HEADER BY LIV LAWRENCE
‘It’s not just queer folks who want to see more of themselves onscreen, our straight friends are pushing for more queer storylines too.’
It’s only a few months into 2023 and the internet is collectively mourning the death of our new favourite fictional power couple, Bill and Frank.
The past few years have seen several major studios placing queer storylines front and centre. From theatrical releases like Spoiler Alert to Everything Everywhere All at Once, openly queer characters have had the opportunity to flourish beyond the sparsely written storylines LGBTQ+ people have come to expect. Hollywood’s newly discovered depth in queer storytelling is a refreshing arc that is allowing more and more members of the community to see themselves represented on the big screen.
This paradigm shift in entertainment culture is in part due to pressures from audiences for more representative content. But it’s not just queer folks who want to see more of themselves onscreen, it’s our straight friends who are pushing for more queer storylines too.
Queer media isn’t just for queer people, it has universal appeal
Across the UK, US, and Canada, 9 in 10 queer people actively seek out queer media. While that finding is unlikely to surprise anyone, 6 in 10 heterosexual and cis gendered people also seek it out, according to research released by WPP Unite late last year. That figure’s even higher in Gen Z audiences at 85%.
Far from being a niche genre, queer media has universal appeal. People are interested in learning not just about people that reflect themselves, but also people who have had different experiences to them. If we never looked outwards, imagine how narrow our understanding of the world would be.
Writer and director Sam Arbor says: “I often wonder how tiny my view of the world would be if film and television didn’t exist. I think of all the places film has taken me, the lives and the situations I would never have witnessed if it weren’t for stories on screen. Film is a vital way to understand more of humanity. I especially feel this in the telling of queer stories.
“Shows like Heartstopper are a letterbox to peer through, which people understand the lived realities of being a queer person. Understanding (and feeling!) the complexities of our lives will inspire compassion in people, which for me, feels like the first steps towards making change for good in the world.”
From Drag Race offering a window into the world of drag to It’s a Sin taking us back to the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDs pandemic in the 80s, queer narratives are front and centre of some of the highest rating programmes in recent years. It’s not just TV which brings in a non-queer audience though.
“We’ve seen a significant diversification in our audience’s sexual orientation and gender identity at GAY TIMES in recent years,” says Lewis Corner, Editorial Director at GAY TIMES. “But we’ve also experienced a noticeable shift in audience members who are not part of the LGBTQ+ community, who consume our content and follow our channels.”
During a recent GAY TIMES audience survey, the company discovered a growing segment of their audience who don’t identify as LGBTQ+, but engage with their content to educate themselves on queer experiences, as well as appreciate queer culture and entertainment. As one respondent put: “I’m actually not a member of the LBGTQ+ community, but GAY TIMES is a good resource that I often start with to learn more about topics that affect my friends and family members.”
When speaking to queer people about the role of queer media in their lives, WPP Unite found that many focused on how it can normalise and change attitudes around LGBTQ+ lives. When it reaches a broad audience, it can do this on a larger scale and can, in turn, make their lives much easier.
Quotes from BTR respondents:
“I’m almost 70 years old. I did not have role models or even other people like me in the news or media. I think it’s extremely important for youth to be able to see people of all colours and sexualities to realise they’re not alone.”
“You can’t be what you can’t see. We deserve content that tells our stories as full human beings.”
Research suggests that Gen Z are the queerest generation yet, with this demographic being 2.5x more likely to identify as LGBTQ+ than the general population. Gen Z have grown up with access to queer media and have never known a time without it. Is this the reason that more Gen Z identify as queer than any generation before them? With media normalising and celebrating queerness, perhaps it’s no wonder that Gen Z feel more comfortable to openly identify as LGBTQ+.
Source: gaytimes.co.uk
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