defrog: (coop babes)
[personal profile] defrog
As long as everyone’s freaking out over Clay Aiken and Lindsay Lohan, here’s some added perspective:

ITEM: Broadcast television will have 16 gay and bisexual regular characters in prime-time series this fall, more than double the seven of a year ago, according to a new study from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation:

These characters accounted for 2.6% of all the regular characters in TV series, up from 1.1% last year and 1.3% in 2006.

I mention this partially because many moons ago in grad school, I read a thesis in which a student did a study like this covering TV shows from the 1950s up to somewhere in the mid-late 80s (when the thesis was submitted). That study also rated how GLBTs were portrayed (i.e. positive/negative, realistic vs stereotypes, etc). I don’t remember the exact numbers, but suffice to say GLBT characters in prime time were rare, and were usually camp or serial killers (or, better yet, camp serial killers).

Progress! Now if they’d only allow GLBT sex scenes on TV ...

Anyway, I’m still waiting for someone to map a study like this against the number of GLBT actors/actresses on prime time TV, regardless of whether their characters are straight, gay, bi or whatever. I have five American dollars that says the GLBT percentage for actors/actresses vs characters is way higher. Which would be fun.

Not ready for prime time,

This is dF

on 2008-09-25 12:29 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] eriksangel15.livejournal.com
As part of the GLBT community myself, this is good news to hear.

on 2008-09-25 12:37 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] thelastaerie.livejournal.com
it's good news. and I hope one day the public's response to celebrity coming out will be a nonchalant "oh, you're gay. congratulations"

btw, when was Clay Aiken not gay? :P

on 2008-09-26 02:15 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com
I hope one day the public's response to celebrity coming out will be a nonchalant "oh, you're gay. congratulations"

By which time "coming out" wouldn't even be necessary. There would be no closet to hide in.

on 2008-09-25 02:24 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] dinopollard.livejournal.com
Actually, I recall a few lesbian sex scenes in Buffy after Willow came out.

on 2008-09-26 02:17 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com
I don't know from Willow, and I've never watched Buffy, but are we talking hetero-level sex scenes here, or just some token lip locking?

on 2008-09-26 05:02 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] dinopollard.livejournal.com
About as much as you can show on television -- naked writhing beneath the sheets, O-faces, etc.

on 2008-09-26 05:06 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com
O-faces? You can show that on TV now? Boy, have I been away.

on 2008-09-26 05:22 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] dinopollard.livejournal.com
Oh yeah, O-faces have been appearing on TV for a number of years now.

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