The Necessity of LGBTQ Representation in Media

Malcolm X once said, "The media's the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses." Fast forward fifty-six years, nothing has changed. Media, in all of its various forms, has the monumental ability to shape ideas. Movies, social media, television shows, magazines, music, and advertisements can alter and control our perception of the people around us — including ourselves. Authentic, accurate representation on-screen promotes the breaking of barriers and rejection of social norms that prevent both awareness and acceptance. The repetitive cycle of prohibiting inclusion and diversity in the entertainment industry categorically highlights the importance of representation in the media.

When was the first time you saw yourself in a character on television or in a movie? Please think about it for a moment and come up with an answer. For the majority population of Americans, the answer is that it happened so long ago that they cannot even remember. Members of minority groups, on the other hand, can almost always recall the first time in which they saw their reflection on-screen. This is because they most likely had to wait around actively seeking it. Those who could relate to nearly every character on the Disney Channel were never left to wonder at age five, “Why does nobody else look like me?” Teenage love stories like Troy and Gabriella in High School Musical and relationships between real-life celebrities such as Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber exemplified what a standard relationship looked like for millions of young children. Henry Danger proved to boys that they could become superheroes and Hannah Montana taught little girls that they too could rock the world stage. Strong, talented African American actresses like Raven Simone and Keke Palmer proved that black women can carry a show as a titular character. Yet, for LGBTQ youth, many are still waiting for their answer to this question. There is an irrefutable lack of visibility.

Over 114 middle and high school students across the country were interviewed by PBS on who representation in pop culture matters. “I do think it’s powerful for people of a minority race to be represented in pop culture to really show a message that everybody has a place in this world,” said Alec Fields, a junior at Forest Hills High School in Pennsylvania. Adolescences eagerly desire to make sense of their identities and figure out who they are as people. The media and Hollywood inarguably play a massive role in this process. Images and films govern what the masses perceive as reality. For children — and struggling adults for that matter — to maintain a healthy, positive self-image, the media must be fully inclusive. “We need to see people that look like ourselves and can say, ‘Oh, that looks like me!’ or ‘I identify with that,’” said Sonali Chhotalal, a junior at Cape May Technical High School in New Jersey. Devout Christians might object here that this goes against their religious beliefs or that homosexuality is being forced upon the youth. Myself, I attend church every Sunday and I believe my God loves me exactly the way I am. Anyone who genuinely aspires to spread His message understands that He made us all in God’s image and God makes no mistakes. Homosexuality is not a choice. With that said, LGBTQ representation is not corrupting or coercing anyone — not in movies, tv shows, magazines, books, or real life. Depiction of a gay character does not subject anyone’s children to what some consider a sin any more than the innumerable sex scenes that appear thousands of times daily across all media platforms. Loving thy neighbor requires first knowing thy neighbor which breeds empathy. Resultantly, this removes fear and provokes the truest of love. This journey begins with media inclusion for all. Queer people have the right to be represented in the media just as much as every second-amendment loving man and every immigrant in this country. Not seeing yourself within pop culture is physically and mentally exhausting. Genuine portrayals avoid the harrowing deletion of the multifarious community within our culture.

Born in the year 1999, I am labeled as Generation Z — a group that is referred to as being incredibly woke and progressive. That certainly works as a generalized statement regarding our place in society now, but it does not represent the world in which we were raised. Being gay myself, I felt alienated while growing up. Every television show, magazine cover, billboard, and commercial featured straight couples. There was not one person that I was able to look up to. Figuring out your sexuality is difficult enough for everyone, especially for those like myself that are not the societal "norm". There was constant reinforcement of what a straight couple looked like all around me. I didn't even know what my internal feelings translated to and the lack of representation perpetuated this. Then, once I was old enough to reconcile with these thoughts, the absolute lack of diversity in the media furthered the shame I was already feeling. Nobody else was like me, therefore my attractions (that I was born with) felt invalid. Diaz introduced an analogy using monsters to elucidate this experience. It is said that vampires lack a reflection in a mirror. Monsters cannot see themselves through the looking glass. Although, it doesn’t stem from the fact that vampires do not actually have a reflection in a mirror. It is that if you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves. Growing up, he explained, Diaz felt like a monster in some ways as he did not see himself reflected at all. "Yo, is something wrong with me? That the whole society seems to think that people like me don't exist?”, he wondered. A diverse media landscape would have given people like Diaz permission to just be a kid instead of forcing him to doubt his self-worth during these influential years. I know that it would have saved me from beginning a terrible nervous habit of biting my fingernails. To anyone who blindly ignores the need for diversity in the pop culture space, I urge you to question your ethics: Would you want your child to grow up thinking that they are a monster, or would you want to be a part of the solution that ensures they never endure such a pain?

Since 2005, GLAAD, an LGBT advocacy organization focused on media representation, has published an annual “Where We Are on TV” report. GLAAD’s research shows a rise in representation from 10 LGB regular characters or 1.4% of characters on broadcast primetime shows in the 2005-2006 season, to 58 LGBT regular characters, 6.4%, in 2017-2018. GLAAD notes that their appearance is often counterproductive as these characters are often portrayed with harmful stereotypes, and remain underrepresented. The opposition would argue that since (according to the most recent Gallup report) the LBTQ community only accounts for 4.5% of the American population, there is already equivalent media representation. This way of thought maintains both a level of ignorance and a lack of education. White men do not have to announce to a crowd of judgmental spectators that they are Caucasian to be accurately included in a census. Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation or their gender identity. It is a long, difficult process for a lot of people — one that certain individuals avoid for a lifetime without garnering enough confidence to ever address their honest sexuality. This means two things for the current estimation rate: 1. It is underrated because many are not yet ready to admit their sexuality. 2. It would be exponentially higher if media representation changed the narrative in this country to fully embrace members of the LGBTQ community, encouraging more people to explore their sexuality without repercussion. Furthermore if the ideology of coming out was erased in a society where everyone was free to love whoever they wanted to love without a definitive label, the statistic would be immeasurable. Without a quantifiable variable, naysayers would have no basis to argue that there are already enough LGBTQ characters in film and television concerning their proportion size.

LGBTQ characters must not only be allowed to exist in various media forms but their identifies have to be normalized including conflicts and personalities other than ones about being queer. The community is afflicted by outdated, single-minded, stereotypical narratives that impede the growth of confidence. Eric Wojtalewicz from Black River Falls High School in Wisconsin said that he sees a lot of gay characters that seem “over-the-top,” playing on old tropes. “I definitely think that not all gays are like that,” he said. Characters have historically been included as the token “gay best friend” or the punchline of a toxic joke. Studies show that audiences substitute stereotypes they see on screen for reality when they have not had any direct interactions with particular racial groups. For instance, Muslim stereotypes in the media can lead audiences negatively to associate hijabs with bloody thirty, cruel terrorists. This concept applies to minorities across the board. Frequently, LGBTQ stories in entertainment only revolve around clashes that only arise due to the character's queer sexuality. The Academy Award-winning film “Brokeback Mountain” features a lead who dies from homophobic violence and the critically acclaimed Golden Globe contender “Call Me By Your Name” concludes with the gay lead opting to marry a woman, denouncing the romance that singularly fueled the plot of the movie. Members of the LGBTQ community do face problems in their real life that are unrelated and bigger than a sexuality crisis. Hence, it is important to represent them as regular people with varying storylines — which is exactly what they are. Queer visibility in media is already minuscule which is why LGBTQ viewers must not be consistently reminded of their past oppression and current-day battles in the select few times they can see themselves appear.

“Minorities are the victim of an industry that relies on old ideas to appeal to the majority at the expense of the insignificant minority,” says filmmaker Xavier Burgin. It is important to note, though, that the media landscape is quickly changing and calls for diversity are beginning to echo throughout the nation. In February of 2020, Parasite became the first-ever non-English language film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Black Panther was the first time many young African American children saw a superhero of color in theaters, nabbing three Oscars the year prior. The unprecedented film, which featured a predominantly black cast with a black director, makeup artists, costume designers, set coordinators, and many others, garnered over $900 million at the box office. The year before that, in October 2018, Crazy Rich Asian’s became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the last 10 years, and the 6th-highest-grossing ever. All I ever wanted and all these people ever wanted was just one chance to see themselves reflected in the entertainment industry. That is the reason these films perform so well financially — because there is an audience at home that has anxiously been awaiting that exact moment. Kate Casper, a junior at T.C. Williams High School in Virginia, called Hollywood’s attempt at diversity “disingenuous.” Although there can never be enough diversity, Casper said, she feels that the entertainment industry is using diversity for economic benefit. “Diversity equals money in today’s world, which is cool, I guess,” she said, adding that “it’s cooler to have pure motives.” When you only get one film a year, you are going to show up and show out for it. For me, as a member of the LGBTQ community, I am lucky to even receive on film a year. I don’t know about you, but I refuse to settle for less than I deserve. It doesn’t seem to matter how much critical acclaim and box office success minorities rack in. We must join together in the call for an increased amount of pressure on Hollywood producers, networks, and media corporations to include all marginalized groups and a heightened responsibility to highlight them in a desirable, inoffensive manner. The fight is not just about LGBTQ individuals. Women, those with disabilities, and people of color must have a seat at the table, too. UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report of 2019 found that only two out of every ten lead film actors (19.8%) were people of color. Hollywood may be the largest exporter of culture, but it continually refuses to acknowledge the significance of inclusivity since its genesis. The systemic, institutionalized prejudice and bigotry must end now. There is too much at stake not to make a change.