Lgbtq media

Authentic storytelling remains crucial in combating stereotypes, ensuring intersectional voices are heard, and using media as a tool for advocacy. So, without further adieu, here is a brief history of LGBT representation.

Restrictions on LGBT representation begin in 1930 with the Hollywood Production Code, and lasted until 1983 under the Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters.

This is generally done to placate the LGBTQ+ community and is essentially lip service to the idea of diversity without actual meaningful representation. For the most part, these were limited to depictions of child molesters, characters with violent, tragic deaths, or drag queens (Cook). Business, Not Politics: The Making of the Gay Market.

However, others in the community argue that misrepresentation is just as bad as no representation at all. Furthermore, these characters’ identities as LGBT would often be framed as a central problem or conflict for the episode, and their identity would often be used to disrupt the lives of the heterosexual main characters (Cook).

Retrieved from

https://www.glaad.org

McNicholas Smith, K. (2019). Whatever the solution to this problem is, it may be a long time before we see some substantial change in the way the media portrays the community, but at the very least, it seems like the media is moving towards a slightly more accepting space for the LGBT community.
Links
https://victoryinstitute.org/a-look-at-transphobia-within-the-lgbtq-community/
https://genderit.org/articles/interrogating-transphobia-within-lgbtqia-community
https://prospect.org/power/45-years-stonewall-lgbt-movement-transphobia-problem/
GLAAD’s Where We Are on TV Report 2021
https://heckinunicorn.com/blogs/heckin-unicorn-blog/queer-representation-in-media-comprehensive-list-breakdown-lgbt?srsltid=AfmBOopUT-KEi9-HO4qAUJ0tnl1MIxKBWnfonTkBKtxnbKbvAJdizjvE&currency=USD

Those in the transgender community find themselves in dismay at the lack of representation for their community within the LGBTQ community itself, as many of the representatives from the community tend to be white, middle-income, gay or lesbian identified individuals, and the presence of transphobia within the community itself has not helped their case at all (Victory Institute).

As someone who identifies with the community, I feel like it is important to speak about the injustice that the community has had to deal with as a marginalized group in America and how it feels as if every step we take forward seems to send us two steps back.

A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

The term LGBTQIA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Asexual, with the “+” signifying that it encompasses other identities not explicitly listed.

Icon Books.

Warner, M. (1999). One such stereotype is the depiction of a gay man as feminine and “unmanly”. However, they quickly became LGBT icons and still hold that title. Harper & Row.

Sender, K. (2004). These shows, among others, have contributed to a more diverse and empathetic media landscape, affirming the validity of queer identities and narratives.In the past few years shows such as “Heartstopper”, “It’s A Sin” and “Schitts Creek” have addressed topics like coming out, homophobia, HIV/ AIDS and bullying while building fully realised authentic queer characters that resonates with audiences globally.

The GLAAD report notes that as we move into the 2024-2025 season the SAG-AFTRA and WGA memberships strike and a number of LGBTQ-inclusive series ending or being cancelled will lead to a further decrease in queer representation and Megan Townsend GLAAD’s Senior Director of Entertainment Research & Analysis advised that “networks and streamers looking to maintain relevance and brand longevity with the growing LGBTQ audience should be developing their future slates with an eye towards stabilization” including multiple season orders, prompt renewals, and a sustained investment in inclusive storytelling.

If you want to learn more about the history of LGBTQI+ Representation in television, listen to YesterQueer on Spotify a brand new podcast which asks the question.

Possibly the most famous case comes from JK Rowling (the author of Harry Potter) who claimed that the character Dumbledore had been gay this entire time, and yet there was nothing that suggests that in the books, the original seven movies, or the recently prequel trilogy.

Thoughts

This misrepresentation, coupled with the lack of general understanding of the community as a large and the diverse groups that it is made up of, have resulted in a severe lapse of understanding and even some prejudice towards the community.

Stereotypes come in many forms: negative representation, token representation, queerbaiting, and retroactive representation.

Negative representation was much more common in the past and with the country becoming more welcoming of the LGBT community, the negative representation in American media has gone down quite a lot. While these codes did not directly prohibit the depiction of homosexual characters, they heavily restricted what those characters could do and how they could act.

They argue that even if these is misrepresentation, the show is still acknowledging their existence and therefore, at least for now, was acceptable. Unfortunately, many people still use the tropes of the evil bisexual and the gay pedophile against the LGBT community and, as stated before, there are still numerous negative representation of the trans community in the media that many still believe in.

Token representation in popular media is “when the LGBTQ+ character either doesn’t play a notable role in the plot, or doesn’t have their identity meaningfully explored” (Heckin Unicorn).

Early Hollywood enforced the Hays Code (1930–1968), which prohibited explicit portrayals of homosexuality, leading filmmakers to rely on coded imagery—effeminate men, predatory lesbians, or tragic queer figures who met untimely deaths.

Films like Rebecca (1940) and Rope (1948) included implied queer characters, but their queerness was often linked to villainy or mental instability.
The "Bury Your Gays" trope dominated LGBTQIA+ narratives, reinforcing the idea that queer lives ended in tragedy (The Children’s Hour, 1961).

The 1969 Stonewall Riots marked a cultural shift, leading to more explicit LGBTQIA+ representation in the 1970s and 1980s.
Films like The Boys in the Band (1970) and Paris is Burning (1990) showcased queer life beyond stereotypes.
By the late 1990s, shows like Will & Grace and Ellen introduced LGBTQIA+ characters to mainstream audiences, albeit with limitations on depth and diversity.

The shift from subtext to visibility was a step forward, but challenges in authentic representation remained.

Despite progress, LGBTQIA+ representation in media still faces major hurdles, from tokenization to erasure of intersectional identities.

Many LGBTQIA+ characters are still written through a heteronormative lens, reduced to comic relief or sidekicks (Modern Family’s Cam and Mitch).
Transgender representation has historically been riddled with miscasting, with cisgender actors playing trans roles (The Danish Girl, Dallas Buyers Club), reinforcing harmful misconceptions.

Black, Latinx, and Asian LGBTQIA+ characters are underrepresented, with mainstream media often centering white, cisgender, and gay male narratives (Love, Simon).
Disabled LGBTQIA+ individuals and asexual characters remain nearly invisible in film and television.

Many corporations capitalize on LGBTQIA+ visibility during Pride Month while failing to support queer creators or advocate for real policy change.
Films and TV shows include LGBTQIA+ characters for diversity points but rarely center their stories (Marvel’s fleeting queer moments).

For representation to be meaningful, it must go beyond tokenism and authentically depict the diverse experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Media has the power to shift public attitudes and drive social change, making representation more than just entertainment—it’s activism.

Shows like Pose (2018) brought visibility to the Black and Latinx trans community, highlighting ballroom culture and the HIV/AIDS crisis.
LGBTQIA+ representation in children’s media, such as Steven Universe and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, normalizes queer identities for younger generations.

Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Patreon allow LGBTQIA+ creators to tell their own stories without industry gatekeeping.
Web series like Carmilla and indie films like Moonlight (2016) gained massive followings, proving audiences crave authentic LGBTQIA+ narratives.

The push for more LGBTQIA+ writers, directors, and producers ensures stories are told by those with lived experience.
Advocacy for more trans, non-binary, and BIPOC LGBTQIA+ characters is shaping the next era of queer media.

Media must continue evolving to reflect the full spectrum of LGBTQIA+ experiences, moving beyond visibility toward genuine, diverse representation.

LGBTQIA+ representation in media has come a long way—from hidden subtext to open celebration—but the journey is far from over.

Some LGBTQ members simply do not understand the trans community or have false ideas of the trans community that they learned from popular media. It has also been show that adding LGBTQ characters and storylines to entertainment isn’t just about showing how diverse our society is; it actually shifts how people see the LGBTQ community.

On the decrease shown in the new report GLAAD President & CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis said “it is imperative for the queer community, especially transgender people, to see our lives reflected on screen” concerning the surge in transphobic speech among politicians and in the news she also noted that positive media representation was an important way to counteract “the “misinformation and harmful rhetoric”