Justice is a Queer Issue

Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. 

All of these terms are identifiers for those individuals whom either through their gender identification, sexuality, or both, do not conform or exist in society’s normal that has been established in the modern era. Rather than being heteronormative and engaging in sex and sex acts with differing gender, LGBTQ folk deviate from the standard binary and identify with sexualities outside of the box that is solely reserved to be checked by the heterosexual. 

However, checking the box of heterosexuality is like checking a box of privilege, power, and opportunity. By identifying within that binary people, like me, receive a certain amount of freedom and justice that those who check elsewhere do not receive. This thus brings forward the very real, very raw, and very damaging issue of queer injustice that perpetuates in society in numerous ways. One important way in which injustice is perpetuated is through the media and LGBTQ inclusion and representation through television and TV.

In society, particularly American society, sex and sexuality dominates culture and is evident everywhere we turn. The media and culture in America is hyper sexualized focusing intently on sex in all forms, such as sex acts, sexual fantasies, and the prevalence of sexual images available in print and digital forms. This in turn then adds to the increase of sexualized scandals making sex an extremely prevalent thing, but also something that can easily be criminalized once it is outside of what is viewed as normal. Michael Warner discusses this paradox in his book The Trouble With Normal and writes, “American culture presents a paradox. Of all nations, it is the most obsessed with sex, and of all nations it is the most easily scandalized.” As a society, we focus intently on sex but only through the lens of normal that includes sex between a male and female.

As a result, heterosexuality is often highly represented in the media and sometimes heterosexual relationships between a male and female are the only forms of representation of relationships available. The lack of queer bodies in media and movies creates a cultural obsession with normative heterosexual sex fantasized by the bodies of a man and a woman. This unfortunately then makes straight sex the only acceptable form of sex to have which is oppressive and restrictive to a large populous of peoples.

As this image is then forced upon the masses through movies, television, and primetime news, the social construct then forms. In other words, it is normalized and what we see is how we expect or prioritize our relationships in response to what socially is acceptable. As a result, American society has taken the shape in which our motto could very well be something along the lines of, “straight is great” as heterosexual relationships and marriage have become the end all goal for many individuals’ lives. With this ideal then comes forward the normative nature of sexuality and how normal sex has evolved into a structure. Queer theorist Michael Warner continues in his book to flesh out this idea by explaining it in a chart, “Good, Normal, Natural [sex]: heterosexual, married, monogamous, procreative… Bad, Abnormal, Unnatural [sex]: homosexual, unmarried, promiscuous, nonprocreative…” In our world based on the societal structures that we have created for ourselves we have engaged in a normalcy that has dehumanized and perpetuated injustice against the Queer community.

The issue of Queer justice has evolved out of our own restrictions we have placed on what is right and wrong when it comes to our bodies, gender expressions, and sexuality. Historically, Queers have been mistreated and policed because of their inability and refusal to conform to what the previous powerful heterosexual majority has decided as the correct way to engage in sex. They have been brutalized, ostracized, and denied basic freedoms that many people who belong in the heteronormative elite have access to. For example, in their book Queer (In)Justice authors Joey Mogul, Andrea Ritchie, and Kay Whitlock highlight some of the struggles these people face. They demonstrate that, “The policing of queer sexualities has been arguably the most visible and recognized point of contact between LGBT people and the criminal legal system… [and] it is essential to bring the persistent police violence experienced by the LGBT people to the fore of these movements” Here is direct evidence of how a group of peoples has been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation and how these peoples face injustice as a result to our normalization of straight sex and relationships and how we essentially straight wash the media that we consume as members of American society.

Heterosexism exists in the media realm and more often than not is a result of unconscious bias in how we have so far deeply delved ourselves into our harmful norms. According to The Critical Media Project, an organization dedicated to “media literacy and the politics of identity” it is a common theme that movies and TV shows that have mostly straight characters enhance heterosexism and the observed patterns of heteronormativity in how we represent individuals and sexual relationships. A majority of the time these thought processes and portrayals are not consciously acted upon but rather are the result of unconscious biases that we as citizens have absorbed throughout our lives. However, understanding that it is an unconscious bias does not provide room to plead ignorance. Conscious or not, a large injustice occurs everyday to the queer population because of the way that we handle our media consumption.

In 2015, the era of gay marriage legalization, surely we must have queer representation in the media, right? I mean look at Modern Family and other sitcoms showing what the current life of the American looks like which very much includes gay couples, and Neil Patrick Harris exists and has the most adorable family ever, right?

However, there are way more shows than Modern Family, and way more gay actors than just Neil Patrick Harris proving that yes, there are probably way more queer folk than we are allowing ourselves to admit.

According to GLAAD, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and their “Where we are on TV Report 2014” although representation of Gay and Lesbians in popular culture and mainstream media has been on the rise since the 1990s there still is a gap in how LGBTQ folks are seen in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts. They found that out of the 813 primetime broadcast scripted regular series on television currently 32, or 3.9%; of the characters would be LGBT. Also, while looking at these statistics it is important to note the intersectionality of the issue and the data that follows it. Black women and men are still underrepresented in roles and gender stereotypes, race, and class also play a role in what is represented and what is not. This then creates a multifaceted injustice that must be recognized and remedied so that LGBTQ populations can achieve justice in the land of the red, white, and blue that unjustly favors the white, straight, and normal.

How might we then, the population that embraces the norm of sexuality and the binary that we have perpetuated, create room for queer justice in society? How is it that we may change the structures and queer representations in the media to create a more inclusive society where LGBTQ members have the opportunity to participate and embrace themselves where the norm is destructuralized and a new norm does not take root? 

I think that when addressing this injustice it is important to recognize and make room for queer groups to come forward and be heard when it comes to media and television. Without providing room for queer focused specific media groups representation still is in the hands of the powered and privileged heterosexual community making entertainment for the assumed fully heterosexual populace. I think that LGBTQ people need to be empowered in society so that they can assume more leadership roles making it possible for them to change the way society operates. I do believe that the norm must be shifted, but instead of a new norm being structuralized it should be a fluid society that allows all members to participate without assign oppressive structures and roles. It is only when we rid ourselves of our normal structure that LGBTQ people can achieve justice.

Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Queer. 

All of these identifiers need to be allowed and spoken ALOUD in order for change to occur.

Also, be an aware entertainment consumer. Understand the injustice behind the guilty pleasure you indulge in weekly and educate yourself. Here are some recommendations for LGBTQ friendly shows: