Below Samantha’s topic proposal, you will find her complete annotated bibliography.
Queering “Mainstream Media”
Of course, there have always been LGBT individuals in movies, television, theatre, music, and throughout all media outlets. It is not a question of when gay and lesbian individuals made their way into the entertainment industry, but rather when it became widely known that certain people were gay, as well as the evolution to a time where this is not something that needs to be announced, a point that I do not believe we have reached fully yet. The “glass closet” is a commonly used tactic for LGBT entertainers as a way to prevent any severe backlash, without having to outright lie about their sexuality. In the more recent past, we have the incredible coming out stories of people like Ellen DeGeneres, who chose the place and time where she felt most comfortable, while still receiving some counterattack in the eventual cancelation of her TV show. On the other hand, in the age of the Internet, we have Neil Patrick Harris, who was essentially outed by Perez Hilton on his celebrity gossip site after a yearlong campaign to get the actor to admit his sexuality to the world. Harris is a perfect example of an actor using the “glass closet” as a way of protecting their career. An article with New York Magazine explains his desire to keep his private life to himself, not outright identifying himself as a gay man or bring fake girlfriends to red carpet events, while also answering questions about his “dream date” without using any specific pronoun.
I think that the evolution our society went through to get not only to this point, but also the place we are now; In 2016, with mega stars such as Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner, Sam Smith, Ruby Rose, and a slew of other A-list celebrities who identify very strongly as a member of the LGBT Community, is fascinating. In the 1950’s, gay characters were largely portrayed as miserable, suicidal or evil. Contrastingly, many of the famous 1950’s Hollywood Musicals such as Top Hat, featured extremely flamboyant and outgoing characters whom were never stated as gay, but used the gay stereotypes as a point of comedy.
Mary Gray’s piece “From Websites to Wal-Mart”, while written nine years ago in 2007, still gives a wonderful representation of how young members of the LGBT Community in rural America have been able to use social media, the worlds current primary source of all media, to express themselves. While we used to only have shows such as Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, and later, Will & Grace, there is now a never-ending collection of people online who share similar interests, issues and are there not only for support, but inspiration. One of the most influential people in this position is YouTube celebrity Tyler Oakley, a self-identified gay man who has built an astonishing career by posting videos online, eventually snowballing into a movie, book, podcast, tour, and several positions on more “mainstream media” such as talk shows like The Talk, The Late Late Show, and even the current season of The Amazing Race. And while there are currently more LGBT people in the media than ever before, what interests me about Oakley is the positive and uplifting stance he takes on issues that have affected him in the past. At this point in time, that is what we are focusing on as a community, which I could not be happier about.
I would like my research paper to present a brief history of members of the LGBT Community in different types of media, how they have been portrayed, how more high-profile individuals came out, and how all of these things have changed (for better or worse) over time. The main question I hope to be answering is the following; How have different types of media shaped the way that members of the LGBT Community are perceived, and how has that presentation effected the overall landscape of society in relation to this topic? Correspondingly, how has popular culture altered in relation to this topic, if at all?
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