Gender Stereotypes In The Media

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The media portrayal of the LGBT society is defined as the varying and evolving ways in which the media depicts or portrays the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Media and the other socialized institutions that exist in our environment can have an important relationship with the development of individuals’ attitudes and behaviour towards not only ethnic groups but towards other groups as well, namely homosexuals (Halsey 2010). Throughout the previous decades, the portrayal of the LGBT community in the media has mostly been negative, reflecting society’s intolerance, however, from the 1990’s onwards, there has been an increase in the depictions of LGBT individuals. In the past researchers have presumed that people reacted to …show more content…
Considering the fact that we live in a world with explicit reliability on television and the media, the exposure to certain content may be unavoidable. Naturally, society is generally wary of any concept or action that makes it uncomfortable or pushes the boundaries of the normally accepted behavior. Although homosexuality had been around as long as sexuality itself, the common conservative American was not accustomed to discussing sexual behavior with their neighbors, friends, or politicians (McGovern 2011). Since the debut of television broadcasting, the appearances of LGBT characters in entertainment and culture were very limited. Proceeding through the 1980’s, gay characters were viewed on television in minor roles, giving no conflict to the story, and as virtually absent as possible. By the 2000s, LGBT characters in American media have become more visible on television in more prominent roles in TV sitcoms such as Will & Grace and Glee, and in blockbuster movies such as Brokeback Mountain. Throughout these years, the appearance of homosexual characters has triggered controversial thoughts and discussions