Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Heterosexism “refers to the belief and expectation that everyone is or should be heterosexual” and the term “heteronormativity” equates heterosexual experience with human experience, in effect “render[ing] all other forms of human sexual expression pathological, deviant, invisible, unintelligible, or written out of existence” ( Yep 2002 , 167). Heteronormativity provides a larger context for understanding how heterosexism influences cultural and social institutions, such as the media (→  Behavioral Norms: Perception through the Media ). Historically, mediated portrayals of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters have been infrequent. When represented, they have tended to be portrayed negatively (e.g., as villains, as problems to be solved). Concurrent with the gay liberation movement, more positive portrayals emerged in the 1970s. By the 1990s, the frequency of media representation had increased dramatically. Yet, as critical media scholars point out, representation neither guarantees legitimacy, nor creates a panacea. Rather, visibility is complicated. Representations reflect the ideological frameworks and interests of agenda setters who generally appeal to an assumed heterosexist audience (→  Media and Group Representations ). Critical media analyses have begun to unmask how representations of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters, particularly on television, ... log in or subscribe to read full text