Is LGBTQIA+ Underrepresented?

[Shadowhunter]

I recently came across this article about a Trini born transgender actress in the U.S. who spoke out about LGBTQIA+ being discriminated against and underrepresented. I am aware of this but was particularly shocked to learn that trans actors are rejected for the parts of trans characters, and cis actors are instead acting as trans characters.

Trini born trans actress Dominique Jackson [source: playbill.com]

​

(If the terms are confusing, check out the Sexual Orientation, Identity, and Attraction thread for definitions. Cisgender people identify with the gender they were assigned to or identified as at birth. A transgender person identifies as a gender other than what is expected for their anatomical sex and dresses or presents themselves as such.)

Caitlyn Jenner is a trans woman (formerly Bruce Jenner) that is currently an infatuation of sorts for the media and people worldwide. Many have applauded her bravery for coming out and inspiring others to come out as well, but many are uncomfortable, unsupportive, and/or unreceiving of her coming out and subsequent change.

The recently revealed trans celebrity Caitlyn Jenner, formerly Bruce Jenner. [Source: vanityfair.com]​

Laverne Cox is a trans actress from the hit series Orange Is the New Black and has become a prominent voice for positive body image, general acceptance, and an advocate and role model to girls, women, trans people, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Trans actress Laverne Cox from OITNB. [Source: oitnb.com]​

Many gay actors, such as Neil Patrick Harris and Jim Parsons act straight roles and it is so unheard of to see LGBTQIA+ people in TV shows, movies, and the media that it usually makes headlines and becomes a big topic of discussion.

Jim Parsons with his Big Bang Theory on-screen girlfriend, Mayim Bialik (left) and his real life partner Todd Spiewak (right) [Source: dailymail.co.uk]​

Seeing as how gay marriage is becoming legal in more places and the world has recently found one more trans person to celebrate/criticize, do you think LGBTQIA+ is currently represented well enough in books, TV, movies, games, and the media in general?

 

[nirtime]

Honestly this is not normal. People are people and they can do what they want but its very unnatural to be born a man and then change to a woman... I don't support this.

 

[LadyDeath]

I am used to LGBT / Transgender people on television. This is the norm people , welcome to the new world! I totally accept LGBT People and have no problem with them at all. However, i might get queezy at PDA as i am not used to it in a real setting.
My philosophy is that its their lives and no one knows how they feel. If they wish to change their bodies or sexual orientation, that's their business and i am glad atleast they would feel happy in the end. Life is so different for everyone .

I think that they should be accepted into roles of movies more often. Just look at Matt Bomer and Huck from Scandal. I totally adore their roles and they are gay. I absolutely adore Laverne Cox for standing up for Transgender people. She recently shared her story and when reading it i felt nothing but admiration and happiness for her. Just because people are different doesn't mean we will cast them out of society. Children are going to be exposed to it someway or another. Alot of people long ago grew up gay and television was not even invented yet. Let's give them a chance, we can learn alot from them

 

[Shadowhunter]

When I speak to people, including children, I flip around gender stereotypes often and sometimes speak in genderless terms. I've met too many people that hide their identities because they have homophobic families or live in homophobic communities etc. We live in times where best friends, close relatives, and co-workers find it necessary to hide who they are in an attempt to fit in and be accepted by those around them.

I know a man that waited FIFTY years to come out of the closet and was visibly scared to visit Trinidad because LGBT+ relations are illegal here and he knew he could be refused entry. The actress above fled Trinidad as a teen because of what she endured here coming out as trans. Good that she left because she made a life for herself instead of letting people's hate keep her down. Many people are beginning to realize that words like "slut "n*gga" "b*tch" etc are offensive but continue using words like "fag" "gay" lesbo" etc in insulting manners. I'm not teaching people that they should hide who they are and be ashamed of themselves or how they feel. It should never be okay to use a person's identity to make fun of others. This should not be okay IMO.

I see straight relationships, especially abusive ones, all over the media. Girls Gone Wild is publicly accepted and clamored for, but Brokeback Mountain is "distasteful" to many. The world is slowly accepting more ethnic diversity, so why not include attraction, gender identity, and sexual orientation there? At one point, ethnic diversity was seen as disgusting and offensive too!

Sometimes the best part of a book, movie, TV Show etc is how much you can relate to a character. Imagine watching TV, reading etc. and never finding a single character that you could relate to or understand on a more personal level. Even I get sick of all the boy meets girl, they fall in love/have sex/get married/make-out story lines. Imagine reading books about families that don't include your own or your friends'.


A good aspect of humanity is the part where we reach out to each other to let each other know we are not alone. This should not stop because of sex, gender etc. and should be just as much a part of the media as all the different portrayals of straight people and relationships are.