Being Gay in the Media

Ellen Degeneres was one of the of the first people that I remember seeing as a child and that taught me that being gay was normal. She pushed coming out into the media spotlight. With her coming out on such a broad array of media types (print and television in many forms), it was something the country was forced to talk about, if only for the months around the event. The way she presented her and the GLBT's ideologies didn't flat out try to revolt against the hegemonic heterosexual mainstream. Rather she just explained that she and the many other gays and lesbians have such a hard time living their life a lie. She explained that they shouldn't have to live that way, and be trapped because of their minority status. She gave the country an insight into how coming out can effect the life of the individual and the lives of those around him or her. She promoted understanding and acceptance in a way that was easy for Americans to accept.
Ellen led the way for other homosexuals and homosexual characters in the media. Will and Grace, which premiered in the years following the media event, exploded into popularity. Of the four main characters, two were homosexual men. This was one of the first times that homosexual men were shown as successful, normal people. For the most part the show shown a positive light on homosexuality, but at some points the characters sexual orientation was just a big joke. The show again was a step in the right direction for the media and the mainstream.
Since these media events we can see more and more homosexuality in the media, not just acting either. We see more and more homosexual producers, writers, directors, etc in Hollywood as time goes on, which is great. People should not be held back or oppressed for something as trivial as their sexual orientation.