What are we letting into our homes?

In the It Gets Better at BYU video, some LGBT students voiced their conviction that their fellow students are not hateful. One mentions that when he comes out to people, those people often become their strongest advocates. I've heard this said over and over, it seems to be a well-documented truth that once someone knows a gay person, their views change dramatically.

So, I found this article (NPR: How television brought gay people into our homes) really interesting, as it relates to the fact that Americans have grown increasingly accepting of the idea of same-sex marriage. In 1996, only 27% were in support, while current polls show the approval rate at around or slightly above 50%. I certainly don't think that TV is responsible alone for this, but it's interesting to examine this idea.

Cultivation theory says that TV has a long term cumulative effect on attitudes, so if acceptance of homosexuality or support for same-sex marriage is depicted more on TV, there could be some effect on the attitudes of viewers. There is also the personal relationships theory, which says that people often watch certain TV shows because they relate to the characters, and feel that they have a relationship with them. So, could it be that when one watches a show and finds themselves relating to a gay character, their feelings towards real gay people change? Could a loveable gay television character have something of a similar effect on someone's views as making a gay friend? 

 

Now, please don't misunderstand- I am not at all saying that liking a gay TV character is the same as knowing a gay person, or that someone could understand all gay people through a TV show. You can't. Media characters will never be a 3-dimensional as a real person. But I am saying that TV characters have the potential to challenge preconceived notions of what gay people are like by showing alternatives to one's mental schema.

And if this is true, what are people letting in to their homes when they connect with a gay character on TV? I think it's possible that they're exposing themselves and their children to increased understanding.