The Importance Of LGBTQI+ Diversity In Film

Written by: Mansour Shukoor | He/Him | IG: @mansour_shukoor

Diversity in film has long been an issue for filmmakers. Straight white men have been the face of cinema since the era of silent films. You’d think when sound and colour was introduced this would have changed. Alas this was not the case and films still focused on the narrative journey of straight white men in the postmodern world.

The year is now 2021 and things have not really changed in regards to LGBTQI+ inclusivity in film. There are but a few glimpses of hope with the release of films like Love, Simon in 2018. A film which saw Nick Robinson thrust into the role of Simon Spier, a gay teenager navigating life both before and after his coming out to society.

Most recently in 2020 Hollywood gave us the post modern Christmas classic, Happiest Season. A film which saw Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davies portraying lesbian lovers who go home for Christmas. The films comedic heart comes from the fact that Davies characters parents are still unaware that their daughter is lesbian and that Stewart is actually her partner...not her female friend as she is introduced in the film.

Films like these undoubtedly give me hope that maybe one day when a LGBTQI+ influenced film is released it is not seen as a fad or gimmick, but just another film. This is the downside that the LGBTQI+ community is going to have to live with, and yes it may feel like pandering by the film industry at first. However once LGBTQI+ films are accepted within the zeitgeist and not seen as a massive spectacle. Then and only then will I feel as though pro LGBTQI+ films have been legitimised as a form of cinema.

Being an ethnic minority has always placed me in a position where I do not see familiar faces on the big screen. After decades of uphill battle the faces of cinema are starting to change. Mahershala Ali, an African American Muslim man has solidified his place as Hollywood’s go to actor in a climate as toxic as today’s. Rami Malek has also made his mark playing iconic positive roles giving young Arabic children a positive representation on the big screen.

Now that being said I do not think racial representation is no longer an issue in postmodern film. I do think there are steps being taken in the right direction however. My cognitive dissonance towards the art of film is finally coming to an end as I see people who look like me all over the entertainment world. So when I see young LGBTQI+ youth yearning for representation of their people. I sympathise and I understand that society fought for me to have positive film representation. So I will fight for the LGBTQI+ community to have the same.

While this inclusivity of the gay and lesbian community is ground breaking. It does pose the question. Why is Hollywood only comfortable with portraying the gay and lesbian members of the LGBTQI+ community in a positive light?

It does not take much research to understand Hollywood’s inability to properly represent, for example, the trans community. Gender Minorities Aotearoa, a national peer led gender advocacy organisation in New Zealand published a study titled, [Mis]Representation of Transgender Women in Films.

The study found that films which include the talents of trans characters and actors often limit the narrative surrounding trans women to 12 narrative plot devices. These are;

The cis perspective
The joke
The murderer
Only the transition
The beautiful death
Victims of violence and rape
Misgendering
Sexualisation
The crazy one
The pathetic trans
Men in dresses
Fictionalised retellings

This misrepresentation or lack of representation in some cases is harmful to young trans men and women. As well as the entire LGBTQI+ community in its entirety.

The Centre for Scholars and Storytellers, a US based academic support network which aims to advance positive youth development in conjunction with UCLA published a piece which perfectly explains why inclusivity in film and television is important. The piece is titled Why it’s so important for kids to see diverse TV and movie characters.

The piece focuses on four core points film makers can focus on when aiming to be diverse in their casting and story telling. These points are;

That children internalise stereotypes that are placed before them. It is these stereotypes which can impact how they view others or even themselves. Therefore a positive view of that reality is crucial to their development.
People who are different do not have to be villain’s. Always making those who are of different races or identify as part of the LGBTQI+ community the villain gives youths negative perceptions of themselves.
Actors and actresses who are not white and not straight are most of the time portrayed as sidekicks. Placing this idea in the heads of young children can be harmful to their growth as individuals, and may leave them looking to someone else for validation.
Having a diverse cast is not enough if their stories are always the same. Not only is a diverse cast necessary, but so is a diverse story.

There is undoubtedly a necessity for inclusion of The LGBTQI+ community. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics over 3% of the Australian population identifies as apart of the LGBTQI+ community. This 3% of the population is being excluded from being properly represented. This is just in Australia...

Across the world young LGBTQI+ children are also being denied their right to fair representation on the cinema screens. Simply because filmmakers do not understand the true impacts of misrepresentation. It is not just about casting for example actual gay, lesbian and trans people to play gay, lesbian and trans roles. It is about telling the stories of the LGBTQI+ community with some dignity and respect.

Films which deserve your full support that appropriately cast LGBTQI+ characters include;