LGBTQ Characters Research Articles

Balancing boundaries: Mapping parents’ perceived concerns and opportunities of LGBTQ storylines in children’s television

In today’s global media landscape, the integration of LGBTQ characters and storylines in children’s television has transformed media representations for young audiences. However, little is known about the way parents evaluate this on-screen presence. By means of interview with 53 Flemish parents, this study uncovered a complex interplay of considerations related to children, media, gender, and sexuality. In terms of possible opportunities associated with LGBTQ characters, parents referred to possibilities of information, socialization, promoting prosocial behavior, and aiding identification. However, parents also harbored some concerns regarding characteristics of the viewers (children’s young age and gender differences) as well as characteristics of these media representations (as to quantity, quality, and physicality between characters). Parents mentioned they were worried about the perceived maturity needed to comprehend what these LGBTQ characters represent, and they showed more discomfort with gender diversity (trans and non-binary characters) than sexual diversity (non-heterosexual characters). They also feared that an overabundance of LGBTQ references might prioritize “political correctness” over authentic representation, which moreover could confuse children.

Mediated Contact with LGBTQ Characters: Associations Between Recognizability, Parasocial Friendship, Wishful Identification, and LGBTQ Prejudice

ABSTRACT Previous research largely supports the notion that mediated contact and engagement with minority characters can improve viewers’ real-life minority attitudes. However, it is unclear to what extent different forms of media engagement such as parasocial friendship and wishful identification are linked to attitudes, and whether deep-level similarities affect engagement with minority characters. Deep-level similarities refer to viewers’ perception of shared personality traits, attitudes, and social experiences with characters. In a cross-sectional survey, we examine (1) to what extent parasocial friendship and wishful identification with an LGBTQ character are each associated with viewers’ prejudicial attitudes toward the LGBTQ community, and (2) to what extent perceived deep-level similarities of an LGBTQ character are related to viewers’ parasocial friendship and wishful identification felt for the LGBTQ character. Based on a structural equation model using a sample of U.S. residents (n = 247), it may be concluded that the deep-level similarities of LGBTQ characters have both direct and indirect associations with LGTBQ prejudice, mediated by wishful identification.

Increased diversity, increased (dis)approval? Measuring parental attitudes towards LGBTQ characters in Flemish children’s television

ABSTRACT This study examines parental attitudes towards LGBTQ characters in Flemish children’s television shows. Through a survey, this research aims to investigate predictors for the attitudes and levels of resistance among parents, considering specific sociodemographic characteristics and parents’ perceptions about the impact of television and children’s sexual development. Data were collected from 614 Flemish parents with children aged four to twelve. The results reveal overall positive attitudes towards LGBTQ inclusion. However, attitudes are more negative towards gender diversity (trans and non-binary characters) compared to sexual diversity (non-heterosexual characters). Furthermore, attitudes towards sexual diversity differ among parents: fathers display more negative attitudes compared to mothers, and resistance is highest for parents with a lower educational attainment. Parents who believe in the prosocial impact of LGBTQ representation exhibited more positive attitudes, whereas those with conventional beliefs about children’s sexual development displayed more resistance. This study offers insightful findings for future research, television producers, and media literacy initiatives aimed at providing a more inclusive media landscape and promoting acceptance among children and parents alike.

Plot, Characters, and Representation: Patterns and Gaps in Award-Winning LGBTQ Children’s Books

ABSTRACT Children’s books representing LGBTQ identities are a vital part of elementary school classrooms and libraries, as well as family resources, and more of these diverse books have been published over recent years. While existing research on these books catalogs how many of them represent traditionally marginalized groups, our research examines the diversity of narratives within these books. In this study, we used narrative critical content analysis to examine 51 books from three award lists: the Lambda Literary Awards, the Rainbow Booklist, and the Stonewall Book Awards for Children’s and Young Adult Literature. These books are age-appropriate for read-alouds for all elementary grade levels based on their text complexity and storylines. We categorized books with identity-based conflicts and conflicts not based on identity. Overall, we found that books rely heavily on LGBTQ identities as the main source of conflict, using repeated plotlines of coming out, resisting bullying, love stories, and LGBTQ rights. In most cases, these repeated plotlines limit representation of LGBTQ people’s complex, multifaceted lives. We discuss the implications of these repeated plotlines, and we provide a list of recommended books that represent LGBTQ characters with more multifaceted lives and provide more unique stories.

Impossible Relations, Ethical Relations: The Stakes of #OwnVoices Representation in LGBTQ Young Adult Fiction

This article analyzes trends in LGBTQ-themed young adult novels to consider the stakes and complexities of #OwnVoices-authored books. One question that emerges with #OwnVoices is whether it is necessary or desirable for the identity of the main character to match that of the author in terms of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, and ability. This is a particularly complex question when it comes to the many permutations of gender and sexuality. How closely must one’s identity align to be considered #OwnVoices? Can any LGBTQ-identified author write any LGBTQ-identified character? The goal of this article is to shift the terms of these questions. While #OwnVoices books, when taken as a whole, are undoubtably better at depicting complex, fully fleshed out, humanized LGBTQ characters, this analysis explores why and how complex and multi-dimensional representations occur, arguing that an ethical politics of representation does not rely on #OwnVoices authors. The nonlinearity and fluidity of queer phenomena likewise suggest that writers might explore and represent experiences and identities that have not yet been named and therefore cannot yet be claimed by authors. By shifting the terms of this discussion, we can distance the conversation about the politics of representation away from gatekeeping (who is allowed to do what) and instead engage more collaboratively in the project of resisting and negating existing prejudice.

Women in Contemporary Cinema: A Study on the Role of Lesbians in LGBTQ Films


 
 
 Women across the globe, along with various feminist outfits, have been struggling to achieve gender equality in social, professional, and personal life. Media is something where women have continuously raised their issues for not getting equal status with men. But, the media is also the place where they face discrimination like getting paid lower than their male counterparts. In Indian TV serials, the role is a little different. Women are given more preference over men, but their role is shown to be restricted to the kitchen and household only. In the world of cinema, actresses are paid lesser than actors.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 In many cases, their role is just to be the pillow riders of men. Somehow, the same is the case with LGBTQ characters in films. One can easily remember male LGBTQ characters like Abbas Ali of Bol Bachchan, but the role of a woman belonging to the LGBTQ community is either erotic or negligible. In this research paper, the researcher has tried to discover the prevailing gender inequality in LGBTQ films and the preference for male characters. The researcher has used content analysis to analyze the content of four mainstream Bollywood movies. The main aim of the research is to find out if female charact
 
 

The big picture: Representation of LGBTQ characters and themes in picture books available in the United States 1972-2018

The number of LGBTQ picture books—literary works for children containing lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer characters and themes—has increased considerably since 2000. While different segments of this category of books have been examined, there has been a limited examination of the entire genre. Using 234 English-language LGBTQ picture books available in the United States between 1972 and 2018, I conducted a content analysis of the main themes and central characters as well as investigate how the main themes changed over time and the extent to which they reflected the larger historical contexts in which they were created. I find that very few LGBTQ characters are cast as main protagonists and some (i.e., bisexuals) are completely absent. Similarly, I find an increase in diversity of themes over the decades yet with most centering on marriage, parenting, and domesticity. Together, LGBTQ picture books convey a limited view of the LGBTQ lives.

An Affinity for Wagner, Michelangelo, and Sadistic Torture: The Implicit Homosexuality of Captain Munsey in Jules Dassin's Brute Force

Known for its transgressive narratives and anti-hero characters, film noir is an American film cycle that dominated the box office in the 1940's and 50's. At the time, homosexuality was banned from American cinema under the Production Code, yet film noir still managed to offer subtle and implicit representations of homosexuality. The sadistic prison guard in Jules Dassin's Brute Force (1947), Captain Munsey, is one such example and the film uses many signifiers to suggest his homosexuality. The implications that such a reading has on the narrative of the film are immense, and this paper merely scratches the surface of possible interpretations.
 Despite film noir's offering of some of the earliest portrayals of homosexuality in American cinema, scholarship on representations of homosexuality in film noir is few and far between. By revisiting Brute Force and examining how it manages to queercode Captain Munsey under the restraints of the Production Code, this paper seeks to spark new conversation among film scholars regarding homosexuality in film noir, and more broadly, films made under the Production Code. Moreover, the discourse surrounding representations of LGBTQ characters in American cinema has become increasingly mainstream, and by revisiting films from the past and analyzing them from a modern perspective, scholars can seek to gain new insight on the history of LGBTQ representation in cinema.

Content Analysis of LGBTQ Picture Books for Elementary Education Through an Intersectional Lens

Diversity and inclusion have become a critical topic in contemporary society. Children engaging in story time with their family members and teachers can use stories from picture books as an educational tool to illustrate various social settings which provide a window into the wider outside world and a reflection of their own world, a concept known as “mirror and window”. However, LGBTQ representation has not been consistently perceived equitably compared to the heterosexual population, often dehumanized or unrealistic. Many LGBTQ students mentioned the need to see more portrayals of LGBTQ families and increasingly positive and realistic portrayals of LGBTQ characters. One independent publisher, Olly Pike, produces LGBTQ-inclusive picture books to support educators in providing representation and promoting an inclusive space in schools for diversity discussions. This case study utilizes content analysis of five LGBTQ-inclusive picture books from Olly Pike to understand the emerging themes that arise related to the support for LGBTQ and heterosexual students and foster an inclusive space in schools, leading to themes of diversity and representation that benefits critical discussions in schools and classrooms. Inter-rater reliability was established between the two authors for validity of emerging themes. Results revealed seven emerging themes: 1) Diversity and Inclusion (e.g. family structures, sexuality, ethnicity), 2) Daily Life, 3) Anthropomorphism, 4) Stereotypes, and 5) Overarching Educational Goals. Implications of findings reveal the benefit of incorporating LGBTQ-inclusive picture books to facilitate all students’ learning and understanding of SEL skills that largely tie with becoming responsible citizens that is respectful of diversity and specifically for LGBTQ students to see themselves positively represented, fostering a sense of belonging.

Transmediating difference: Fictional filter bubbles and transmedia storytelling

Transmedia storyworlds often stem from a blockbuster “anchor property” that connects numerous extensions in multiple media forms. Consequently, transmedia can potentially diversify the media industry’s narratives since each medium may follow a different character whose perspective reinterprets the storyworld’s central themes and events. However, this article argues that a narrative strategy has emerged for “transmediating difference,” wherein politically contested storylines, LGBTQ characters, and the perspectives of women and people of color are sectioned off in low-budget transmedia extensions while blockbuster narratives remain primarily the domain of straight, able-bodied, white male protagonists. This story structure reveals the resiliency of industry assumptions about marketability while also isolating the experience of transmedia audiences, allowing companies to profit from inclusive and sanitized versions of the same narrative world. Like algorithmic “filter bubbles,” transmediating difference undermines cultural pluralism, and ushers in a paradoxical new form of invisibility despite increasingly diverse representation.

Being Black and Queer in Pariah (2011) and Moonlight (2016)

The representation of race and sexuality particularly African Americans in Hollywood has always been problematic. In its development Hollywood has been including more representations of African-Americans. With New Black Realism, which started in the midst 90s, the African-American communities change the screen with a more empowering portrayal of the community. A common theme is usually focusing on African-American youth in surviving and negotiating with the current issues concerning race. The question to be asked is to what extent do these changes actually challenge stereotypes? By analyzing two Hollywood films, Pariah (2011) and Moonlight (2016), this article looks into the representation of African American LGBTQ characters to see how the films problematize or affirm stereotypes that have been constructed by mainstream Hollywood. By analyzing narrative elements and the cinematography elements, this research reveals even though the films try to negotiate with stereotypes, they eventually affirms how stereotypes of African Americans LGBTQ are still seen in negative way.

Between 1990s’ Nostalgia and ‘LGBT-friendly’ Tokyo Olympics: Representations of LGBTQ People in NHK’s Morning Drama Series

ABSTRACT This article investigates the first representation of LGBTQ characters in an asadora (Japanese morning drama), arguably the most conservative and ‘traditional’ series format in contemporary Japanese television. I suggest that the introduction of an openly gay character in 2018’s Hanbun, aoi can be accounted for by appeal to two factors. First, this particular series’ thematic focus on failure, manga, and nostalgia for the 1990s, including the ‘gay boom’ associated with that decade, motivated the depiction of a gay character. Second, Japan’s political agenda in the 2010s encouraged the positive reinterpretation of sexual minorities as important new consumers and a tourist niche, especially with an eye to the blockbuster international event that was meant to be the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, the superficial and highly stereotyped representation offered in Hanbun, aoi reflects a contemporary strategy in Japanese mass media and politics: namely, that of celebrating ‘LGBT-friendliness’ as a promotional or marketing move, while avoiding substantive discussions about critical LGBTQ issues like discrimination and legal rights.

Post-gay television: LGBTQ representation and the negotiation of ‘normal’ in MTV’sFaking It

LGBTQ representation has dramatically increased on US television over the past two decades. While many media scholars highlight the importance of LGBTQ characters moving from television’s margins to the mainstream, others critique this increase in visibility. They argue that media mainstreaming promotes neoliberalism through post-gay or post-queer sensibilities. This article moves beyond quantitative studies of LGBTQ representation to map and interrogate neoliberal discourses within narrative television produced in the United States. It examines how a specific set of post-gay politics characterized by themes of ‘tolerance, acceptance and genuine love’ mask a troubling politics of normalization. This article demonstrates how these ideas have been reproduced in adult gay and lesbian characters on mainstream US television series, and subsequently negotiated by the gender and sexually diverse youth of contemporary teen television. Taking MTV’s Faking It as a primary case study, this article demonstrates how youth-oriented media both embrace and critique the neoliberal ideology of the post-gay era.

‘Queering’ TV, one character at a time: How audiences respond to gender-diverse TV series on social media platforms

This article builds further on research in gender/queer TV studies to understand how interpretive communities form around gender-diverse TV series on social media platforms, while questioning the influence a broadcaster/content provider may still have on the reception of LGBTQ characters. Since recent technological innovations have deeply upset normative definitions of television and of its ‘identity’, this article seeks to understand whether the inclusion of LGBTQ characters in TV series has a similar potential to encourage viewers to queer or challenge normative knowledges about human sexualities and identities. To this end, the article provides a qualitative analysis of discourses that have been published on the official Facebook page of two US serialised dramas: Sense8 (Netflix 2015–2018) and Billions (Showtime 2016–). This research reveals that conversations around Sense8 and Billions differ significantly, ranging from a tendency to deflect criticism and promote progressive readings of the show ( Sense8), to more aggressive debates and frequent attempts to ‘solve’ gender ambiguities ( Billions). Through a detailed analysis of comments and interactions on a popular social media platform, this article, therefore, argues that the nature of a particular content provider might still affect – though never determine – the formation of interpretive communities online, and the nature of comments published around a series featuring LGBTQ character(s).

Italian LGBTQ representation in transnational television

Abstract This article analyses the narrative depictions of LGBTQ minorities in contemporary Italian transnational television. To understand the sociocultural repercussions of these representations I first contextualize them by exploring current cultural theories behind trends in production and acquisition practices. I argue that by conforming to 'universalized' format and audience standards individual nations achieve transnational visibility. In turn, this universalization contributes to the transnational validation of the narrative discourses within these television programmes. As such, the depictions of LGBTQ characters on the shows Suburra, Gomorrah, Baby and SKAM Italia legitimize a certain level of sexual and gender variance while simultaneously endorsing acts of discrimination against those within these minority categories.

All in My Family

All in My Family

Identity and Representation in US Comics

Identity and Representation in US Comics

Creating an Archive of LGBTQ Video Game Content: An Interview with Adrienne Shaw

In this interview, Temple University assistant professor of media studies and production Adrienne Shaw discusses her work creating the LGBTQ Video Game Archive. Today, the dynamic interplay between queerness and video games provides scholars with an emerging area of exploration. The methodologies of queer game studies are also developing and expanding into new territories. Bringing together close reading, reception studies, and the quantitative tools of social science, Shaw has created the first scholarly database of queer content in video games. With the help of research assistants, Shaw compiled a list (already more than 700 titles long) of games that include LGBTQ characters and references. The archive was published online (lgbtqgamearchive.com) and made available to the public in spring 2016. For each game in the archive, Shaw and her collaborators include a description of the game's LGBTQ content and often its queer interpretation by fans. The archive represents a massive undertaking, and Shaw encourages those who use it to help by contributing content. As Shaw discusses in the interview, the expansiveness of the archive format reflects an ethos of inclusivity and breadth in the queer games community. By combining scholarly analysis and fan perspectives, the LGBTQ Video Game Archive offers new possibilities for thinking about how the work of queer game studies is done.

Are the Kids All Right?: The Representation of LGBTQ Characters in Children’s and Young Adult Literature by B. J. Epstein (review)

Reviewed by: Are the Kids All Right?: The Representation of LGBTQ Characters in Children’s and Young Adult Literature by B. J. Epstein Laura Anderson (bio) Are the Kids All Right?: The Representation of LGBTQ Characters in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. By B. J. Epstein . Bristol : HammerOn Press , 2013 . If I were to consider Are the Kids All Right? as an event, I would envisage a street on carnival day—a cliché, as I am well aware. The sun is shining, the mood is playful, and the street is absolutely crammed full of people. It is a bustling hubbub of being, and our attention is scattered; there is no time to pause, to look closer, or examine deeper, we must move on for there is so much to see and so much to do. Yet within this whirlwind of activity arises a simple and clear message: this fun, vibrant text is a celebration and introduction into the wider world of LGBTQ children’s and young adult literature, and this need for speed, for constant perpetual motion, justifiably arises out of necessity. Building on the work of Christine A. Jenkins (2011), B. J. Epstein conducts a whistle-stop tour of every LGBTQ book published in the US and the UK from 1969 to 2013—seventy books in total, no small achievement. In order to manage this carnival of texts, issues, and topics, the text is split into four main sections: “Issue Books,” “Portrayal and Stereotype,” “Diversity,” and “Sex and Marriage.” Each section is then split into a multitude of topics including, but by no means limited to, “Publishing and Practical Considerations”; “HIV and AIDS”; “Prejudice and Stereotypes”; “A Brief History of Stereotypes in LGBTQ”; “Queerness as a Problem”; “Sex and Marriage”; “The Gay Boyfriend”; “Positive Stereotypes and Challenging”; “Bisexuality”; “Transgender”; “Race/Ethnicity”; “Religion and Spirituality”; “Masturbation”; “Sex”; and finally, “Singletons.” As well as an extensive range of issues, the text also contains a short discussion of what children’s literature is, the methodologies used, and, for the statistically minded, tables, percentages, and ratios of male to female queer characters. [End Page 449] We begin our tour by discussing terminology. Epstein opens up the definition and categorization of LGBT by including the letter Q, defined here as “questioning, along with intersex, asexuality, sadist, masochist, fetishist, polyamorous, and anyone else who would like to be included under this alphabet soup umbrella” (6). This inclusion of the letter Q and all that it stands for is a welcome and interesting addition to the usual LGBT categorization, worthy perhaps of further study in its own right. It also highlights the number of identities and lifestyles that Epstein wishes to cover within her work. Unfortunately, due to the limited space most of the identities or lifestyles that Epstein lists under the Q umbrella are not discussed, with the text focusing mainly on LGBT-identifying characters. Epstein is meticulous in her clarification of technical terms, and of how exactly she intends them to be understood and interpreted, which allows for a concise and very precise message. Knowledge is not assumed, and the explanations given for key terms are short and simple. This defining and explaining of key terms suggests that the text would be well suited to a younger, wider audience, either A-level (advanced high school) or undergraduate students. Similarly, the clear layout and format of the text would easily allow for it to be accessed by young adults themselves, and perhaps this is what Epstein wanted to produce: an academic text about LGBTQ young adult literature that young adults could read and interact with. Of all the topics discussed I particularly enjoyed the “Portrayal and Stereotype” section, in which Epstein pays particular attention to the idea that even queer texts or queer characters can seem to be homophobic or judgmental in their interpretation of queer characters and queer representation. This then leads to a discussion about the dangers and effects of stereotypes within LGBTQ children’s and young adult literature, with Epstein making a strong case for greater diversity within the representation of LGBTQ characters in the latter. She argues that by presenting queer characters as easily physically identified or recognized caricatures, we...

Queering the Politics of Lambda Picture Book Finalists: Challenging Creeping Neoliberalism Through Curricular Innovations

In many instances, adults serve as gatekeepers for what books children are permitted to explore. Unfortunately, this means that most children have limited access to picture books with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) characters. In this article, we use queer pedagogy and observations about neoliberalism to provide a qualitative analysis of LGBTQ characters in picture books which were finalists for a Lambda Literary Award during 2000–2005. We examined the ways in which LGBTQ identities and relationships are negotiated and how sexual prejudice is treated. While it is improbable that the books we analyze would be embraced by proponents of neoliberalism, we also briefly consider some ways in which they may be inadvertently consistent with that perspective. The article closes with recommendations regarding discussion questions, additional readings, and educational activities aimed at guiding children, and adults, to appreciate a diversity of multidimensional identities and family structures, to develop strategies to respond constructively to emotional and physical violence, and to promote the public wellbeing. We hope that this analysis will lead to more frequent, productive, and expansive discussions of this literature among adults and children.