From Perverts to Fab Five

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Media: Key Narratives, Future Directions

“…Immorality likewise became a sign for the existence of gays and lesbians. Bolstered by psychological research labeling homosexuality a dangerous sickness, media coverage beginning in the 1950s portrayed gays and lesbians as promiscuous and dangerous perverts (Alwood, 1996;Fejes & Petrich, 1993;Gross, 2001;Russo, 1981;Streitmatter, 1995Streitmatter, , 2008. For instance, the New York Times ran a front-page story about gays and lesbians as "deviates" who were "condemned to a life of promiscuity" (Alwood, 1996).…”

“…The specter of death followed gays and lesbians across various media forms. News, television, and film have described homosexuality as rendering a person so miserable that death, especially by suicide, becomes a viable option (Fejes & Petrich, 1993;Gross, 2001;Russo, 1981;Streitmatter, 2008). Russo (1981), quoting a famous line from 1970's Boys in the Band, remarks, "You show me a happy homosexual, and I'll show you a gay corpse" (p. 178).…”

“…Indeed, between the period of 1961 and 1971, of the 32 films that feature lesbian or gay characters, 13 committed suicide, and 18 were murdered (Gross, 2001). The AIDS crisis again revived this storytelling direction; news coverage portrayed gay victims as "guilty" of their own plight and at first offered little humanizing story to go along with accounts of their death and dying (Alwood, 1996;Fejes & Petrich, 1993;Gross, 2001;Streitmatter, 1995Streitmatter, , 2008.…”

“…Besides working in newsrooms, they persuaded media executives to present more frequent and honest gay and lesbian images (Alwood, 1996;Gross, 2001;Streitmatter, 1995). This became particularly important in the face of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s when news outlets, slow to respond to the disease, relied on dehumanizing images and provided little information to both community and non-community members (Alwood, 1996;Gross, 2001;Streitmatter, 1995Streitmatter, , 2008. And by the 1990s, media had become a critical site for community activism centered on military and marriage rights (Chasin, 2000;Gross, 2001;Moscowitz, 2013;Streitmatter, 2008).…”

“…He attributes the proliferation of sexual stories to mass media, which he suggests has become a storyteller in ways that were impossible in previous generations. In a similar context, storytelling and narrative have resonated with LGBTQ media scholars, from those who examine the cinematic tales of sissy men (Russo, 1981) to the journalistic accounts of productive, happy same-sex couples (Streitmatter, 2008).…”