Indeed, I would not only argue exposure to pop culture is good for people, I would say it’s necessary. For when it comes to America’s acceptance of LGBT people in everyday life, even the Vice-President of the United States has said fictional LGBT characters have helped the country broaden its horizons.(1)
Having said that, however, pop culture does send one decidedly off note about LGBT people: Most LGBT’s in pop culture are white. Whether hip people living in the city, or young people hanging out with their friends, virtually no LGBT characters are of color. Indeed, thinking about it, I couldn’t come up with a single LGBT person of color.
Certainly some people can do better than that -- but not much. In a 2012 poll by “The Backlot,” readers identified only three people of color amongst the 20 they selected as “favorite (LGBT) TV characters of all time.”(2)
Obviously, this isn’t the most scientific of surveys. But with LGBT minority representation on TV at best just 15 percent, something is clearly out of whack. This, when some 37 percent of the actual population considers themselves of color.(3)
Sadly, in this regard pop culture is is failing us, says Daryl C. Hannah: “These portrayals inaccurately promote a world in which it would appear that LGBT people of color do not exist, or that acceptance of LGBT people is exclusive to white populations.” (4)
(No, have no idea who Daryl C. Hannah is, just as you don’t. However, as he is the Director of Media and Community Partnerships with GLAAD and has been published by many prominent publications, I’m assuming he must be fairly smart.)
And Darryl’s not even scratching the surface.
According to a 2012 Gallup poll, people that identified themselves as LGBT:
* 4.6 percent of African-Americans
* 4 percent of Hispanics
* 4.3 percent of Asians
* 3.2 percent of whites.(5)
So, not only are there LGBT people among people of color, there are in fact more LGBT people among minority populations than among the white population. Overall, said the survey, “a third of those identifying as LGBT are nonwhite.”(5) Easily more than double the number portrayed on television.
This is about as screwed up as it gets. At least since everyone in the Big Apple was exclusively white on “Friends.” Or “Sex in the City.” Or “Girls.” Seriously, if it’s not a crime show, are there any people of color living in televised New York City?
At this point you may be wondering why I’m making such a big deal of this. It certainly isn’t because I’m a frustrated person of color. Underneath all that white makeup is an equally white face. (Seriously. Where I live, the sun’s only out about 90 days a year.)
But as someone who works with young people, I know the influential power of mass media, particularly television. And if we are to accept faithfully Joe Biden’s assertion that LGBT’s on television have moved the country forward, we need to be equally honest that portraying all of them at white isn’t forward thinking at all.
That’s why over the next few columns we’ll be looking at Native Americans, Asians, Hispanics and African-Americans and the role LGBT people play in those cultures. I swear, it won’t be boring. Though I will admit there will be no zombies.(6)
References:
1) Joe Biden credits 'Will and Grace' in his (sorta) endorsement of gay marriage; the stars respond
http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/05/06/joe-biden-will-and-grace-gay-marriage/
… and so did the White House, because once again Joe Biden had gone off-message...
1a) Hillary Clinton Almost Replaced Joe Biden And 11 Other Shocking Facts From 'Double Down'
http://www.ibtimes.com/hillary-clinton-almost-replaced-joe-biden-11-other-shocking-facts-double-down-1452212
2) AfterElton’s Top 50 Favorite TV Characters
http://www.thebacklot.com/aftereltons-top-50-favorite-tv-characters/
2a) in case you were wondering: Lafayette Reynolds of True Blood, Omar Little of The Wire and Santana Lopez of Glee.
3) Census: Minorities Constitute 37 Percent of U.S. Population
http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/demographics/census-minorities-constitute-37-percent-of-u-s-population-20120517
4) More Representation for LGBT People of Color
http://www.theroot.com/views/more-representation-lgbt-people-color
5) Gallup study: 3.4 percent of US adults are LGBT
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=893&sid=3083798
6) Gay Zombie (2007)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054488/
Yes, this is a real movie.