Why media representation matters
From the first pro-gay film ever made in 1919, Different from the Others, to the first mainstream teen romcom to feature a gay lead made in 2018, Love, Simon, queer media representation has had a long and struggle-filled history. Throughout the last 100 years, queer representation has shifted to reflect societies values and opinions of LGBTQ+ people.
During the 1960s, Hollywood’s portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters was increasingly negative because at the time, “sexual perversion” was allowed to be depicted in films as long as it was portrayed in a negative manner. Because being LGBTQ+ was still classified as a mental illness during this time, it fit the bill to portray our community as “villainous” and “psychopathic”. These representations harmed the members of our community because they allowed the spread and validation of harmful and false ideas.
After the Stonewall Riots, more movies and tv shows depicting LGBTQ+ people in a relatively positive manner were produced as there was a growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. But foreshadowing this acceptance was the HIV/AIDS epidemic and Christian fundamentalist groups with a conservative and “family oriented” agenda. Representation during this time was a mix between shedding some light on the struggles of gay people in every day life, and condemning them for their “lifestyle”.
However in the past 20 years, the LGBTQ+ community has seen unparalleled positive representation in the media such as Modern Family, Will & Grace, and Moonlight, the first LGBTQ+ film to win best picture in 2017. Modern representation has shone an important light on the various political movements and struggles LGBTQ+ people are involved in and face everyday. People who don’t aren’t a part of the LGBTQ+ community are now able to see a more positive representation of our community and what it’s like to be a part of it.
Representation may be important when it comes to affecting how others see us, but what’s more important is how representation can change how we see ourselves.
Positive representation of our community is important for young community members to see so that they can feel inspired, empowered, informed and, well, represented.
Being a part of the LGBTQ+ community can be difficult. A lot of the time, community members may be in situations a lot of other people don’t understand and it can be intimidating. However, seeing someone going through similar experiences that identifies similarly to the person watching can be inspiring and uplifting. Oftentimes, seeing this persona on screen succeed and persevere can inspire the viewer to keep pushing and keep their head up.
Internalized homophobia is something we have talked about before, and it’s a serious problem. It’s something a lot of us struggle with internally, but it can be reinforced by outside stimuli. For example, being called names, discriminated against, or being told to silence yourself in terms of your sexuality, gender, or gender identity. A lot of these issues are taboo to talk about, so for a young queer person, seeing someone who identifies as they do on the tv or movie screen talking about or experiencing these issues can be empowering. Not only does seeing someone you relate to on screen feel incredibly rewarding, it can affirm how you identify, and maybe help work through some society driven ideas of your identity being “wrong” or “bad”.
Getting informed
Representations and examples of healthy LGBTQ+ relationships can be hard to come by for some people, especially with the lack of quality inclusive sex education in the U.S.. Being able to see gay relationships on television and in movies can give young people a better insight into healthy dating practices, especially in communities that do not condone same-sex relationships as “normal”. Many people lack abundant sources of information, so utilizing tv and movies, a popular media consumption, can help inform and enlighten people
Feeling represented
Overall, representation is important. Whether its for making straight people more comfortable with the LGBTQ+ community (which it does!), giving young people a sense of hope and inspiration, or empowering and informing our community, positive representation of our community is a healthy way to familiarize outsiders and ourselves with who we are. For a teen in the LGBTQ+ community, feeling seen, understood, and heard can make all the difference.
Haven is a developing virtual pride center aimed at providing young LGBTQ+ people with a community at their fingertips. The founders of Haven come from a place of love, understanding, and commitment. Haven is a community founded by young LGBTQ+ people for LGBTQ+ people. Checkout our website, havenvpc.org, and follow us on Instagram @haven.vpc for updates on our journey.
Haven is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. You can email us at havenvpc@gmail.com.
