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LGBTQ Representation in the Media and its Effect on Public Opinion

Madison McCormack

Public Opinion and Persuasion; Journalism 542

Kenneth Campbell

April 21, 2022

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Primary source

Dyke TV Episode One (1993)

https://media.smith.edu/departments/ssc/dyketv/dyketv1993_playlist.html (APA Format)

Lesbian Media in the early 1990’s

Dyke TV, a half-hour weekly cable tv show, first aired in 1993. It included multiple five-minute

news stories ranging from lesbians problems lesbian perspectives on current issues. The tv show

offered showcased lesbian issues and representation on politics, popular culture, health, art,

sports, and music. Show number 1 opens with two women in front of televisions as they

introduce Dyke TV and the news surrounding lesbian issues of the week. The weeks news

included stories on a protest in Florida after a bombing took place at the home of lesbian

activists, school boards making progress in electing openly lesbian representatives, and lesbian

programs and initiatives across the nation. Each segment included film footage, especially film

of street protests and interviews with activists. One protest featured lesbian activist shouting

“We're dykes, we're out, we're out for power” 5:50. The show's fourth story is an informative

segment on how to properly inspect yourself for certain cancers, diseases and STDs presented by

New York's community health project. The next segment is about Gay film festival, a reporter

sits down with a producer of one of the films for an interview. The cable TV show ends with

information slides about were to find lesbian groups, activities and protest in New York. Dyke

TV covered lesbian news and information that was not easily accessible in the early 1990’s. (224

Words)

Secondary Sources
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Gillig, T., & Murphy, S. (2016). Fostering support for LGBTQ youth? the effects of a gay

adolescent media portrayal on young viewers. International Journal of Communication.

Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/5496

LGBTQ Media Portrayal and The Effect on Youth

Traci Gillig and Sheila Murphy discuss the finding of a study about the attitudes of youth

exposed to LGBTQ representation on television. Using experimental methods, the study

collected data from 469 youth participants ranging from ages 13 to 21. The experiment focused

on the effects of the portrayal of two teen gay characters in ABC television show The Fosters.

The study found significant differences in the feelings from heterosexual youth compared to

LGBTQ youth. Heterosexual youth displayed and reported significantly more negative feelings

and disgust at the display of these characters. LGBTQ youth reported feelings of hopefulness and

generally positive emotions at the display of these two characters on television. “The findings

suggest that LGBTQ youth saw themselves reflected in the portrayal of two young gay

characters coming to understand their identity, and these participants strongly experienced the

positive emotion of hope, an elevated sense of mental energy, and pathways for goals” (p. 16)

Representation in media for minority groups/LGBTQ can change public perception and

emotions. Giling and Murphy conclude the article by discussing the findings of the study, that

general emotions towards LGBTQ were changed by the display of gay characters but the

research did not indicate any change in attitudes. (202 words)

Bond, B. J., & Miller, B. (2017). From screen to self: The relationship between television

exposure and self-complexity among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. International Journal of

Communication. Retrieved April 20, 2022, from https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/5472

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The effects Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay exposure in television

The role of televised lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning characters in the identity

development of LGB people has received little research. Using a poll of LGB adolescents, a

study looked at the connection between homosexual and lesbian-oriented television exposure and

positive and negative self-esteem. Exposure to mainstream television was negatively connected

with positive self-esteem, while exposure to gay and lesbian-oriented television was negatively

correlated with negative self-esteem, according to the findings. The findings demonstrated that

seeing LGB characters in television shows created expressly for Gay or lesbian viewers may

have a positive influence on the well-being of LGB kids who are exposed to these themes on

television. The author suggest in light of the findings from the research, that characters in

television shows who openly talk and act out issues within the gay community especially effect

gay youth compared non-gay youth. Exposure to this on TV affects how LGB youth view

themselves and how they want society to view them. “The results of the present study suggest

that depictions of LGB characters in a variety of roles with disparate personalities and

characteristics may provide LGB youth with a diverse set of role models that can be used to

increase positive self-complexities…” (p. 15) (202 words)

Tzikas, E. (2019, October 25). 'bury your gays' trope: How the media kill off LGBTQ characters.

GCMLP. Retrieved April 20, 2022, from https://gcml.org/representation-of-lgbtq-characters-

through-the-bury-your-gays-trope/

Television Networks short lived LGBTQ representations

Eleni Tzikas discusses how television networks often treat LGBTQ characters as commodities in

order to convey the impression that they are offering respectable representation. The author
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states over 25 lesbian and bisexual female characters were victims of the 'Bury your gays' trend

during the 2016-2017 television season. It was harmful because it is a continuous trope in

popular television shows of LGBTQ people dying after a brief length of time together. This was

almost always solely used a plot device to continue a heterosexual character's narrative.The 100,

a popular CW Network television series, was the catalyst for the reemergence of the 'bury your

gays' cliché. The article goes into detail about a specific show, The 100. The show's main

character, Clarke, a bisexual woman, has a romantic connection with a queer women, Lexa. This

romance is cut short when Lexa is struck by a stray bullet meant for Clarke, which occurs just

after they consummate their relationship. Many fans of The 100 pointed out that the show's

creator, Jason Rothenberg, is a white straight man. Tzikas discusses how creators and writers

frequently recycle tired clichés that promote harmful beliefs and perspectives of the LGBTQ.

The authors conclude by talking about how LGBTQ characters should not be used as a

commodity but instead be fully playing out narratives. “How are these 4 million LGBTQ

women supposed to relate to television shows when 25 LGBTQ female characters have died

through the use of the tragic ‘bury your gays’ plot device?” (Tzikas 2019) (249 words)

Edwards, F. (2020). From misrepresentation to milestones: An investigation of LGBTQ

character ... Review of Journalism and Mass Communication. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344661376_From_Misrepresentation_to_Milestones_A

n_Investigation_of_LGBTQ_Character_Development_in_Two_Primetime_Situation_Comedies

LGBTQ Milestones in Televison

Francine Edwards discusses the increase in gay and lesbian characters and representation in the

media and television since 1998. The author discusses that dramatic increase in LGBTQ

visibility within both society and television. When gay people were discussed or shown prior to
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1998, most of the time it did not have a positive connotation. The author discusses recent

television shows in the past decade, such as Will and Grace and Glee. These television shows

positively show and talk about LGBTQ while highlighting the community's struggles. Television

shows like these make an effort to connect LGBTQ character to a heterosexual audience. “Gay

relationships have become more acceptable in prime-time viewing as the movement and current

political climate has made members of the LGBTQ community a part of our cultural fabric” (p.

2) The author analyzes how the political climate in the past decade has resulted in a positive

representation in prime time television. In light of this information, audiences of prime time

television consist of majority heterosexual viewers. In light of this, most of these audiences come

to an understanding of the LGBTQ through these characters in the media. “…one important way

in which television influences viewers is by providing second-hand experiences on which to

model beliefs, attitudes, and behavior when real-life experiences are limited.”(p.2) (214 words)

Quick, T. (2021). #gaysovercovid: The social drama of LGBTQ representation on Instagram.

International Journal of Communication. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from

https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/16959

LGBTQ actions in media and their consequences

This article provides an account of #GaysOverCOVID, a social drama involving LGBTQ

Instagram influencers behaving inappropriately in the context of COVID-19, this in effect has

badly portrayed the gay community. This article examines the various situations in which

Instagram influencers who specialize in LGBTQ influencing, were subjected to public criticisms.

Instagram influencers and users criticized #GaysOverCOVID as the situation revolved around

gay influencers refusing to wear mask or follow state/national mandates. The author, Tyler

Quick, constructed visual and empirical data through participant observation of LGBTQ
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Instagram. The results found by Quick suggest that instagram users and influencers experience

negative feelings and attitudes towards LGBTQ influencers because of the situation. Gay

influencers who where not apart of the #GaysOverCovid condemned the actions of those

LGBTQ users who participated in the rejection of COVID-19 mandates and safety protocols.

Many LGBTQ users according to the article have voiced anxieties about coming out onto the

social media platform for fear of rejection and negative attention. Quick details the history of gay

people having anxieties about the misconduct of their equals and how that would negatively

impact the LGBTQ community and public opinion.The article concludes by discussing the

effects of the drama and its consequences of LGBTQ representation in politics “And yet, when

circumstances have demanded that social media’s gay elite wield their “influence” for the

betterment of their community, critics have decried their failure to do so as evidence of gay

culture’s shallowness, but never the limits of social media platforms as venues for “positive”

LGBTQ representation, let alone the politics of representation itself.” (p.1) (211 Words)

Popular Press Secondary Sources

Dawson, L. (2020, December 15). Presence vs. representation: Report breaks down LGBTQ

visibility on TV. NBCNews.com. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/presence-vs-representation-report-breaks-down-lgbtq-

visibility-tv-n1251153

LGBTQ Characters on Television: Plot device or representation?

Lamar Dawson a writer for NBC news analyzes the presence of LGBTQ people in television

shows. LGBTQ characters have increased in appearance on television shows, but Dawson

discusses if simply having these characters appear is enough to represent the community. Using
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research from Nielsen's inaugural report, Dawson discussed how the numbers alone reflect more

visibility for the LGBTQ community in media. 26% of the top programs on cable have at least

one LGBTQ character. In an interview with openly gay actor Harvey Guillén, he states "Just as

the world builds their perceptions of the LGBTQ community from media, we LGBTQ people

also form our own identities from media."(Dawson, 2020). Public opinion and perception is

influenced by the portrayals in the media. Dawson discusses the importance of having a true

reflection of who LGBTQ people are in reality. Women and people of color are under-

represented in television shows within casting for LGBTQ characters. The article concludes with

an interview with Jack Moore, a writer for Netflix's “Dear white people” who explained that in

order for progress to be made, the writers room television shows have to diversity themselves.

LGBTQ people need to be participants in the writing that is representing their community. (201

words)

Martin, A. L. (2021, June 23). Perspective | The Long Road to more accurate portrayals of

Black LGBTQ people on television. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/06/23/long-road-more-accurate-portrayals-black-

lgbtq-people-television/

The need for more portrayals of Black LGBTQ people on television

Alfred Martin a writer for the Washington Post analyzes the need for more representation of

black people and minorities within LGBTQ representation on television. Martin talks about why

people tend to think of white people when they think of LGBTQ, because television does not

reflect minorities on the screen. Martin talks about how the pace of change has been slow. It has

taken three decades and significant changes in the television networks models to generate new

representation for gay characters. Many show shows have now begun to break the traditional link
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between whiteness and LGBTQ sexuality. The article discusses the history of LGBTQ in

television, from the 1950’s all the way to today. Once LGBTQ characters were introduced, not

only were people of color not represented, but show during this time furthered harmful

stereotypes of gay people. Martin “they were stereotyped caricatures: Gay men were “feminine”

and often had “women’s” careers such as hairdresser and interior designer, and lesbians were

“butch” because they, presumably, wanted to be men.” (Martin, 2021) The issue of these types of

stereotypes in television are starting to fade, however there is still a need for more portrayals of

black LGBTQ people on television. Martin concludes by talking about LGBTQ people of color

who watch television, by seeing somebody like themselves represented can make a positive

impact on how they feel about themselves in society. (229 words)

Annotated Bibliography Essay

The importance of LGBTQ represntation

in Media and its effect on Public Opinion

LGBTQ representation has increased in recent years due to the changing social

and political climate. In 2015, it became legal in the United States for gay people to get married.

That same year, representations of the LGBTQ in televison increased. Television shows featured

more openly gay characters than ever before. This number has only increased since then. The

LGBTQ community has witnessed the perception of the public change as the media continues to

make lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning individuals more visible, as well as

their issues. Not only have these individuals experienced changing public opinion, but also how

they view themselves in society. In this essay I will analyze how the media has changed society's

perception of the LGBTQ community in negative and positive ways. The purpose of this essay is
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to come to a solution on how issues with the negative perception and public opion of the LGBTQ

community can be resolved in the media.

Research by Traci Gillig and Sheila Murphy on effects of a gay adolescent media

portrayal on young viewers is an example of how media shapes the public's opinions and beliefs.

The study concluded that general negative emotions from heterosexual youth after displays of

two LGBTQ characters on television. The findings showed that seeing lesbian and gay characters

in television shows made specifically for gay and lesbian viewers, can have a favorable impact

on the well-being of LGBTQ children who are exposed to someone similar to them on television.

This shows a positive correlation of LGBTQ media representation affecting public opinion, in

this case youth.“...LGBTQ youth saw themselves reflected in the portrayal of two young gay

characters coming to understand their identity, and these participants strongly experienced the

positive emotion of hope…” (Dawson p. 16). The individual differences theory can be applied

here because of how this display in media affects people differently because of who they are.

However, attitudes and emotions felt by individuals can change once exposed to something more

over time.

Dyke TV was a public access program that was able to be viewed nation wide that focused

on specifically lesbian issues which was taboo to talk about in the media at the time. It was an

important outlet for people to receive information concerning LGBTQ issues. Exposure to gay

people in media can change society general feelings towards LGBTQ. Francine Edwards

discusses this in her article From misrepresentation to milestones: An investigation of LGBTQ

character in the Review of Journalism and Mass Communication. She says “one important way

in which television influences viewers is by providing second-hand experiences on which to

model beliefs, attitudes, and behavior when real-life experiences are limited”(p.2). The majority
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of people who are not part of the LGBTQ community do not have any real world experiences

with these individuals. Many heterosexual people only have media and television to turn to when

understanding the LGBTQ community. That is why it is so easy for public perception to be

melded by the showcasing of gay people on television.

The issue of representation alone is starting to be less of a problem, but how the media is

representing LGBTQ. Minorities and people of color make up a significant number of lesbian,

gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning individuals. However, there has been a problem in

recent years with television networks only casting white individuals to play LGBTQ characters.

This inherently can affect viewers who do not regularly come into contact with people of the

community regularly. They may become biased in thinking only white people make up the

LGBTQ community, when this statement is not true at all. Accurate representation in media

matters. Without it, cognitive dissonance can come into play when heterosexual individuals do

come into contact with people of color in the LGBTQ community.

The solution to this issue can be said best by Washington post writer, Alfred Martin, in

his article The Long Road to more accurate portrayals of Black LGBTQ people on television “In

representing Black LGBTQ characters, they need to hire more LGBTQ people of color to work

in front of and behind the cameras while creating programming that doesn’t force single LGBTQ

characters to represent all LGBTQ experiences"(Martin, 2021). Reality should be reflected into

mass media when representing the LGBTQ community. Without accurate representation of who

gay people are, people outside of that world can inherent harmful stereo types and ideas. Martin

is discussing specifically the portrayal of black LGBTQ characters, but this idea can be applied

to LGBTQ in general.There needs to be more representation from those in mass media and

television for there to be fair representation on screen. Eleni Tzikas, a writer for The Global
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Critical Media Literacy Project in their article bury your gays' trope: How the media kill off

LGBTQ characters, discusses how television networks often treat LGBTQ characters as

commodities in order to seem like they are offering respectable representation. Tzikas says "As a

result of white hegemonic media ownership, creators of stories narrating experiences of LGBTQ

characters are drawing on their own experiences while telling stories about those who are

different from them”(Tzikas, 2019). The fact the non-LGBTQ individuals are creating lesbian,

gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning characters is where the problem roots from because

they themselves can not project and accurate depiction of LGBTQ people. When more LGBTQ

producers, writers, and story-tellers are the ones who are creating LGBTQ characters in media,

will there be more positive and realistic representation changing people's beliefs, emotions and

attitudes towards LGBTQ people in general. (910 words)