Human rights are meant to be enjoyed by all people. Gender and sexuality have been a critical problem in enhancing equality and respect for the human rights. Deprivation and unjust of the reasons to serve for GLBTQ individuals in the military was one of the depictions of laws that discriminate people based on their sexual orientation. The progress has been slow but the current increase of GLBTQ characters and TV shows over the past two decades has depicted the changes in social perspective towards GLBTQ society. Activists have fought and faced violence from the political leaders, religious denominations and the public in the fight for visibility. These activists knew that changing the social norms of opposite-sex marriages or sexual intercourse would require sacrifice and a platform to improve the stereotyping that gays, lesbians and transgender faced since the 1980s (Hilton-Morrow & Battles, 2015).
The cable television and networks have in the past few years been used to erase the misconceptions against GLBTQ that prior media portrayed or utilized to focus opposition from the public. This essay provides the best opportunity to determine the progress of these changes. By using “Orange is the New Black” season one, it will be possible to assess the progress of queer genre in the film industry. The analysis will determine whether the strategies used in the films are intended to reinforce or challenge the dominant discourses of sexuality (Hilton-Morrow & Battles, 2015). It is important to note that visibility in this context is designed to determine the presentation, regulation, ridicule and respect that minorities such as GLBTQ are afforded in the firms.
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Background of GLBTQ Activism and Progress
HIV/AIDs is still one of the primary killer diseases in the world. Its identification in the 1980s after a group of gay guys were identified with an unknown virus resulted in the negativity towards queer sexual orientations. Although same-gender sexuality is an old phenomenon, it was secretive, and punishment would lead to death. The killer virus resulted in the increased dislike and discontented against the gays, among other GLBTQ societies. Gender is a different from sex in that the latter is based on the biological male or female physicality or genitals; sexuality is based on the psychological, behavioral and social orientation where a person can be sexually attracted to people of different, same or both sexes (McKinnon, 2014). The fight against the GLBTQ intensified in the entire 1980s with the media playing a pivotal role in stereotyping gays, lesbians and transgender. The use of L word, rape and violence were introduced to depict these individuals with the public against the change in social norms and religious teachings.
During the 1992 American Presidential Election, Democrats opted to approach the growing GLBTQ to gain more votes as the Republicans chose to court Christians or radicals against GLBTQ rights (Hilton-Morrow & Battles, 2015). The political courting and the win by Bill Clinton would have projected to the needed visibility that the GLBTQ community had waited, but to their dismay, Clinton succumbed to the political pressure thus the only changes made were the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) for the GLBTQ to serve in the military.
However, the visibility needed would come from legal court rulings in favor of the GLBTQ individuals, for instance, Romer v Evans in 1996 (Hilton-Morrow & Battles, 2015). In this case, the Supreme Court overturned a Colorado voter referendum arguing that policies that single out some minorities due to the favor of the majority cannot be upheld thus protected the gays and lesbians that the systems would have ended their rights. Since then, to the legalization of same-sex marriages, the need for visibility has been the most critical platform for the GLBTQ activists. The media is the most influential and most influential instrument in creating or changing social prejudice (McKinnon, 2014). The stereotyping that dominated broadcasting and other national media on issues regarding GLBTQ community were buried in the minds of the society and to ensure acceptance from the public; the activists had to use the media to depict their real identities and end the stereotyping that dominated the actual shows or images.
GLBTQ representation in the TV Shows
Since the turn of 21st century, the entertainment increase and rapid growth of queer genre have been excellent. According to GLAAD, cable TV success over the last two decades has been the leading influence on the increment of GLBTQ visibility in the entertainment industry. Fox has been the highest whole show with shows such as Glee having the most characters while other platforms such as Netflix, ABC, CBS, NBC, and HBO are also airing a large number of shows with GLBTQ characters (McKinnon, 2014). The study demonstrated that the freedom of film production has led to the steadily increasing rates of representation of these characters. However, GLBTQ form just 5% of the entire roles in these films. The 5% of the GLBTQ characters are also discriminative in the sense of gender and race (Glaad, 2014). Women characters are bound to show their sexuality compared to male gays who rarely demonstrate or engage in sexual intimacy.
Whites make over 78% of the total GLBTQ characters, while blacks and Hispanics form about 12% and 10% respectively. The gay men make up about 61% while lesbians are 20% with the bisexual consisting of 18% of GLBTQ characters. Bisexual women form 14% while the men are just 4% (Glaad, 2014). In most of the scripted depictions of GLBTQ are depicted using some of the stereotyping notions such as their secrecy or shame of engaging or revealing their sexual desires. The sexual promiscuity that dominates the 95% of straight characters is hindered due to the prejudice and violence is enhanced in most of the GLBTQ intercourse (Geraths, 2017). According to Lee & Meyer (2010), the use of L word in lesbian films has been used to limit lesbian characters to only interact with other lesbians even in non-sexual issues which is a limitation of using such firms to demonstrate real-life situations.
Orange is the New Black Season 1
On July 2013, Netflix released one of the unique TV shows on women in prison. Unlike other prison shows, the series was concerned with consent sexual relationships between the female inmates with lesbianism and transgender dominating the scenes. Violence and vulgar language is limited and limits the misleading generalization about the GLBTQ or women in prison. By use of the main protagonist Piper to connect the other inmates (Netflix. 2013). Studies in GLBTQ visibility depict that homogenizing of the different groups to act in a strange manner result in the misleading concepts that activists have fought to eliminate.
In the first episode of Orange is the New Black, were being introduced to the inmates as Piper is imprisoned. She has learnt about prison’s etiquette to limit chaos with other inmates. The first episode is an introduction to the life and setting of the prison whereby race and sexual orientation are the determinants of the groups and interactions of the inmates. Through the episode, it is evident that Piper has also engaged in lesbianism when she meets with Alex her ex-lover but she is unwilling to continue the relationship. The 15-month imprisonment for led to the separation of Piper and her husband Larry who vows to wait for her term to be over. His life is boring and nothing to report. Unlike the beginning that predicts sexual film when Alex and Piper are in the showers engaging in lesbianism, the warning from the prison guard who tells Piper, “This isn’t Oz. Women fight with gossip and rumors…you do not have to have lesbian sex.” (O'BRIEN, 2013). The statement seems sarcastic bearing the introduction of the story. However, the 50-minute episodes provide the most time and freedom for the characters to engage in their regular routines. Unlike the generalization in most movies with GLBTQ characters, the series represents the characters differently, and it gets interesting to know about every inmate separately.
In the 3rd episode, or “Lesbian Request Denied” involves the characterization of normal stalkers when Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ who demonstrate her frustration by urinating on Piper’s floor space. In this episode, we get to note the role if Sophia after the denial of the estrogen to help her transition (Netflix. 2013). Sophia asks her wife to sneak in some of the drugs or hormones, but the wife disagrees by claiming that she Sophia must be very selfish but later in the series it is evident that the wife is selfish by her request to sleep with her pastor. The failure to illustrate the hot sex scenes between the wives apart from the perks and hugs is a non-presentation that results in confusing the audience or misrepresenting the GLBTQ characters. Some of the ridicule, for instance, the statement against Sophia when she is fighting for health leadership, other inmates questions her femininity and call her “plastic pussy” which is quite rude (McKinnon, 2014). Most transgender face issues of their belonging and prisons tend to be their worst places to be than any other GLBTQ individuals. The move by seven States to use separate or special prisons for the transgender inmates is one of the real-life situations that shows that the lack of belonging to any gender results in venerability of these inmates. The states cannot place the female transgender women in male prisons would expose the women to violence, and sexual harassment from the male inmates and corrections officers hence the move to put them in prisons with other women.
In these two episodes and the entire series, there is visibility of the GLBTQ characters and their separate characteristics such as depression and committing suicide for the inability to withstand or handle depression (Netzley, 2010). The women seem to have the freedom to do anything and their pasts are illustrated through flashbacks. For instance, the depiction of Alex and Piper’s is quite a misrepresentation of the people. Piper is introduced to lesbianism and money laundering and drug trade by Alex hence she is incarceration.
Orange is the New Black season one is quite informative but still fails in enhancing visibility in that the sexual integration is limited to most of the characters. However, the continued use of consent sexual intercourse among the inmates or with the officers is quite empowering in that it eliminates the stereotyping that the GLBTQ are violent and rapists (McKinnon, 2014). GLBTQ characters in the films tend to have reduced roles or freedoms to express themselves. The little sexual engagement in the firm following the provocative sex in the showers forecasted at the beginning of the TV show is proving for the needed change. The lack of gays limits the stereotyping of the GLBTQ visibility.
Conclusion
The GLBTQ visibility has gain momentum for the last three decades as illustrated by the increased GLBTQ characters in Prime-time broadcasts and cable television shows. However, the shows have employed scripted roles that limit representation of the GLBTQ and enhancing stereotyping depictions. In the case of Orange is the New Black, the images and acts seem to change the general notions about the GLBTQ by using emotional and engaging roles rather than violence for the most of the show. The limited sexual illustration is the misrepresentation of the GLBTQ sexuality and a reinforcement of the dominant discourse of sexuality. The trend is improving and representations have been empowering the GLBTQ characters as represented in Orange is the New Black and enhancing the visibility of the GLBTQ community.
References
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. (Glaad) (2014). Where we are on TV Report 2014. glaad. Retrieved March 9, 2018 from http://www.glaad.org/whereweareontv14
Geraths. (2017). Queerly Remembered: Rhetorics for Representing the GLBTQ Past. QED: A Journal In GLBTQ Worldmaking , 4 (2), 193. http://dx.doi.org/10.14321/qed.4.2.0193
Hilton-Morrow, W., & Battles, K. (2015). Sexual identities and the media: An introduction . Routledge.
Lee, P., & Meyer, M. (2010). “We All Have Feelings for Our Girlfriends:” Progressive (?) Representations of Lesbian Lives on the The L Word. Sexuality & Culture, 14(3), 234-250.
McKinnon, R. (2014). Stereotype Threat and Attributional Ambiguity for Trans Women. Hypatia, 29(4), 857-872.
Netflix. (2013). Orange Is the New Black | Netflix Official Site. Netflix.com . Retrieved March 9, 2018, from https://www.netflix.com/ke/title/70242311
Netzley, S. (2010). Visibility That Demystifies: Gays, Gender, and Sex on Television.
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O'BRIEN, L. (2013, July 30). Orange is the New Black: Season 1 Review. IGN . Retrieved March 9, 2018, from http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/30/orange-is-the-new-black-season-1-review
