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USD POLL : How do you feel about the state of LGBT representation on TV?
9 Mar 2014
Polls USDPLet us know in the comments what you voted for and why?
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I Think It's Great No One Should Judge People For Who They Are.
ReplyDeleteI think there isn't enough representation. We're presented usually with typical stereo types like the super butch gay man or super feminine. Lesbians seems to have much more types of representation. Also I feel like when they do introduce gay characters or what not they seem to only be plot lines and not actual characterization. I think there is a big room for improvemen
ReplyDeleteI think it varies. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's offending but still, I think it is better than the representation and treatment of asexual characters.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good poll question! I think the issue is quality. A lot of shows have at least one featured LGBT character, but many are portrayed as either one-dimensional exaggerated stereotypes, or when they aren't portrayed as one-dimensional, their relationships are portrayed in such a superficial manner, that they don't garner the interest of the audience. For example, some producers are so afraid to offend viewers, that they'll portray the relationship in a very sterile manner. Or alternatively, sometimes the female relationships are portrayed in a gratuitous manner to appeal to men, but often there is very little substance to the relationships. For example, cable shows like Spartacus comes to mind. Kalinda, a favorite character in the Good Wife, is another example. Her character often has many steamy relationships with guest female characters, but her relationships rarely have the kind of longevity or substance that will inspire viewers to root for them. In fact, her only substantial semi-romantic relationship has been with another guy, Cary, and personally, I don't think they have any romantic chemistry. Shay, on Chicago Fire is another example. She's a favorite character among viewers, but the writers mainly focus on her relationship with Severide, her male roommate. I'm assuming the LOGO station is better, but I'm not that familiar with it.
ReplyDeleteI think most producers make the mistake of assuming that straight viewers (regardless of whether they are homophobic or not) will not be that interested in shipping LBGT relationships. For example, I used to be a fan of Dawson's Creek. They had one gay character (which at the time, was considered very novel), but I was never particularly interested in any of his relationships. At the time, I just assumed that as a straight person, I would naturally be much more interested in watching heterosexual relationships, but I think that's an incorrect assumption that a lot of straight people make, which is something I only realized after watching shows that did a better job. A decade has passed and I think that network TV continues to do a poor job, with some minor exceptions. As much as I dislike Glee for all its ridiculous stereotypes, they have managed to portray a gay relationship (Kurt/Blaine) that viewers are passionate about. "Looking", on HBO, is also a great show that has a very honest portrayal of gay relationships. However, I can't think of too many predominantly "straight" shows that feel comfortable portraying LGBT relationships this naturally. "Lost Girl" is also one of the more open shows, but sometimes I think their character portrayal does more harm than good. I think transgender shows will have a much harder uphill battle, given that they don't make up a large percentage of the population.
Kind of very disappointed by the results in this poll, but only a stupid person would expect better from people. Lots of people who obviously don't care / don't want to see LGBT people in their shows if they think there's already enough lgbt characters on TV, lol! Probably a lot to do with the feeling that one gay char is "making a big deal of it" for straight (because it so often is) / other people who don't care for whatever (bad) reasons. There aren't enough and any that aren't on a dedicated show (Like Looking and Orange is the New Black (although OisNB feels more accessible for some reason than the others I think)) are regularly inferior in terms of treatment and/or development.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching and have watched a lot of shows and have also gone out of my ways to watch shows solely for LGBT things (not that I should have to, hey) and the representative footprint just isn't great. It's definitely worse the further from "just gay" you go (you'd have to throw a really large stone quite a long way to hit a transgender character in a mainstream tv show) but it's not good for anyone under the umbrella. The notion that there are enough already is so wrong that it's genuinely laughable, because of how ridiculous it is. Those people really need to see a head count of non-LGBT characters vs. how many (often poor) LGBT chars and then they need to get over themselves because r e a l l y.
I'm happy this poll was made but NGL very disappointing (but not unexpected) results. If there were fewer LGBT chars/storylines, I think I'd never notice they existed at all!
I think there are more and more lesbian, gay, trans and bisexual characters on TV, but not every one gets a good treatment on TV, especially on comedy shows when they are used for the sake of making jobs.
ReplyDeleteExamples of well written LGBT characters: Nolan Ross in Revenge, whose bisexuality feels real and just a part of who he is, not who he is. Max Blum in Happy Endings break all the stereotypes of gay people by being a normal person who just happens to be gay. Cyrus and James in Scandal are also regular people who happen to be gay (well, in the world of Scandal "regular" is just a saying).
I'm sure there are others examples, but right now I can't think of more.
Examples of bad written LGBT characters: Sean on Sean Saves The World, Bryan and David in The New Normal, almost any single gay guest star on any given comedy (2 Broke Girls, Men at Work, Mike & Molly, Two and a half Men, etc.) where the gay characters are used as an excuse to make jokes about them.
TV is trying to give LGBT people their space and acknowledge their existance and rights, but it still has a long way before making good writing about those characters, I guess that's because most of them are writen by straight people who have only a vague idea on what being LGBT means.
I think TV writers mean well, but end up offending more than they end up helping
I agree about Nolan and Cyrus/James being good exceptions. They have well-developed characters that aren't just defined by their sexuality. Their relationships feel natural and not forced. That's probably why I forgot about them when I was trying to think of examples!
ReplyDeleteI think it's fine the way it is, some people need to get a grip.
ReplyDeleteIt's part of life and their representation is increasing, while not being "overbearing or pushy". As a Conservative I cannot defend my 2nd amendment rights without also defending the LBGT rights to the pursuit of happiness!
ReplyDeleteI would say under represented, but I also don't think networks should do it for ratings. Also I think a lot of writers are afraid of people complaining
ReplyDeleteI think they should add more gay characters. On CBS shows, for example. And more in science fiction too.
ReplyDeleteI believe the groups are treated very differently, not just on TV but in real life. There is no denying that homosexuals in general have a better acceptance and more exposure than other groups. That is not to say they don't have challenges ahead, but acceptance has grown significantly. Trans characters, however, are scarcer and, IMO, have yet to receive enough attention from the midia. The only show I can think about that features the issue the way it should be featured it OITNB. The same goes for other examples.
ReplyDeleteOverall, do I think representation is enough? No, but I do recognize it improved quite a bit if compared to the past decade.
I say enough already! I'm sick of this being shoved in my face every day. I DON'T CARE!! If a character is gay, fine, be gay. I don't need to know every single detail about it.
ReplyDeleteI wholly agree with all that you said and regarding Lost Girl, I think it's much more open because it's a Canadian show and not a US tv series
ReplyDeleteGay characters EXISTING in the exact same manner that their straight counterparts do is not shoving anything in your face. Amazing how this ridiculous "argument" refuses to die. When a straight character dates, kisses, sleeps with, marries, etc. their partner you see it as part of the plot, nothing more, but a gay character isn't allowed to do the same things without you viewing it as shoving something in your face. Talk about double standards.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that, your personal views notwithstanding, you are a tolerant person who realizes the whole world can't be run according to their own beliefs. If only most people shared that philosophy, we'd be living in a far more peaceful world.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex, I firmly believe that ALL rights are to be defended, and I have done that in the past and will continue to do so, as long as I am able.
ReplyDeleteNormal now for me, don't care. But I would not go out of my way to watch a show just about them like Looking - the show on HBO.
ReplyDeleteWhilst its getting better I always think TV should strive to have not only have more representation but also quality storylines for those characters.
ReplyDeleteI always thought United States of Tara did the gay teen storyline really well with Marshall
OITNB is great by having an actual transgender actress play the role of Sophia, as well as having plenty of Lesbian and bi characters.
Whilst Modern Family tries to be progressive the lack of real affection between Cam and Mitchell is disappointing and dismissed by saying Mitchell doesn't like PDA. If you are going to have gay characters don't treat them differently than the straight couples on the show.
I want LGBT to have bigger roles, to have plotlines that aren't just public service announcements (I'm looking at you Glee), fully formed interesting characters please.
It's great and I love it when they show LGBT concepts in shows, but I wish there was more of them sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI remember FlashForward! Used to love the show (I was so sad it got canned).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Janis was a pretty good written character, she felt as a real person, even when she did some stuff that annoyed me she never struck me as one dimensional, and that's something to praise as many TV writers seems to be stuck with one dimensional characters
You make some great points! And I agree with you; there are some shows that make some great of LGBT characters, but I think at this point TV writers are still dipping their feet into the water; the treatment of these character on dramas tend to be ok to very good, sometimes the character are stuck on the coming out storyline (I think Grey's had that issue at some point, but I'm not sure) instead of doing something else with it. Shows like Scandal, Revenge and now even Arrow with Sarah Lance have made the right calls, as they treat their characters like real people, who only happen to be gay or bisexual.
ReplyDeleteThe real issue comes in comedy shows; while I never find The Big Bang Theory offensive, it makes me a little mad at times how the characters some times write gay people off (most notably Howard), but that's nothing compared to shows like 2 Broke Girl, which I fairly enjoy time to time, but every time a gay man pops up it has to be as stereotypical as possible. Same goes for Two and a Half Men, and even shows that feauture them even less like Mike & Molly or Men at Work. And the worst of it all, for me, was the pilot of The New Normal, which setted Bryan and David as extremes, one completely stereotypical and the other extremely masculine, and that makes almost 0 sense on a gay couple, as the "stereotypical drama queen" would hardly ever date the overly masculine guy and vice verse. Also Sean Saves The World took the being gay theme as the central characteristic of its character, and that's just bad writing.
Overall, I think dramas are usually making the right calls when it comes to developing LGBT characters (and I have to give props to Game of Thrones for being brave enough to show a gay sex scene), while comedies are lagging behind, with only Happy Endings being the one that stands out by having a gay character that is not defined by being gay
I think more shows are having gay characters, but I find many of the plots involving them to be lacking and cliche.
ReplyDeleteI wish more shows would have gay characters that were not defined by the singular trait of their sexuality. While I think that gay and lesbian storylines are an important step towards fighting ignorance and social acceptance, until a show can have a gay character who has stories about something other than their sexuality the LGBT community will never be on equal footing.
Likewise I think TV needs to get to the point that a deaf character can just be a co-worker and not have deaf plotlines... An amputee or role with physical disabilities can be something more than that guy with crutches or the prosthetic etc.
TV as a whole (and society in general) needs to see people as individual entities and not categorize them into some minority niche group associated with a single defining trait.
I feel the same way, but just was not as eloquent! XD
ReplyDeleteGay or straight, all I ask for is quality storytelling for characters regardless if the show is comedy, drama, sci-fi, etc. What I don't understand are fans who ship couples involving characters that have been written as straight. The first example that comes to mind are fans who want to see Emma and Regina together on Once Upon A Time. At no point in this show have either of these characters even been even hinted at being gay. Now before people get mad at me, let me make a counterpoint for the same show. I understood Mulan's feelings for Aurora because the writers slowly let viewers see deeper into this character to the point the audience understood when it was clearly revealed that Mulan wanted to express her feelings to Aurora but didn't because it wasn't meant to be.
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that Arrow did a job good with Sara's bisexuality, although some people still criticize it by saying that it's a negative portrayal of same-sex relationships since she was essentially a prisoner and forced to be with Nyssa to be under her protection. I disagree because I honestly don't think Sara was forced into anything. It's possible her feelings were largely a result of the situation (having someone take care of you as you try to adjust to a terrifying new environment) but she seemed honest to me when she said she DID, at least back then, love Nyssa. And while Nyssa is an ruthless assassin who kidnapped Sara's mother and all, she didn't strike me as someone who would use her position of power over someone to force them into a relationship. She has enough self-respect not to go there.
ReplyDeleteEssentially, I don't think anyone would question this relationship if Nyssa was a man. But since it's two women, people are quick to judge it as an unbelievable plot crafted for mere audience titillation (sadly, I understand the oversensitivity here given the famous "lesbian kiss for sweeps" stunt many shows have pulled). But all I see is Arrow writing a realistic relationship and choosing to make it a gay relationship for the sake of a little diversity, which I appreciate.
I'm glad they went there with Mulan, but wish we got a little more... the reveal of her feelings for Aurora was so implicit that I think they were nervous about making more than a vague allusion to a woman having romantic feelings for another woman on a fairytale "family show". (Never mind that said family show has had it share of torture, violence and death...)
ReplyDeleteI would love it if they gave Mulan a female love interest once she recovered from the heartbreak. I take it her future on the show depends on how Jamie Chung's new show Believe works out, though.