GLAAD Campaign Highlights Negative LGBT Movie Depictions

gethard

Hollywood is falling behind TV shows like Modern Family and Orange is the New Black when it comes to positive LGBT representation, according to GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).

 

Movies like The Wolf of Wall Street, Ted 2, and Pain & Gain were all cited by GLAAD as having used homophonic terms or made jokes at the expense of gay characters, reports The Guardian.

The group also criticised the fact that no gay characters were included in more that 80% of the 102 major studios film released last year.

“We’re still the butt of the joke,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO and president of GLAAD. “We’re still infrequently seen and when we are seen, it’s in a negative light.”

To highlight the issue, GLAAD has launched an online campaign entitled ‘Hollywood Must Do Better’.

A video released as part of the campaign features clips from films released over the past five years that use gay slurs or show violence toward LGBT characters. The decision to release the video comes in the wake of last weekend’s Emmy Awards in an attempt to illustrate the contrast between the diversity seen on the small screen and the inaction on the part of studio films.

Responding to claims that some of the productions cited in the video in fact satirise bigots instead of endorsing their views, GLAAD said believes that studios’ prevailing indifference to the LGBT community means that these jokes and barbs have an outsized impact, reports Vanity Fair.

“When jokes are made at the expense of a marginalized group, it creates a dangerous environment,” said Ellis. “This isn’t about being the PC [politically correct] police. It’s about creating a safe environment.”

© 2015 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

0 comments. Please sign in to comment.