It is a well noted fact that over the past two decades the LGBTQA+ community has gone through a revolution. The world has never been more accepting of them with 28 countries legalizing same sex marriage and 120 countries decriminalizing homosexuality as of June 2019. The members have also found acceptance in the media in the form of representation on various media platforms including film, television and music. While this has been praised by many and cited as one of the reasons for the widespread acceptance of the community, it has also harmed the community in several ways.
Media representation is a powerful tool. How a particular community is portrayed by the media has a huge impact on the general public’s opinion of them which is why one of the biggest criticisms regarding media platforms representing the queer community has been misrepresentation. It has been observed that the portrayal of queer characters has usually been stereotypical and demeaning. The lesbian character is almost always portrayed as masculine with short hair and the gay men as flamboyant and feminine. These are strong stereotypes affiliated with the community and always portraying the community like this can cause more harm than good for there are feminine lesbians and masculine men who are made to feel excluded because of these very stereotypes. The lesbian characters that are feminine are also usually extremely sexualized for the male gaze and is very harmful for the lesbian community who claim to be sexualized in real life as well. This sort of representation promotes that.
Another criticism regarding the portrayal of the queer characters on TV shows and films is that their purpose on that show revolves around their sexual orientation. The character either serves no purpose to the plot and is only there for the sake of attracting queer audiences, or the character’s presence in the plot is only because of their sexuality, they serve no other purpose. These characters are strongly defined by their sexuality and the audience is reminded of the same every time the character is on the screen. This can be viewed negatively as it conveys the message to the viewers that the only significant thing about queer people is that they are queer, which is not true. People are more than their sexual and gender identities and the media should focus more on normalizing these characters rather than defining them by their sexuality.
The music industry also faces similar issues. A lot of big names in the music industry, both belonging to the community and otherwise, have made music for the community. One of the biggest names in this genre is Hayley Kiyoko, an American singer who rose to fame after releasing a song titled ‘girls like girls’ the music video for the same has crossed over a hundred million views on YouTube making her a well known name in the LGBT community. Hayley Kiyoko’s music however is only about her loving girls, she does not make music on any other subject and considering that her audience is primarily young lesbians and queer girls this sends a wrong message by once again making your sexuality your defining factor. We have several other big queer artists such as Troye Sivan, Lauren Jauregui, Halsey. Lady Gaga and Brendon Urie who have made music about their love for the same sex but have also made music on many other different subjects. Hayley Kiyoko has built a career solely out of her sexual orientation and this conveys a wrong message about the importance of one’s sexuality.
There is no denying that the media has healthy representation as well that has had a positive impact on the community, in fact media representation in general has been an important factor for promoting more acceptance of the LGBT community in the world by giving them a voice and a spotlight. Having famous celebrities and big media platforms convey the message of ‘love is love’ is very powerful and does create an impact. But it is just as important for these platforms to ensure that the representation they showcase is realistic and healthy. It is important to normalize queer identities and also important to convey the message that an individual’s identity is not restricted to their sexuality.
The world has come a long way in terms of acceptance of LGBTQA+ individuals, yet it has a long way to go. This may not have happened at such a fast pace without the media and celebrities like Hayley Kiyoko who are brave enough to be themselves and inspire others, but now it is time for the community to be normalized in the people’s eyes and to convey the message to the world that one is much more than their sexuality and we are equal regardless of who we feel attracted to. Normalization is the key to acceptance and to a brighter and more inclusive future.
Destiny with Truth 