Homosexual Representation In The Media

In 1983, Genaro Garcia, a New York schoolboy shot a bullet to his head after his father banned him from watching television (Kentucky New Era 19). Though television does not always bring with it such extreme negative effects, it nevertheless has greatly impacted, influenced and provided us with vast knowledge that has moulded our perceptions of the world (Diggs Brown 53). Though the global television landscape in terms of how it is being produced, delivered and consumed is constantly evolving, it continues to remain as an integral part of our lives (Roscoe, 363).
Many of the recent popular television series such as Modern Family, Glee and Girls have at least one homosexual interaction within their characters or even centrally revolve around
However, this is no longer the case. Though that distinction has been blurring recently, it is still important to explore deeper than the ‘mass’ and ‘popular’ when it comes to the discussion of homosexual representation in the media (Doty & Gove, 84). According to the Contact Hypothesis, People come into understanding of their social world by segregating individuals around them into groups (American Psychological Association). This means that when someone has had some form of contact with a person from a minority group, they are more likely to accept that whole minority group (Allport,
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Swanson, Gillian. “Representation”. David Lusted, eds. The media studies book: A guide for teachers. New York: Routledge, 1991. 123-145.