Through the recent emersion of the gay culture in mass media, homosexuality is slowly but surely becoming more open and accepted in our society. Will & Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Boy Meets Boy, and Queer as Folk, target different audiences but portray the same message in terms of increasing societal acceptance, helping young adults with sexuality struggles.
NBC’s Will & Grace has had a positive impact on our society’s view of the gay lifestyle, combining minimal stereotypes with humor and drama. Both Gay and straight people enjoy this show with its clean, yet dirty or laughable comedy. This combination has proved successful as Will & Grace occupies one of the top spots on the Nielson ratings. The show was prime time’s number 3 show among adults 18-49 and number two comedy in the same time slot, as well as network television’s most upscale-skewing comedy. The comedy led its time period last season among adults 18-49, defeating CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Will & Grace replaced ridicule with laughter and counteracted homophobia in households.
Conversely, Showtime’s Queer as Folk targeted more of a gay audience than a straight one. Queer as Folk could be described as a gay-themed soap opera dealing specifically with gay issues that impact both homosexuals and our society as a whole. Despite the fact that many scenes harbor explicit stereotypes and innuendos, along with strong sexual content, nudity, and graphic language, homosexuality has been immersed in our culture; it is now up to the public whether or not to watch. This choice is the significant aspect of homosexuality becoming more acknowledged and even respected in our culture.
On the other hand, Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy has taken hold of a number of gay stereotypes, hiring specialists within these specific areas and turning the normal makeover story into a humorous adventure, for straight and gay people alike. The "Fab 5" is an elite team of gay men who have dedicated their lives to extolling the simple virtues of style, taste and class. In each episode their goal is to transform a style-deficient and culture-deprived straight man from drab to Fab in each of their respective categories: fashion, food and wine, interior design, grooming and culture. The series was created by David Collins, a gay man, and developed by David Metzler, a straight man. This combination of viewpoints provides the show with its humor, profundity and flare. These qualities turn the normal makeover into a lifestyle make-over — a make better show where straight guys turn in their pleats for flat fronts, learn about wines that don’t come in a jug and come to understand why hand soap is not a good shampoo (and vice versa). When the journey is done, a freshly scrubbed, newly enlightened, ultra hip man emerges. The "happy ending" stresses an excellent image of the gay lifestyle and the excellent work of the Fab Five.
Bravo also broadcasted the first gay dating series, Boy Meets Boy. The show illustrated that fact that gay people date just like the straight segment of society and thus enabled viewers to relate. The fact that our society can actually tap in on a gay dating scene, that it is broadcast in the first place, implying that homosexuality is ok and semi-accepted, demonstrates great progress.
All of these shows have come together to bring homosexuality onto the television and into the public eye. It helps struggling gay teenagers by way of social support in relation to coming out of the closet and simply being open about who they are. Due to these television programs, which show homosexuality in a positive light, there is a sense of decreased bigotry.
Through constant reiterations and everyday portrayals of homosexual lifestyles, the public is becoming more and more aware of the ever-present existence of homosexuality in our culture today. The mass media has contributed to further societal acceptance through these television shows which in turn also help young adults coping with their own sexualities because for the first time in history, they realize that they are in fact, not alone.