“That’s So Gay!”
How are men protaryed in the Media?
Everywhere
you look these days, you can’t stay away from the topic of homosexuality. It’s
in the magazines we read and the television shows we watch. Due to the fact
that they are a minority group, people assume homosexuality as being very
different from everybody. The negative connotation associated especially with
homosexual men has made us accept some of the stereotypes and generalizations
towards this group of people. As
people learn to understand more about homosexuality, they have a better
understanding of the stigma associated with the term. Do you think that the media portrays homosexuality as a negative more
than a positive?
Recently, I’ve noticed that media has had
more actors playing homosexual roles. This can obviously be seen in the second
highest viewed television series called “Modern Family.” When homosexual
couples come to mind, one thingThat most people ask is “ who wears the pants
in the relationship”. This phrase is associated with gender roles, which leads to the stereotype that homosexual
men in relationships need a passive role and dominant role in order to be
consider normal. But what is normal and will homosexual couples ever get the
same treatment as heterosexual couples?
Referring
back to Modern Family, the Mother Day episode portrayed a very interesting
insight to the gender role of Cam and Mitchell (the Gay couple on the show). As
the couple was strolling down the park, they questioned themselves on which of
them was more feminine. As a football rolled towards Cam, he attempted to throw
it far to prove he was more masculine. His bad throw lead to a bicyclist being
hit in the head and falling horribly. The shows comedic twist to the episode
shined light on the belief that society has when it comes to homosexual gender
roles and masculinity. The biggest way Modern Family probably challenges the
gay stereotype is by adopting a child named Lily. In our society we do not see
men as being capable enough to have a child without a women figure in the
picture. Our society think homosexuals are not affectionate towards children.
Cam and Mitchell are very open to adoption on the show, which proves that they
are good parents. This obviously shows that they are challenging society’s
perception on gay men.
In this current society, we generalize
gay men as being feminine and flamboyant. The media portrays homosexual men as being
uninterested in sports and more feminine than masculine. But what makes gay men
more feminine than heterosexual men? When Jason Collins, an athletic, masculine
NBA players announced he was gay, it proved to many people that Gay men just like
Heterosexual men, are all different. In Ontario, same-sex marriage was legalized on
June 10th, 2003, which proves that society is starting to understand the
importance of equality in our society. Shortly afterwards NFL prospect Michael
Sam came out of the closet on draft day. In Michael’s house when he received
the phone call, ESPN camera’s swarmed in as Michael bursted into tears and
kissed his soulmate. Jason Collin’s responded to the first openly gay NFL
player by simply saying “It was a great day for the NFL.”
At this
day and age, media has a huge impact on many people’s lives especially people
living in the west. The portrayal of homosexuals in
the media sends both intentional and unintentional messages to viewers. These
messages have a huge impact on how we view homosexuality and its important to
understand the stereotypes and generalizations associated to the term homosexuality. I want to end this post with a question: "10 years from now, do you think society will change their views on Homosexuality in the media?"
Work Cited:
Roush,
C., Sampiller, N . , Schultz, M. et all.
(n.d.) “Protrayal of
Homosexuality in the Media”. Retrieved on May 22nd, 2014 from, http://www2.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/tcom103fall2004/gp16/gp16.pdf
(N.a.) . (n.d).“Gay Stereotypes in Modern Family”. Retrieved on May 25th, 2014, from http://analysisofmodernfamily.weebly.com
Image Citations:
(N.a.) . (n.d).“Gay Stereotypes in Modern Family” [picture
of Cam and Mitchell holding their adopted daughter]. Retrieved on
May 25th, 2014, from http://analysisofmodernfamily.weebly.com
(N.a.) . (n.d).“Gay Stereotypes in Modern Family”. [ picture of man with makeup] Retrieved on May
25th, 2014, from http://analysisofmodernfamily.weebly.com
NBA Media
Ventures, 2014. [ Picture of Jason Collins]. Retrieved on May 27th,
from http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jason_collins/
Let me start of by saying that you've done a very good job of portraying homosexual men in your blog Bille. I actually enjoyed reading it even though i myself am a homophobic type of person. I believe that the media portrays homosexuality as more of a positive thing than a negative thing. The media puts in the minds of homosexuals that being liking someone of the same gender is a normal thing and that it is okay to come out to the world and tell them that your homosexual. We live in the 21st society where people are coming out of their closets and telling the world that they are homosexuals. The media wants everyone to be equal and to have everyone come out of their cacoon and not be scared to be judged by the people around them. Instead, they should accept these people as normal human beings than someone who is "abnormal" and "not wanted" in the society. For example, take Ellen DeGeneres and Jim parsons who are both homosexuals. These people are in T.V's and magazines. These people are prime examples of people who portray homosexuality as more of a positive thing than a negative aspect.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to say that homosexuals couples will get the same treatment as heterosexual couples but lets face it, they will not be looked at the same way. There are many reasons for that. One being that your culture plays a huge role in the way you are raised up. Your culture makes you believe that having a father and a mother instead of a father and father or vise-versa is the social norm. Another reason being your religion. Certain religions do not want to accept the fact that there are homosexual couples and that if there were any then they will be looked at in a "different" way.
10 years from now, the society MAY change their views on homosexuals in the media but it mostly will not by many people due to the fact that their culture and their religion teaches them that father and mother is what is normal and not 2 homosexual couples. There are many people around the world who accept homosexuals and homosexual couples but on the other hand many are not ready and most likely will not be ready to accept that homosexuals exist and even if they do exist, they will not be accepted by those individuals as a part of their society.
I'd like to finish off by saying that your blog was very intriguing. Many people may argue my point of view but it will not change my mind about homosexual couples or homosexuals. I don't mind at the fact that homosexuals are starting to come out of their cacoon and becoming butterflies but it still does not change my opinion on them. Interesting blog Bille. :)
First thing i would like to say is that you did a great job bille. Now answering to your questions.
ReplyDelete1) No i think that media portrays homosexuality as a positive thing more than a negative because i have heard it in new and most of the times the media is trying to convey a message saying that everyone has equal rights and their rights should be taken away due to their hormones/genetics which cannot be controlled by human. They also want to tell all the homosexuals that being a homosexual is not a bad thing or it’s not a crime that you are hiding it, so you don't have to hide and you can come out and tell the world that you are gay.
2) I think that homosexuality will get same treatment like heterosexuals because it takes time to adapt to something which recently started to come out. For example homosexuals in old days were not even allowed to say that they are gay and as time went by, people started to say that they are gay and now, in most countries gay marriages are allowed. So my point is that homosexuals will get same treatment as heterosexuals but it will take some time. The only problem for homosexuals is that some cultures, religions, and traditions believe that homosexuality is a choice. For some people religion is a very big factor in their life, he/she won't treat homosexuals the way he/she treats heterosexuals.
3) yes, i think that society will change their point of view for homosexuals in the time period of 10 years because it has only been few years that coming out as homosexuals became more common from before, also most of the countries have started or did legalize gay marriages which is a big step for their rights. Homosexuals have started to get their rights which I feel they deserve.
What a nice blog Bille I enjoyed reading this, it has some really good points that are thought provoking and different. You brought up really fascinating points such as who takes the role in homosexual relationships and so on. So, to answer your first question I think it is hard to decide whether or not the media portrays homosexuality negatively or positively. It depends on where one lives in. If we are talking about the media in the westernized society, then I guess we could say that nowadays homosexuality is being seen as a positive thing. The media is indeed promoting homosexuality for various reasons, I could not have put this any better you have already explained it well when you said “Due to the fact that they are a minority group, people assume homosexuality as being very different from everybody.” And by “very different” I am assuming that you mean different in a good way, correct me if I am wrong. On the other hand, if we look at the media of countries where homosexuality is illegalized and looked down upon, then it is a different story. Mostly, homosexuality is not talked about at all, but if it is then it is in a very negative and humiliating way. Bottom line, I think it is impossible to know whether or not homosexuality is seen in a negative or positive way.
ReplyDeleteLastly, yes I think in 10 years from now, society will change their views on Homosexuality in the media. It is already in progress; society is changing their views on homosexuality. For instance: if we go back 10 years back, homosexuality was not legalized in various countries and homosexuals were highly look down upon by other individuals. However, right now people have become more understanding and lenient towards homosexuals mostly due to the role played by the media. The media has played a very important role in supporting homosexuality and that it is okay to be one. So, in 10 years from now I think the world would change into an even better place for homosexual people.