Achieving visibility of the LGTBIQ+ community on TV!

The International LGTBIQ+ Pride Day, also known as Gay Pride Day, is celebrated annually every June 28. Its inception was in 1969, due to the commemoration of the Stonewall Riots (New York, USA). These marked the beginning of the homosexual liberation movement. This celebration aims to promote tolerance, fight for equal rights and make their presence visible in all societies.

Today, in many countries around the world, sexual diversity continues to be persecuted and criminalized, but in several countries it has already been accepted at the state level. For this reason, and because of the discriminatory acts that continue to occur today, it is important to keep fighting. Society is still far from accepting a reality that should already be normalized.

Diversity and visibility on TV

Television is a fundamental part in the goal of achieving a more egalitarian and less discriminatory society, since its actions and inactions help to take steps forward or backward. The public has referents, and it can be observed that the most searched Spanish LGTBIQ+ celebrities on the Internet or on social networks, are people who work in the world of television, for example, Valeria Vargas. Television has a great capacity to create referents. Therefore, it has a great influence on society, to achieve visibility and normalization of the LGTBIQ+ collective.

Until the 1930s there was no clear reference to homosexuality in cinema. It could be seen with Marlene Dietrich in the film Morocco, in which she appears dressed as a man and kissing another woman. But during the dictatorship there was a strong censorship on LGTBIQ+ themes.

For several decades now, fiction has introduced characters and plots starring LGTBIQ+ people. And in doing so, they make it visible:

TV series

1- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina:

This series premiered in 2018 being an adaptation of the mythical series Sabrina, things of witches. The series gave us a great lesson in inclusivity and diversity. It is a group of friends where support and tolerance are above all, but it is especially noticeable in Theo’s character. When he tells his classmates that he is no longer Susie but Theo, there is no drama. They all accept it and go on adventures. It’s a very well paced gender identity plot. It has LGTBIQ+ characters like Ambrose Spellman, Sabrina’s cousin, was the protagonist of most of the homoerotic scenes, as he is a pansexual character.

2- Elite:

It premiered in 2018 and the plot takes place in Las Encinas. It is a school where children of the elite study and where three young people from the lower class have entered. In it, several love relationships develop, highlighting the homosexual relationship of Omar and Ander, or the relationship of Mencia and Rebeka.

3- Shameless:

It was released in 2011 and introduces us to the Gallagher clan, a large family whose mother abandoned them and have grown up practically alone in the face of the attitude of their father Frank (William H. Macy), who is a selfish and brash drunk. Ian Gallagher, is a great LGBT character and not only because of the crusade against homophobia that he leads along with his followers. Not to be forgotten is the relationship between Ian and Mickey, which has many fans for countless reasons. First, because of the complicity between the two, as it is hard not to want them to be together. Secondly, because it is set in such a punished area of the United States, it allows us to get to know very different realities and ways of seeing homosexuality.

Movies

1- A Fantastic Woman:

It is released in 2017, in Germany. This film follows a transsexual woman who not only has to deal with the death of her boyfriend, but also the suspicion and abuse of his family when they meet her after the tragedy.

2-Weekend:

It was released in 2011 and shows us the story of how a young boy, Russel, who is gay, goes alone to a gay club and meets an artist, Glen. What seemed like a sporadic encounter will end up becoming something more, coming to share confidences of fears and insecurities. In it you can see a relationship between men as naturally as a heterosexual couple.

3- Lightyear :

Just released, in 2022, by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures. It is an animated film for all audiences and depicts, for the first time in Disney, the love relationship between two women and the family they form with their son.

This last film, Lightyear, has been censored in 14 countries for showing the kiss of the couple formed by two women. This confirms that today sexual diversity is still persecuted in many countries, which we must continue to fight for it to stop happening.

At Optiva Media, diversity and inclusion of all groups is very important. We strive for a diverse and egalitarian work environment.

If you want to know more about Optiva’s values and the actions we promote, we recommend you to read our post about the importance of mental health at work !