Tuesday 09-10-2018 - 16:00

Just over 20 years ago, Ellen DeGeneres announced, “yep, I’m gay”. Those three words caused backlash that’s almost incomprehensible today. It’s hard to imagine that a TV personality ‘coming out’ could cause boycotts, protests, and put their career on the line – but just 20 years ago, that was absolutely the case.

 

To quote Barack Obama: “how important it was not just to the LGBT community, but for all of us to see somebody so full of kindness and light, somebody we liked so much, somebody who could be our neighbour or our colleague or our sister challenge our own assumptions, remind us that we have more in common than we realize, push our country in the direction of justice.”

 

That act of honesty and bravery from Ellen paved the way for iconic LGBT shows and figures to be broadcasted, until it eventually became normal and part of life. Who could imagine pop culture without Queer Eye, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Sophia Burset or Renly Baratheon?

 

Showing LGBT characters through TV and film provides a platform for a relatable insight into the community and deeper understanding of the LGBT community. Seeing it through a screen provides a space for viewers to come to terms with these characters and situations in their own time, with no judgement and no pressure – and eventually leading them to a point of empathy and familiarity. It can normalise an experience for the audience that may not be their own, or let someone know that they’re not alone in their experience.

 

On-screen personas create the chance to show a realistic LGBT character, and present them as a multifaceted, complex human, rather than a superficial stereotype that’s defined by their sexuality. This change of perception helps to create the shift from sexuality being the first label put on someone, and for LGBT people to be recognised as much, much more than their sexual orientation.

 

Having these characters can help the audience to build a frame of reference, for when they encounter someone that resembles the character in real life. Viewers should be able to watch these storylines, characters or situations and be able to see it reflected in their own lives or in the people that they meet.

 

This is pivotal in raising awareness and understanding about LGBT culture – it helps to generate discussion around the real issues that the LGBT community face. But it can also act as a prompt and frame of reference for the tougher conversations for people about their own gender or sexual identity, or act as a prompt for parents to have those talks with children.

 

Although the media and film industry has gone a long way, it’s not the end of the road yet. Despite LGBT having made so much progress in terms of equal rights, there are still inequalities and misconceptions to be tackled. It’s more important than ever to keep pioneering for inequality to be addressed and keep our world moving in the right direction.