Stereotypes And Stereotypes Of The Media - 1734 Words

In our media-intensive culture, it is not difficult to find different opinions as well as stereotypes. Stereotypes are found in the media every day and affect our opinion as well as how we perceive others. Stereotypes of the GLBT community in the media are most commonly found in movies or in TV shows but they rarely talk about their sexual identity. When their identity is being portrayed, it is shown with some form of stereotype. The identity of the homosexual seems to stem from a stereotype itself; sometimes as if the GLBT community has formed their identities based on stereotypes. Men are commonly shown as â€Å"feminine† while women are portrayed to be â€Å"masculine†. Other stereotypes such as that all gay men are all into fashion or that†¦show more content†¦These very stereotypes have influenced all of our views on LGBT men and women. Stereotypes are damaging ideas about how a group of people are supposed to behave and act. It dehumanizes them by lumping them into broad categories it takes away their traits that makes them unique and it does not define their personality and turns them into a form of objects. The idea that the male homosexual is directly linked to feminism is inaccurate. While there are some males who express themselves in behaviors that are considered to be feminine, there are others who do not. Gay men are displayed to seem interested in fashion, are meticulous, and are emotional but in reality not all men display these characteristics. This stereotype damages gay males in the extent that they are playing a role in which gay men are hiding their uniqueness as individual human beings because of the formation of these stereotypes. Sexual behavior and desire varies from person to person and like all humans, gay people also have sexual needs. The stereotype of them having sex with multiple partners also increases the generalization that all gay people may have AIDS or HIV. According to US statistics, gay people of all races are in fact the most severely affected with HIV but the misconception that they all have AIDS or HIV is wrong. This is harmful to the gay community because men and women who are heterosexual fear