Media and the LGBTQ Community

Media and the LGBTQ Community
Recently, the media has focused on members of the LGBTQ community in a great extent. It is quite impossible to encounter a film or TV show that does not integrate this disenfranchised group. While the goal is to encourage diversity and equality, there is a small percentage of media that represents the community negatively. As a matter of fact, cartoon and animation creators have also embraced the diversity of sexual orientation. Despite different perceptions about the LGBTQ community in the media, their representation offers enlightenment about equality to individuals in the society.
The media’s incorporation of the LGBTQ community has given me insight on equality. Utilization of these channels ensures that a large group of people receives a given message. Media, due to its affiliation with entertainment, captures the attention of most individuals in the society. While certain age groups find news reports uninteresting, they subscribe to watching TV shows, films and video blogs. My favorite Television series, How to Get Away with Murder, accommodates homosexuals and the LGBTQ community, as a whole. Through Shonda Rhimes, the producer, I learn about the irrelevance of sexual orientation in achieving success. The gay men in Rhimes’ film are both associated with high-end careers and they lead fulfilling and satisfactory lives. Observing these characters in How to Get Away with Murder boosts the confidence of other LGBTQ members. They manage to relate to these experiences, thereby, acquiring solace in the existence of people with indistinguishable preferences.

Apropos of media familiarity, I am also a fan of cartoons. Existence of same-sex attractions, specifically due to the audience, may be considered a foreign concept in cartoons. However, creators such as Rebecca Sugar have accommodated the LGBTQ community in their works. By showcasing same-sex couples in Steven Universe, she reiterates the importance of exposing queer folk to children. Through Sugar’s creation, therefore, individuals realize the essentiality of sharing love with children. Debates about creating a female partner for Elsa in Frozen also delineate the extent that media is accommodating the LGBTQ community. The subject of love and relationships, according to her, should be discussed not only from heterosexual perspective but also, homosexual and queer ones. From Sugar, I understand that people brew hate. When children are only conversant with the heterosexual way of life, they grow up despising individuals that exhibit distinct sexual preferences. It is important to inform them about the complexity and diversity of the world through exposing these children to other points of view. As discussed in psychology, nurture surpasses nature in a child’s development. One’s attitude toward the LGBTQ community is often affected by their upbringing and background. The media is, therefore, one of those channels necessary in shaping an individual’s mindset regarding disenfranchised groups such as the LGBTQ.
As a matter of fact, through integration of the LGBTQ in media, I learn the importance of diversity. When different people, interact and socialize, there are more results are more beneficial. The media attempts to depict the normalcy and similarities between heterosexual and queer relationships. As most people do not understand the latter, their portrayal in the media acts as an avenue for comprehension. For instance; there are those individuals that do not understand the concept of coitus between two women. Using media, they manage to realize that sexual intercourse does not necessarily require male and female biological parts for its success. Other people also acquire in-depth knowledge about their unanswered questions about queer relationships. In addition to coitus, I have also met people that do not understand the concept of gender roles among the LGBTQ community. As every relationship dictates its own rules, it is uncanny to expect people to subscribe to certain roles in an intimate union. Both heterosexual and homosexual relationships function on the basis of equality and shared roles. Some people, in arguing the necessity of a “man” in a lesbian relationship, require avenues such as the media for education and insight.
As an avid reader, I have also encountered LGBTQ people in magazines and newspapers. There are columnists that delve into the lives of these individuals in society. Despite the blatant hyperbole in most of these publications, the writers represent this disenfranchised group. In spreading equality, these articles are also useful in offering medical advice. The spread of HIV/AIDs being common among homosexual men; requires them to cater to their bodies by using protective measures. Such information is also necessary for heterosexual couples due to the extent of sexual activity in today’s society. As a matter of fact, I learn that bisexual men, scared to acknowledge their preferences, often engage in homosexual coitus while sleeping with women. The latter, therefore, is exposed to HIV/AIDs and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).
Members of the LGBTQ community should not be treated differently. Each person, despite their sexual preferences, deserves to lead a comfortable life. The incorporation of disenfranchised groups in media platforms endorses concepts of tolerance and appreciation. Diversity, as observed through the LGBTQ community, is essential in achieving peace and unity among individuals.