Increases in representations of gay people in news, television, and movies started in the 1990s – prominently exemplified by Ellen DeGeneres’s coming out on mainstream American television in her portrayal of Ellen Morgen in the ABC-sitcom, Ellen. The central question driving our study is: Does the specific nature and context of a nation's media influence attitudes towards homosexuality?
#Find the most famous gay men in the gay movies tv#
Building on this idea, we argue that “imagined contact” even with characters in a TV show can change perceptions of outgroups. Gordon Allport, an influential psychologist, is often cited in scholarly research for his contact thesis – which, put simply, says that under the right conditions, interpersonal contact is one of the best ways to reduce prejudice between majority and minority groups. Information that flows through media – via television, movies, music, books and many other channels – encourages contact and communication between groups and even across national boundaries. Our research shows that the media can play a transnational role in shaping political attitudes towards sexuality and minorities in general, especially affecting the views of more impressionable, younger individuals.
![find the most famous gay men in the gay movies find the most famous gay men in the gay movies](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/34/1c/47/341c479bd36539f8f67127539c408f2e.jpg)
In our recent work, we explore how the media has contributed to this major change. In the United States and beyond, few shifts in public opinion have been as rapid and widespread as attitudes about lesbian women and gay men.