Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, and queer, or LGBTQ for short, people have a history of getting bullied, harassed both physically and verbally, and discriminated against all because of their sexual orientation and or gender identity. Many were even reluctant of, what many refer as, “coming out of the closet” because they feared they would not receive approval and support. Throughout the years, though, there have been people fighting for equality and the acceptance of these people. Outspoken advocates for gay rights such as Harvey Milk, a politician who became the first openly gay person elected to public office in California, have spoken for change. However, there has been another crucial figure in this battle: television. It is no secret
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Thankfully, television has done a pretty good job in showing diversity. For example, many people love action shows and cartoons, and many of these shows will often feature a strong, male protagonist, who after a series of heroic adventure and deeds, saves the world and “always gets the girl”. Well, that is more or less the case with the Nickelodeon show, The Legend of Korra. Korra is the protagonist of the show; a strong, independent female who did both: saved the world and got the girl. The creators of the show had to be subtle since the show’s predecessor, Avatar: the Last Airbender, was aimed at children and young teens; so the portion of the audience that are kids is as big as their adult one. So when the show ended with Korra holding hands with her revealed girlfriend, Asami, and both walking off together into a pretty spirit portal, many people were surprised since the topic of bisexuality is not yet considered kid friendly. The creators of the show had discussed the idea with Nickelodeon and explain why things weren 't more overt; with the co-creator of the show, Bryan Konietzko, writing, “While they were supportive there was a limit to how far we could go with it” (Goldman, 2014, para. 7). Konietzko further …show more content…
Jay Michealson (2010) states that the suicide rate among gay teenagers is about six times greater than that of straight ones. Michealson then continues by saying “ does this statistic not teach us that sexuality is a trait, not a choice…” and that “it’s odd to kill yourself because of a choice, no?” (para. 10). With the recent ruling that gave same-sex couples the right to marry in the United States, all this means is that the LGBTQ community has gained enough acceptance to finally be included in the constitution. Television must have had a very important role in that as more and more LGBTQ characters are represented in television. It is important to let those viewers that see themselves in these characters know that yes, they are important, that yes, they matter too. Turnquist (2015) states that “As more prominent gays and lesbians came out about their orientation, and TV shows wrote openly gay and lesbian characters into dramas and comedies, even people who thought they didn’t know any gay people were seeing them on their TV, going through the same challenges- raising kids, falling in love, navigating relationships, dealing with their jobs- that everybody goes through” (para. 6). So, it is clear that television has done its role in helping LGBTQ people not only be accepted but to accept
Thankfully, television has done a pretty good job in showing diversity. For example, many people love action shows and cartoons, and many of these shows will often feature a strong, male protagonist, who after a series of heroic adventure and deeds, saves the world and “always gets the girl”. Well, that is more or less the case with the Nickelodeon show, The Legend of Korra. Korra is the protagonist of the show; a strong, independent female who did both: saved the world and got the girl. The creators of the show had to be subtle since the show’s predecessor, Avatar: the Last Airbender, was aimed at children and young teens; so the portion of the audience that are kids is as big as their adult one. So when the show ended with Korra holding hands with her revealed girlfriend, Asami, and both walking off together into a pretty spirit portal, many people were surprised since the topic of bisexuality is not yet considered kid friendly. The creators of the show had discussed the idea with Nickelodeon and explain why things weren 't more overt; with the co-creator of the show, Bryan Konietzko, writing, “While they were supportive there was a limit to how far we could go with it” (Goldman, 2014, para. 7). Konietzko further …show more content…
Jay Michealson (2010) states that the suicide rate among gay teenagers is about six times greater than that of straight ones. Michealson then continues by saying “ does this statistic not teach us that sexuality is a trait, not a choice…” and that “it’s odd to kill yourself because of a choice, no?” (para. 10). With the recent ruling that gave same-sex couples the right to marry in the United States, all this means is that the LGBTQ community has gained enough acceptance to finally be included in the constitution. Television must have had a very important role in that as more and more LGBTQ characters are represented in television. It is important to let those viewers that see themselves in these characters know that yes, they are important, that yes, they matter too. Turnquist (2015) states that “As more prominent gays and lesbians came out about their orientation, and TV shows wrote openly gay and lesbian characters into dramas and comedies, even people who thought they didn’t know any gay people were seeing them on their TV, going through the same challenges- raising kids, falling in love, navigating relationships, dealing with their jobs- that everybody goes through” (para. 6). So, it is clear that television has done its role in helping LGBTQ people not only be accepted but to accept