Lately, I've noticed that some LGBTQ centric items in the media (Will Grayson, Will Grayson and MTV's Faking It, etc) have been extremely optimistic, even unrealistic about coming out with a LGBTQ identities. While I do understand that our queer little siblings out there need a positive story to tell them "It Get's Better", I can't help but be somewhat pessimistic. There will be people out there that will not accept you. You may not get support from your parents. I feel like today's queer media is improperly portraying how society reacts to coming out. The overly-optimistic scenario in television and books also does not give warnings to the kids that their parents WILL NOT react well. It doesn't warn you that you can get kicked out. It doesn't warn you about all the hate crimes committed against us. Maybe I'm just being a big whiner, but I feel like we need more variation in LGBTQ media portrayals. I would love to hear others opinions on the accuracy of queer portrayal.
I actually disagree. I think there has been plenty of focus on the negative and that a little bit of showing that sometimes things work out does a lot to give people hope and actually to normalize the process, paving the way for more people to have a good experience. While the path of coming out can be difficult, IRL I only know a handful of people who regret coming out when they did and for most of them it is a matter of wishing they had waited a couple years, whereas I know tons of people who wish they had done it earlier. Sure it takes all kinds of representations but I really believe people encounter plenty of negative representations and that the few "overly optimistic" representations don't even balance the scales, let alone tip it the other way.
i can agree, there can only be so much optimism that can be shown before we can say "yea that sh*t doesn't happen all the time". there's a lot of variation within the gay community that i've seen, and can be used aside from the stereotypical ones.
I can agree and disagree I think? I think that media inaccurately portrays the LGBT community in a number of ways, of which can be shelved for later discussion. But I think on this particular issue, and I can't speak to the MTV show because I've never seen it, I've seen both sides of the discussion. It could be because I've seen a lot of documentaries on the topic and read more than I watch TV, specifically about these kind of stories and I do think there is a realization that things are getting better but still very bad for some. I think the idea of a better world is what some of these shows you mention are trying at and it's always good for hypotheticals but they should also be responsible as you mention and maybe list telephone numbers or websites at the end of shows that offer help for persons in the positions that you mention. I think America in particular is slowly coming around, we're of course not where we want to be but we're getting there very slowly. I'm sorry... not sure if any of what I said addresses your concern.... sometimes I babble.
Faking it is the worst lesbian show ever created sometimes I think it was just made for straight people and not for lesbians. When I saw how everyone was making them popular to be lesbian ,I was thinking what a joke of a show because even now if your an out lesbian at school things wouldn't be so peachy
It is important to remember that the vast majority of viewers or readers indulging in media are not LGBTQ. Having LGBTQ figures in the media is not simply about allowing LGBTQ to have characters to identify with, but exposing the rest of the world to the presence of diversity within it as well. Media is the single greatest educational tool within society. It addressing subjects that many aren't always addressed in all lives. By portraying characters who react positively to minorities in fiction, it encourages viewers or readers to react similarly in the real world. While including homophobia more often would paint a more realistic picture for certain communities, it was also serve as a source of validation for homophobic individuals because they have now been given a character to agree and identify with. Conversely, portraying an overwhelming majority of accepting figures in media causes those with homophobic mindset to appear more on the outside and archaic.
I agree that some of it is too optimistic but I kind of like it because I like LGBT media a lot and it seems like most of what there is is really depressing. It's nice to have happy stuff like everyone else
