Srishti Singh pens a stirring piece on how media representation of the LGBTQ+ community, while important and emancipatory, can unwittingly promote damaging stereotypes. She vouches for normalization and concludes that an individual's personality is much more than their sexuality.
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. Members have found acceptance in the media through representation on various 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 inadvertently 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 against media platforms has been their frequent misrepresentation of the queer community. 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 associated with the community. Persistently portraying queer characters in this manner 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 usually extremely sexualized to titillate the male gaze, mirroring the felt experience of the lesbian community who claim to be sexualized in real life as well.
Another criticism regarding the portrayal of queer characters on TV shows and films is that their purpose on the show revolves solely 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. 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 catering to 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’, whose music video has crossed over 100 million views on YouTube making her a well-known name in the LGBT community. 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 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 there are examples of healthy representation as well that have had a positive impact on the community. In fact, media representation in general has been an important factor for promoting wider acceptance of the LGBT community by giving them a voice and a spotlight. Having 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. It is important to normalize queer identities and to convey the message that an individual’s identity is not restricted to their sexuality and that we are equal regardless of who we feel attracted to. Normalization is the key to acceptance and a brighter and more inclusive future.