergo more accepted in the mainstream world. It can normalize different identities and show audiences that the world is not as black and white as it is often painted to be. Representation can not only help homosexual teenagers come to terms with their sexuality and gender identity in a healthy way but could also help them experience less alone and support build a community. Beyond humanizing a marginalized people, positive representation could compete a part in undoing harmful stigmas and prejudice that exists especially in India.
But what happens when representation is harmful? The Indian film industry is one of the largest in the world, with its market size in 2020 of around 183 billion Indian rupees and its films being watched around the world. These films mirror our customs back to us, glamourized and filled with sway numbers and musical pieces. Hindi films, though, possess a history