Portrayal of Homosexuality in the Media

Media is all around us. It holds a significant role in determining the ways in which society views different groups within its culture. Everywhere you look, every aspect of your life, has been integrated by media and nowadays, homosexuality has become an unavoidable topic in the media.  It is viewed in books, movies, the news, television shows, and even in magazines. Though many individuals view homosexuality as completely normal and do not object to it, there are some individuals that believe it is unnatural, a sin and even immoral. With all of these conflicting opinions about homosexuality floating around, different portrayals and stereotypes are formed, especially through the media. The media takes these portrayals and send intentional or even unintentional messages to the people witnessing them, thereby molding how people view homosexuals and homosexuality. 

Everyday, countless individuals are influenced by television programs which are aired around the world and the influence is endless when it comes to shaping ones perception of man. Homosexuality has started to expand around the 1990's and has brought various changes to the growing world. Although homosexuality was not an open topic to discuss about in the past, is has now become a more comfortable and expressive topic to discuss mainly through media. Television shows such as "Will and Grace", "Pretty Little Liars", "Degrassi", "Grey's Anatomy", "The Real World" and many more, promote homosexuality and provide viewers a positive opinion about homosexuals and homosexuality. Homosexuality and homosexual relationships are now increasingly common due to the evolving coverage about it in the mass media. 

Not only do television dramas promote homosexuality, but TV shows such as "The Ellen Degeneres Show" is wildly popular among many individuals and the host; a homosexual, is loved and respected by many, many individuals. The media establishes a society's norms. It sanctions the standard for what is considered normal behavior for particular groups in a society. Even thought television shows such as The Ellen Degeneres Show are now successful, in the 1990's; when the show first came out, the ratings dropped drastically after Ellen came out on the show as a homosexual. The shows network, ABC, was sharply criticized by anti-gay religious groups for bringing "gay content" into the public eye, This eventually led the network to add a parental supervision warning at the start of each episode and gradually, even after the warning displayed at the beginning of each show, The Ellen Degeneres Show was cancelled in 1998.

The media is mainly responsible for the thoughts and the behaviors of its viewers. It is responsible for the stereotypes and the generalizations that it create for many homosexuals. The media continues to build up the false parodies that all gay men are 'unconventional and very high fashioned', and that they worship their shrines to people like Madonna and Lady Gaga. When clearly, that is just a stereotype created by the media to provide a mental description of how to view homosexuals. 

For example, gay males are viewed as feminine, very fashion orientated, weak, incompetent as a male and are basically viewed as many females are viewed. Lesbians on the other hand, are given the stereotype of being manly, husky, not very fashion orientated, and unable to 'fulfill the duties of a women'. This is where stereotypes need to be eliminated. Yes, there are some gays that are feminine, yes there are some masculine lesbians but the same thing can be said for both heterosexual men and women and yes, some gay men are unsuccessful, up to date with the latest fashion, and sexually active, but in this consumer-driven society this describes a vast majority of the population.


Citations!

Hart J., & Richardson, D. (1981). The theory and practice of homosexuality. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Bullough, V. L. (1979). Homosexuality, a history. New York: New American Library.
Jones, M., & Gelb, D. (n.d.). Homosexuality in the Media — Free Online Course Materials — USU OpenCourseWare . Utah State OpenCourseWare — Free Online Course Materials — USU OpenCourseWare . Retrieved October 22, 2012, from http://ocw.usu.edu/english/introduction-to-writing-academic-prose/homosexuality-in-the-media.html