Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and the Media - Lesbians on TV :: Media Argumentative Persuasive Argument

sapphics on TV Illusion of Progress When television first appeared guts in the 1940s, times were very different. What we would consider completely normal right away would have seemed quite taboo just a few decades ago. For example, in 1953, Lucille Ball was not allowed to say the word pregnant while she was expecting baby Ricky and it wasnt until the 1960s express Bewitched, that we saw a married couple actually sharing the same bed. Considering how conservative the television networks were back then, it is not hard to deduce that something as debatable as homosexuality would be far from discussed or portrayed at any level. It was only in 1973 that television premiered its first homosexual character. Over the bordering three decades the emergence of homosexual and lesbian characters in television has increased and decreased as the times have changed. Due to the resurgence of conservatism that came back in the early 1980s, homosexual topics were again reduced to a minimum. Since that time though, as many people can see, there has been a rise of queer and lesbian characters on television. One might think after a first glance at the previous sentence that there has been progress among gay and lesbian communities to have a fair representation in the media. However, if one looks hard at the circumstances surrounding their portrayal, many people may fuck off to believe that if there has been any progress then it has been quite minimal. In the 1990s there has been what is called a normalized movement(Warner 41). This so-called movement has permeated into all aspects of the Gay and Lesbian movements agenda. It has become increasingly clear in the realms of the media such as television, movies and magazines. The major objective for the proponents of this movement is to make the homosexual seem normal. This would be done by not focusing on the sexual nature of the homosexual. Since their sexual behavior is considered deviant by society , any outward expression of it will be looked guttle upon. So, it has been the goal of some leaders of the movement as well as those who control the media outlets to separate the identity and sexuality of the homosexual as far as possible.