The Effects Of Homophobia In The Media
In the entire history of the Oscars awards, an openly gay man has never won the award. Famous actor Sir Ian McKellen recently stated that “No openly gay man has ever won the Oscar; I wonder if that is prejudice or chance.” (Bryant, 2016) As an openly gay actor, he has had to put his acceptance speech back in his pocket twice, disappointed by the obscured, but still prevalent homophobia in the media. By increasing the amount of LGBTQ characters in the media, young homosexual individuals can relate to someone in the media. Whether it is as big as a lesbian Disney Princess, or as small as a same-sex chick flick, the inclusion of homosexual characters in the media would drastically improve the mental and emotional health of those affected. (Tagudina, M. 2016). Along with the rise of homosexual positive ads in the media, and inclusive of homosexual representation in advertising, in ads such as Dorito’s It Gets Better campaign (BakeryAndSnacks.com, 2015) and Targets Gay-Positive Campaign (The Huffington Post, 2016), which aim to increase the amount of homosexual positive behavior in the general public, these efforts may prove to be successful, or at least helpful in the decline of homophobia in the general public and