Homosexuality in Television

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Beginning in the 1900s, American culture has significantly affected the representation of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender characters, and the treatment of gay subject matter on television. American culture will be defined, as the presently accepted Western American way of materialistic, moral, ethical, and racial norms. One of the mediums by which this cultural shift has continually happened is through television. Not only does culture affect choices made by those in the television industry, but popular series and talk shows, whether intentionally or not, name what culturally acceptable regarding many social issues. Television, TV for short, is referring to the telecommunication medium by which ideas are transmitted into moving pictures. The Television industry will be defined as the group of brains behind the creating process of a television show of any genre. Genres each have their own purpose and effect on the audience; talk shows mean to engage, while sitcoms, drams, mini-series, and television comedies are meant to entertain. Regardless of its intentions, each genre of TV has an affect on the people who internalize what they are watching. Sexuality as a theme and as character identification has been intrinsically incorporated in American television since the beginning of film. Television programing from 1954 to present day includes references, content referencing and characters portraying gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people and their actions. When referencing homosexuality it is meant as the association of one to the attraction of the same sex. The above definitions of culture, television, and homosexuality will be utilized throughout this historical investigation. The Disney Channel origi... ... middle of paper ... ...isney Channel – a trend that will be almost impossible to stop.” They asked families to appeal to Disney to change this “trend”, and have gotten ample negative attention from news agencies such as Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and more. Because of the response of One Million Moms, news agencies now affiliate Christianity with “not wanting gay people in our homes”, as if Christians did not need more help telling the world they despised the gay community. Works Cited Sasson, Eric. "How Disney Channel’s ‘Good Luck Charlie’ Out-Rapped Macklemore on Gay Rights." The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. Tropiano, Stephen. The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV. New York, NY: Applause Theatre & Cinema, 2002. Print. Wildmon, Tim. "AFA Journal." American Family Association (2003): n. pag. Feb. 2003. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

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