Pride in Our Media

Through generations, the media has been an influential tool used by artists to express their stories. They reflect a romanticized version of human societies and unknowingly teaches its audience about different people.

Queer people in the media is especially prevalent because their role changes as a society start to equalize. In the past, queer people were usually a joke or the antagonist since people apart of the LGBTQ+ community weren’t as normalized. This is seen in Disney classics as many of the villains have ‘queer’ characteristics and sometimes embody aspects of drag culture. The website: https://www.pride.com/geek/2020/2/05/10-queer-coded-gay-villains-our-childhood#media-gallery-media-2 has gone in-depth about ‘queer coding’ in Disney films. A notable quote from the site would be, “Back in the not-so-distant past, one of the quickest tropes television and film-makers used to mark a character as a villain was to saddle them with a bunch of clichés, homosexual stereotypes (because we’re all deviant villains, am I right?!).” This, in theory, could have led to children inherently believing that it is ‘evil’ to be LGBTQ+.

Coming back to the present, we’re seeing clearer representation in media with queer characters getting recognition; helping to normalize the LGBTQ+ community. However, many character arcs for queer characters surround, ‘coming out'. This is where the character ‘admits’ to being queer to their family or close friends. This is seen as a huge moment in the character’s life as they endure a journey of identity building. For instance, in the show, Glee* (2009-2015), the character, “Kurt” is first seen as shy and emotionally pained. After he comes out to his father, he is greeted with acceptance and the show portrays this seen as incredibly powerful. The father continuously shows his support for the LGBTQ community throughout. In the same show, the character, “Santana” is met with denial from her family and her mental health deteriorates temporarily. Furthermore, both characters improved in the long run with improved security in their sexuality. The producers illustrated this as the characters became likeable and confident. Other media such as Love, Simon, Atypical, One Day at Time, Hollywood, and countless others have the same trope where LGBTQ+ characters significantly improve after their aforementioned, ‘coming out’ regardless of extreme denial or acceptance.

Though this is a positive representation for queer people, it isn’t accurate. Coming out-s aren’t greeted with overpowering denial or acceptance in all cases. There is an awkward middle ground where people accept you but don’t agree that it’s the best, ‘decision’. Without a dramatic acceptance or denial, the ‘coming out’ can seem fake; almost like it’s not ‘working’. Moreover, coming out doesn’t always lead to security within your sexuality. It isn’t the answer or the last step in self-acceptance like the media portrays it as.

Overall, society has conditioned us to believe the LBGTQ+ community is different from others with special character arcs and prominent, ‘coming out’ scenes in media. It is our job to accept our own identity in a healthy manner and stop thinking of ourselves as different (negatively) to others. I hope everyone has a happy pride month and continues to advocate LGBTQ+ rights after June too!

*Glee: I highly recommend this show to anyone with an interest in musicals or LGBTQ+ story arcs. This show beautifully captures the influence of queer stereotypes in the music industry and high school while remaining hooking and humorous. However, this show is a little dated and does cross lines when it comes to showing stereotypes and using stereotypes.

< image: (EuroPosters, 2021)

Citations (MLA):

Necessary, Terra. “10 Queer-Coded, Gay Villains from Our Childhood.” Pride.com. https://www.pride.com/geek/2020/2/05/10-queer-coded-gay-villains-our-childhood#media-gallery-media-9 Published February 5th 2020. Accessed June 7th 2021.