television post-doma
DESCRIPTION
SlideshowTRANSCRIPT
Television Post-‐‑DOMA
TV’s Depiction of LGBT Characters Reinforces United States’ Same-Sex Marriage Polling Numbers
By Scott Richardson
Polling History - 1973: Conservative America
- 7 in 10 Americans agree that homosexual sexual relations are “always wrong”
- 1996: First polls on same-sex marriage - 27 percent support
- 2006 wording change - “homosexuals” to “same-sex couples”
- 2011: support passes 50 percent (53%) - 9 percent jump from 2010 (44%)
- 2013: First Gallup poll since DOMA repeal - 54 percent support
Influence - Forming identity
- Family and peers are most influential
- TV’s Role in gender identity - Kids/teens turn to TV without LGBT “role model” - Without role model, can feel isolated
- Cultivation Theory - TV gives us an accurate depiction of “real life” - The representation of minorities is important
- Media’s “default” is heterosexual
Early Examples - LGBT not shown on TV until 1960s - 1970s: shows had guest stars
- For the growth of straight characters; tolerance
- First gay couple shown on TV in 1975 - 1977: Billy Crystal as Jodie Dallas on Soap
- One of the first primetime shows to have a starring gay character
Jodie Dallas
- Faced criticism from activists for ‘negative’ depiction - While not ideal, presented the ‘first draft’ of LGBT
characters portrayed as ‘regular’ people
LGBT: The 90s - First same-sex kiss on L.A. Law (1991) - First same-sex wedding on Roc (1991) - Roseanne & Friends weddings (1996-7)
- Friends: 31.6 million viewers
- First LGBT title character on Ellen (1997) - Ellen Degeneres comes out in real life then on show
- By 1996-97 season, 23 recurring or starring LGBT TV characters
- Will & Grace debuts in 1998
Will & Grace
- Early focus groups didn’t know Will was gay - The overly flamboyant Jack made Will ‘straight’ by
comparison
Real & ‘Normal’ - Networks’ challenge of selling LGBT
- Using, mistaking, ‘heterosexualizing’ gay characters
- Using LGBT to be ‘progressive’ - Many characters were not realistic/relatable
- Reluctance to show male couples - Dawson’s Creek first male-male open-mouth kiss (2000)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow & Tara - First accurate, gradual homosexual relationship (2001) - One of the first shows “to portray gays as real people”
Willow & Tara
- Writers dropped hints in early seasons - Gradual progression; realistic ‘coming-out’ scene - Longest lasting relationship on the show
Cable Thrives - Queer as Folk (2000) - Six Feet Under (2001) - The Wire (2002) - The L Word (2004)
- Omar Little from The Wire - David Simon created Omar
“because gay people exist” - By 2006, same-sex marriage
approval reached 42 percent
More Milestones - Brothers and Sisters in 2008
- Marries two series regulars
- All My Children in 2009 - First daytime wedding
- Conan in 2011: Conan officiates wedding - First on late-night; real wedding for costume designer
Team Coco
- On the one-year anniversary of the show - Amidst the Prop 8 legislative war, the wedding took
place in New York
TV Post DOMA - True Blood allegory
- ‘God hates fangs’, ‘coming out of the coffin’
- Having LGBT characters is the norm
- Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Archer, Glee, etc.
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Captain Holt is an authority figure, who is also gay
The Nine-‐‑Nine
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a comedy show, but Holt’s sexuality is never the punch line
- Fall 2013 debut (part of first post-DOMA TV season)
The Future - Polling recap: from 27% to 54%
- From 1996 to 2013, same-sex marriage approval doubled
- LGBT visibility way up in 2014 - 112 LGBT starring/recurring characters in 2013-2014
- Same-sex marriage is politically divisive - SCOTUS DOMA vote was 5-4 - Public favor: Liberals 77%, Conservatives 30%
- Safe to assume public favor will gradually rise - Likely will remain a hot-button issue