Diversity in LGBT TV Characters
We chose to look at 5 shows that had characters representing some part of the LGBT community. These shows included The L Word, Modern Family, Scream Queens, Family Guy, and Orange is the New Black mainly because they all are very popular television shows, namely for young children and teenagers. For all of the shows, we looked at the word choice, framing of the characters, and the visual characteristics of LGBT characters.
The TV show Family Guy had one of the most flamboyant characters, with Peter, the main character, becoming gay after being injected with the “gay gene.” Upon returning home, this happens:
Immediately after “becoming” gay, Peter starts wearing an ascot, opening up the top button of his shirt, and using a much higher voice. We saw that his visual appearance changed drastically to accompany his new sexuality, which makes him stereotypically gay. But Family Guy is not the only show that makes its characters over the top. Modern Family, a very popular show on ABC, uses gay couple Mitch and Cam to add drama to the show by making each of them fairly dramatic and over the top. In the episode, “The Wedding Day,” Cam’s tuxedo for his own wedding gets trapped inside a dry cleaner’s store, and he chooses to call the police and order a Swat team after calling the manager and getting no answer. We saw these visual representations as a lack of diversity because they limit the abilities and characteristics of gay characters to follow these stereotypes. This also makes it difficult for people watching the show to think anything else of gay men, because the shows present the characters as feminine and dramatic, assuming that all gay men are.
For the critically acclaimed show Orange is the New Black, transgender character Sophia, in the episode titled “Lesbian Request Denied,” shows her transition from man to woman, and the negative perceptions she received before and after her transition. The characters use words to refer to her as a “tranny,” a “he/she,” and even a “whole nother species.” The show tries to present all of her struggles during the transition, and while it does an amazing job at giving a visual to the difficulties in a way that may help transgender youth, it also adheres to stereotypes of the definition of men and women. Sophia before her transition is a firefighter, a typical position for men, and afterwards, namely in prison, she becomes focused on her looks, and becomes the top salon stylist for the prison, presenting her as a very feminine and looks-focused woman. Sophia, unfortunately, is one of the very few characters on television who is transgender, and in fact, she is one of 7 transgender characters on streaming sites, primetime broadcasting, or cable television. This lack of diversity so limits the visibility of trans people on t.v., especially because no primetime characters are transgender. This lack of diversity makes it near impossible for transgender youth to find a visual representation of themselves, and limits other’s knowledge of trans people entirely, making it more likely that people will understand only the stereotypes they associate with trans people.
Lesbian characters also have a stereotyped representation, namely in Scream Queens, where one of the characters, who the sorority calls “Predatory Lez,” becomes modeled after the typical representation of lesbians, with more masculine characteristics and very promiscuous. From The L Word, character Shane follows this same stereotype, and even her friend, lesbian tennis star Dana, judges her and asks why she looks so “dykey?” Despite the L Word’s diversity of characters, this presentation of Shane becomes a more prominent depiction of lesbian characters, and in fact, Dana also makes a statement about bisexual character Alice by asking when she is going to choose between men and women? Though taken as a joke, these harmful presentation of bisexual characters further the concept that bisexuality does not exist, but is simply a median between gay and straight.
Bisexual characters in general see little representation themselves, and in fact no shows really discuss bisexuality aside from a few. Though shows like Grey’s Anatomy show Callie Torres as a bisexual character, her transition to recognizing her bisexuality shows her as just a promiscuous woman. Once in a stable relationship with Arizona (I’ve only gotten to Season 10 so no spoilers in the comments!) he bisexuality only appears in her affair with Mark Sloan, presenting her bisexuality as a negative thing impeding on her life. As a result of this representation of bisexuals, their characters show as horny people who want sex, and as unable to choose between the genders, rather than as people who have equal attraction to both genders.
Conclusion:
We have found that of these shows, Family Guy, Scream Queens, and Modern Family have perpetuated stereotypes in a way that negatively affects diversity on these shows. Rather than challenging stereotypes when creating these characters, the shows completely follow them, making it difficult for viewers to understand fully who gay people truly are. As for Orange is the New Black, Sophia’s transition within the show creates a positive image for transgender women, but unfortunately, she is one of very few transgender characters on television, limiting the diversity in representing all members of the LGBT community. The lack of diversity on these shows has a broad influence on youth, affecting the way they think of themselves and the way that others think of them. By limiting diversity on these popular shows for teens and youth, the shows perpetuate stereotypes and make self identification a more difficult process for LGBT youth.
