Homosexuals In A Heterosexual World-Studies On Homophobia Reflected In The Late 20^th Century American Queer Cinema

In America, the 1960s and 1970s saw a series of social movements which aroused attention of the nation to the equal rights of certain segments of American society -- black Americans struggling against discrimination, women longing to get out of the home and into a career, and homosexuals craving for more understanding and acceptance from the society, etc. The Stonewall Rebellion was generally considered as the flash point for a nationwide homosexual movement of liberation. Technically, as of 1973, homosexuality was no longer a psychiatric disease according to the American Psychiatric Association, but American public opinion did not shift in synch with the APA or those social movements. Homophobia, hatred or fear of homosexuals or homosexuality, like all social prejudices, is not easily given up by the majority or other segments of society who hold such prejudices. Nevertheless, some progress has been made since the later part of the last century.Prejudice is learned from the other individuals and institutions that make up our social environment. Prejudice based on religious belief is particularly difficult to change because of the assumed "divine voice of authority" laying out the beliefs and proscriptions in holy or revered texts. The mass media, too, especially the movies, shapes public opinion in subtle yet profound ways with its negative stereotypes of homosexuals on the "big screen". Monsterization, is a genre of negative representation reflected in movies, for example, Monster in the Closet, and Interview with a Vampire. But more and more positive attitudes towards homosexuals are also being presented in movies like Philadelphia.In order to illustrate how media shapes audience opinion, this thesis introduces the Cone Effect Theory and the Identity Theory. Due to the limitations of personal, firsthand exposure to the world, people gain their social attitudes, positive and negative, through representations of life seen in mass media. Often we only get our ideas of some event or situation via the media, e.g. the war in Iraq. Since the percentage of ordinary Americans who report personally knowing homosexuals is rather low, many people adopt their attitudes about them from religious teaching and from the media, especially movies. To these people, all homosexuals are like those represented on the screen. Therefore, this explains, though only partially, the basis for homophobia.To overcome this hostile attitude held by some towards homosexuals is a difficult task. Legal protection and positive, or at least, unbiased media representation are essential in this struggle. In this way bridges of understanding between divergent cultures, homosexual and heterosexual, can be gradually constructed. However, this is no easy task.