The Negative Effects of the Media on the Perception of Homosexuality

Homosexuality has been inaccurately portrayed in the media since the mid-1900s, and it is more of an issue than some may think, considering that 40% of Americans develop their own direct opinion on the homosexual community from images and reports obtained from various outlets. (McGovern, M.) And it makes sense that a lot of Americans develop their opinion from media, being that young adults spend about 20% of their awake-time watching television. (Fouts, G., & Inch, R) For a while, homosexuality was deemed a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association, which was a huge factor in the personality of a homosexual character in the media. Stereotyping, medicalization, sexualization, secrecy, and normalization are all examples of how the media represents homosexuality. (Kuhar, R.) As a society, we have moved forward toward the equality of the LGBT community, resulting in a more positively portrayed image in the media.

Stereotyping

Stereotypes are defined as a conventional or formulaic image or conception; in simpler words, when thinking about stereotypes, one mostly thinks about the general opinion or idea they have of a certain group. Stereotypes are commonly used as propaganda, which is a force that is used to influence and affect people. Within the media and LGBT community, there are a lot of stereotypes that are pretty well known to viewers, such as a gay male being portrayed as a musical theater buff, or a Madonna lover.

Some others that may not be as common are that homosexuality is an illness (see medicalization), that homosexual men and women are unreliable and should not be trusted, and that homosexuals are very knowledgeable and open when it comes to the topic of sex. (Tagudina, I.) One of the best examples of this stereotype being used today is the character Kurt Hummel from Fox’s serious Glee. In the show, Kurt fits the stereotypes to a tee, with his personality and style being very feminine, as well as him being a musical theater kid.

While you could spend hours upon hours finding examples of stereotypes against the gay community in media, there is one more example that is pretty well known and relevant. The movie Mean Girls has their gay character, Damian. Damian, who is described throughout the film as “too gay to function”, is very feminine and flamboyant, which is what the media usually portrays gays as. One of the things that Mean Girls did was have Damian introduce himself and his sexuality almost immediately after meeting the main character, giving viewers that label to connect his personality to.

Medicalization

Homosexuality was not removed from the official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders until the year 1973, when it was voted to be removed. Unfortunately, that information was able to help the media represent homosexuals as “deeply disturbed deviants in need of treatment”, and thus was able to fabricate a fear in the minds of the American people, which is known as ‘homophobia’. (McGovern, M.) Another way to describe it is “moral panic”, which occurs when “a group or type of activity is perceived as a threat to the stability and well being of society”. (McGovern, M.) With so much of the media spotlight being put on a singular group, that lead to a creation of an overwhelming amount of security on that group’s every move. In result of this, during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s going into the 1990s, Americans perceived the disease as only affecting people of the LGBT community, which was false information. (McGovern, M.)

Sexualization

Its pretty clear when it comes to media that one of the biggest issues with the LGBT community in the over-sexualization that comes with it. For some reason, when it comes to homosexuality, people are quick to assume that their relationships are centered around sexual contact, which is certainly not the case. Homosexuals are no different than normal people, especially in terms of relationships, but the media has the power to convince people that what they are seeing is the truth. While you can think to use the excuse ‘sex sells’ the justify the oversexualization that is happening, it really isn’t justifiable. Being gay is not just about the bedroom, it is about love and companionship, which comes with any healthy relationship.

The idea of over-sexualization in the LGBT community is pretty consistent, except when you get to the groups of lesbians and bisexuals. For some reason, in the media and otherwise, lesbians are considered to be especially pleasing for many people, and may even be thought of as just a ‘sexual fantasy’. For example, a popular modern television show known as Glee, has a lesbian character (Santana), who is often classified as a “Latina fetish” and is oversexualized.

Secrecy

Many people know that for a while, homosexuality was not accepted in society. It was something that had to be hidden from others, in fear of unacceptance and degradation. Children who considered themselves to be homosexual might not tell their friends or family in fear of being rejected for who they are. However, homosexuality is becoming more and more accepted in today’s society, which affects everything, including media portrayal. More modern television shows will show you the struggle the LGBT community has to face, with them accepting themselves for who they are, “coming out” to their friends and family, and their friends and family coming to terms and accepting the change.

Today, you see a lot more of support from friends and family in these shows, which puts a positive image in the viewer’s mind. While it will take a while for the negative connotations that come with homosexaulity in the media to die down, this is a good first step in the right direction towards positive connotation.

Normalization

The rise of LGBT characters in television series has been ongoing since 2007, where the percentage of LGBT characters on the networks was at a low 1.1%. As of September, 2010, that percentage has risen, but it’s still at a low 3.99%. As mentioned before, for a while, homosexuality was deemed as a mental illness. Homosexuals were portrayed as “freaks” and “monsters”. A huge example comes from an older film, known as The Detective, starring Frank Sinatra. In the movie, the killer ends up saying that he “felt more guilty about being a homosexual than being a murderer”. Obviously, a lot has changed from 1968 (the year the movie was filmed), and that’s where normalization comes in. The start of normalization began primarily in the late 1990s, where pictures and media of homosexuals as criminals, psychiatric patients, etc. were surpassed. (Kuhar, R.) Normalization is typically defined as ‘to make normal’, which seems to be what the media industry is attempting to do now with homosexuality.

Homosexuality is certainly not a new concept to any of us; it was not new when the media started picking it up. However, for a period of time, people did not know much information about it. During that time, media came into play and has used methods such as stereotyping, medicalization, and sexualization to mold a picture into the viewers heads of what a gay person ‘should be’. However, the media is constantly changing, and when you look at homosexuals in the media today, you see a lot more acceptance and normalization.

Many shows today, such as Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries, and The Walking Dead have incorporated LGBT characters into their shows, in attempt to fit in with the changes that society has made towards the equality of the LGBT community. (Purcell, M.) While there may be a lot more work to be done towards to movement of equality, the media is definitely taking the steps they need to towards it, and from looking back on the history of the power of media, this may just lead to acceptance in all forms, from all people.