I’m incredibly tired of seeing myself bastardized and killed on TV. As an avid connoisseur of pop culture and popular television, the practice queerbaiting the audience and/or killing minority characters is a distressing trend that contributes to the continuing prejudice against LGBTQ people across the United States and around the world. Pop culture influences the citizens (and leaders) of our nation, who then vote and promote policy, which shapes the future citizenry, who then vote...and the cycle continues. If our culture continues to demonize those who seem different than the majority, how can we move towards acceptance and understanding? The media we consume and the political policies are all interconnected. One of the main reasons
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They are mentioned as lip service or as a punchline, but rarely seen or heard on screen.There is also the issue of queer women in media who are stated to be exclusively attracted to the same gender and then are “fixed” by a man. This is incredibly misogynistic and adds fuel to the thought that gay women are only gay because they haven’t met the right man yet. This is shown explicitly on BBC Sherlock between Irene Adler and Sherlock, though the community surrounding the show largely ignored; Irene was a minor character and was shown more for “eye candy” than for character development. As a viewer, I found the reinforcement of this idea distressing and …show more content…
Acts like the Matthew Shepard Act, which help the federal government investigate and prosecute hate crimes “[including] crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability,” are a step in the right direction. By influencing law, the public will realize that their entertainment no longer reflect real life, and therefore pressure the entertainment industry to change along with the times. Life influencing art may not be the most glamorous, but if it can break the cycle of harmful tropes, then it is more than worth the time it
They are mentioned as lip service or as a punchline, but rarely seen or heard on screen.There is also the issue of queer women in media who are stated to be exclusively attracted to the same gender and then are “fixed” by a man. This is incredibly misogynistic and adds fuel to the thought that gay women are only gay because they haven’t met the right man yet. This is shown explicitly on BBC Sherlock between Irene Adler and Sherlock, though the community surrounding the show largely ignored; Irene was a minor character and was shown more for “eye candy” than for character development. As a viewer, I found the reinforcement of this idea distressing and …show more content…
Acts like the Matthew Shepard Act, which help the federal government investigate and prosecute hate crimes “[including] crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability,” are a step in the right direction. By influencing law, the public will realize that their entertainment no longer reflect real life, and therefore pressure the entertainment industry to change along with the times. Life influencing art may not be the most glamorous, but if it can break the cycle of harmful tropes, then it is more than worth the time it