LGBT Character Analysis

The most prevalent social issues in society revolve around identity and fair representation. It can be anything from equality between races, gender and/or sexual preferences. For example, on Twitter, there was a post that said there was going to be a Pixar movie in the near future with an LGBT main character. Someone replied that LGBT has already prevalent in society and doesn’t need to be forced into the lives of others. Sexual identity has become more and more apparent over the past few years. Having an LGBT main character is possible and in no way is it wrong. Having this would not seem out-of-place in society because varying preferences are becoming more popular. The ratio of LGBT main characters on television to the amount of members in

Until very recently, the two openly gay characters on NBC's currently popular prime-time series Will and Grace, Will and Jack, were rarely shown being physically affectionate with other men; however, the lead female character Grace, who is heterosexual, has often been shown in sexual situations with men. Will and Grace also has been criticized for reinforcing heterosexual norms and stereotypes about homosexual traits such as gay men being feminine, flamboyant, and promiscuous. Typically, LGBT characters do not have anyone to turn to and have no role models. This makes them seem extremely weak and vulnerable, creating a poor image to the viewers. Also, most television shows that are directed towards younger audiences, lack LGBT casts. The shows that include LGBT characters are aimed towards adult viewers. This is actually controversial because teens that are unsure about their sexuality, typically turn to media for expression. Increasing accurate representation of the LGBT community in the media will create an outlet for teens and others that are unsure about their sexuality, making the situation easier for them (Fisher, Deborah

It is important to note that when describing this statistic, GLAAD used the word “only”. Nearly 17% of the productions featured these characters while only 3.8% of the actual population identifies with the LGBT community. In actuality, it can be claimed that there is actually an over representation of this population. So what are the LGBT members complaining about? Well, GLAAD has created requirements for media productions in order to identify if the films or television shows are actually LGBT friendly. Stated previously, the character must play a significant role in the plot of the production. So this is where the statistic is not actually representative of the LGBT desire for equality in media. Although there is a fair amount of appearances, they do not meet the requirements that were presented by GLAAD. The LGBT community is fighting for these characters to play more substantial roles in shows and movies. Organizations such as GLAAD have fallen to criticism because of their strict rules on the media industry. It is important, however, for GLAAD to enforce these rules because it promotes equality amongst LGBT members and those that are not in society.

Different industries, companies and corporations are working to achieve equality in the media for those that have varying sexual preferences. The poor representation of the LGBT lifestyle in films has made it difficult for different sexual preferences