From Will & Grace to the American Pie 2 scene in which two male characters kiss, popular media is transforming how society views sexuality. A presentation and discussion at the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center last night highlighted the media's portrayal of gays.
The LGBT Center and Allies sponsored the event, entitled "The Following Has Been Rated Q: A Discussion of Queer Representation in Popular Media," which was mediated by College sophomore Kathy Totoki and College junior Prem Tumkosit.
Organizers showed clips from recent TV shows and movies and then led an audience discussion on the clips. The segments ranged from Showtime's Queer as Folk to the movie Legally Blonde.
The discussion following the clips covered various prejudices that the media has promoted.
College sophomore Justin Murakami commented that gays are often shown for "comic relief."
Audience members noted that some TV shows and movies have not portrayed many monogamous gay relationships and do not show many gay characters from racial minorities.
The discussion also pointed out that even schools and textbooks have often failed to give an accurate portrayal of gays.
LGBT Center Advisory Council member and Engineering senior Beau Roberts said he feels that the media does not show a "representative view" of gays and instead only focuses on certain, specific aspects of gay culture.
As a result of this categorization, Roberts said that "people outside [the gay community] may think they understand" gays when they do not. However, Roberts did note that the media does not portray a "necessarily negative" view of gays.
The popular makeover show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was also a program that was discussed as being biased in its representation of gays.
Likewise, Wharton junior Luzerne McAllister noted that the media industry does not show a diverse spectrum of gay lifestyles or gays from ethnic minorities.
However, audience members did say that the media has at times promoted positive views of gays. They pointed to shows like The L Word on Showtime as an example.
Organizers said they were pleased with the number of students who attened the event. Murakami noted that the turnout of about 30 students had "a great diversity of people."
College junior Imanni Wilkes said that the size of the audience showed that sexuality "is a relevant issue to a lot of people."
