What is the current relationship between homosexuality and the mediascape in Britain as evidenced by various media texts?
The representation of homosexuality in Britain has been “greatly
moulded and remoulded” in the media, as said by Jermaine Caldwell. This is
definitely true if one were to look at past representations juxtaposed with the
present. One could argue that the increased illustration of the LGBT community
and more open LGBT personalities (such as Elton John) has led to a greater awareness
and possible acceptance, as well as a greater level of comfort experienced by
homosexuals themselves. For example, a number of political leaders are in
favour of the ban being lifted. This may have been caused by the change of
discourse over the years. Homosexuality was seen as a sin, as a law was made
punishing homosexuals, until around the 70s, when it was then seen as more natural
and more occurring around and one could argue that, in the present day,
homosexuality is almost glamorised, due to a much larger media portrayal of the
community. It would seem that portrayals of homosexuality in British media have
come a long way, yet positive and negative depictions are still both depicted -
there is never just an encouraging light shone upon the topic. However, some
still consider it a sin, or a taboo subject, causing backlash against media concerning
gay characters or relationships, generating the question – does the media have
enough power to change an entire world’s perception on homosexuality? It would
seem that these discourses will continue to exist, and that no clear linear
progression will ever surface. Since July 2012, over 8 million gay slurs have
been used on social networking sites this year. An incredibly controversial,
yet interesting and revolutionary, website, ‘nohomophobes.com’, counts the
amount of times derogatory terms such as ‘faggot’ and ‘dyke’ are used on
Twitter daily. The people using these terms, and the tweets themselves, are
shown on the site. Its tagline states that “Homophobic language isn’t always meant to be hurtful, but how often
do we use it without thinking?” which is extremely true of the current
generation’s slang. For example, the term ‘faggot’ is in the Oxford Dictionary
with one definition being ‘a derogatory term for a homosexual male’. Matthew
Wood stated, in an essay entitled ‘The Portrayal of Gays and Lesbians on
TV, and How Viewers React’, that “there are several ways in which gays and
lesbians are portrayed” which is true of
the Scottish drama ‘Lip Service’. The show, concerned with the life of a number
of lesbians living in Glasgow, features a group of protagonists, some who
appeared rather masculine, a common stereotype of homosexual women, and others
who were feminine and may not have been considered gay on first watching,
illustrating the strain that media stereotypes tend to impose upon a society. The
reality of the situation is much more complex and features more intricate
‘characters’ and ‘story lines’ than the media could ever produce.
