Society has certainly changed since the conservative days of the 1950s. Especially when it comes to gay and interracial relationships. America’s acceptance of gay relationships has certainly increased, and 32 states and D.C. now allow same sex marriage. The media has also had a great impact on bringing the awareness that being homosexual does not make you any less of an individual.
In fact, many popular television shows feature same sex relationships. On the widely recognized show Glee, there was lesbian couple Brittany and Santana, and gay couple Kurt and Blaine. There was also gay couple Bennet and Walt on The Carrie Diaries. Other same sex relationships on popular shows include Teen Wolf, The Fosters, Queer As Folk, Pretty Little Liars, the Netflix original Orange Is The New Black, and countless others. Some television shows are even entirely based on homosexuality like the show The L Word, which goes into the lives of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people living in the “city of angels”, Los Angeles.
These shows not only show how the characters deal with their sexuality, but how their family members deal with it. Some characters like Connor on How To Get Away With Murder are open about their sexuality and comfortable in their skin, while other characters like Emily on Pretty Little Liars try to deny that they are gay because they come from a family whose strict values frown upon it. It’s great that the media is showing the variety in acceptance from the characters, because it gives viewers a realistic look on the subject. It can positively influence someone who is trying to come out, by showing that people may accept you as who you are, and not everyone will be judgmental.
Interracial couples are also being shown more on television. The show How To Get Away With Murder features the complicated relationship of Annalise and Sam Keating. Modern Family displays the lively relationship of Jay and Gloria Pritchett, and other interracial relationships are shown on popular shows such as Scandal, The Community, My Name Is Earl, The Game, and Happy Endings. However, interracial couples aren’t as new on television as homosexual couples. Interracials couples on TV can date back to the lovable show I Love Lucy, which starred quirky Caucasian wife Lucy Ricardo and her Cuban husband Ricky Ricardo. Another popular interracial couple is Tom and Helen Willis on The Jeffersons.
The progress made in the United States regarding the topics of interracial andgay relationships is substantial. The fact that viewers can turn on a television and see a gay couple or an interracial couple (or sometimes even a gay interracial couple), on a show as commonly as you would see a straight same race couple is truly significant. The media portrays realistic aspects of these lifestyles, and the increasing amount of shows that are including LGBT characters and interracial relationships proves that the audience is loving it.
