Same Sex Families

Historically and present day, homosexuals are not given the same rights as heterosexuals by the U.S. government, especially concerning their right to marriage. Marriage laws are currently on a state level, with only five states having same-sex marriage legalized. Many opponents of same-sex marriage say that marriage is for the purpose of raising children, and that two parents of the same sex are not adequately equipped to raise children.

The topic of same-sex marriage has become a very heated topic the past ten years, especially once celebrities began getting involved.  Activists and academics say that depictions of gay characters on television play a big role in making viewers more comfortable with their gay, lesbian and transgender neighbors.

“TV and movie representation matters,” said Edward Schiappa, a professor of communication studies at the University of Minnesota. In five separate studies, Mr. Schiappa and his colleagues have found that the presence of gay characters on television programs decreases prejudices among viewers of the programs. “These attitude changes are not huge — they don’t change bigots into saints. But they can snowball,” Mr. Schiappa said. (Read the remaining article here )

The first gay character to ever have been showed on TV was in 1981, in the show Hill Street Blues where the gay male prostitute appeared in a couple of episodes before dying of AIDS. Guest appearances of gay characters in one or two episodes occured on a yearly basis, but the characters were often severely stereotyped and depicted as miserable, dysfunctional or tragic. ABC’s show Thirty Something was the first primetime television program to show two men in bed together in 1989, but ABC lost $1.5 million as a result of five of the show’s ten sponsors dropping out in outrage.

Ellen (TV Series)

Ellen Morgan (played by Ellen DeGeneres) was the first starring gay character on television in the sitcom Ellen which aired from 1994 to 1998. The lesbian character was created following Ellen DeGeneres's public coming out, which caused a huge uproar from conservative anti-gay groups. These groups eventually caused the network airing Ellen to pull the show off the network.

It is important to note that Ellen Degeneris was one of the first actresses to openly come out. She recieved a harsh response from the public, but over the years she has changed the way many people percieve lesbians.

Will and Grace

The first popular sitcom which starred two gay men was Will and Grace, which ran from 1998 to 2006. The show depicted a group of friends and the everyday life of gays. It caused a huge uproar among the anti-gay community during the entirety of the show. Several conservative groups claimed that it and shows like it would make homosexuality seem desirable. The show began talking about the "same-sex family" with the help of secondary characters as well as the season finale starring Will in a happy healthy family.

Joe Biden commented that “Will & Grace, probably did more to educate the American public [on the gay life] than almost anything anybody’s ever done so far.”

Ten years later, gay relationships and families are portrayed  as normal, unremarkable - like any other family.  

"The general trajectory has [hollywood] transitioning from minstrel acts and punch lines to relatable everyday characters," says David Hauslaib, founder of Queerty, a media-watching blog "by and for the queer community." He adds, "It's a new era where (being a gay family) is no longer a significant part of the story." (Read more Here)

Modern Family

 The most recent and most popular show following a gay family is Modern Family. Modern Family began airing in 2009 and depicts three different families. One of the families is a gay couple who have an adopted child. Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Fergueson play the characters, Cameron and Mitchell, and have been thrilled with the positive reaction from viewers. In an interview with TV Line "Jesse and I get comments and compliments all the time from gay moms and gay dads who watch the show, and kids from same-sex relationships who say, 'Thanks for being a couple that I can point kids who pick on me at school to and say, 'Hey, Cam and Mitchell are kind of like my family'. Things like that transcend our job."

There is still a lot of progress to be made for the rights and acceptance of homosexuals and their families, but it is through continuing education of the population that equality will be achieved. The best medium to do so is through television, where people fall in love with all types of characters.