In 2018 Netflix debuted "Queer Eye", a rebirth of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" one of the only shows in the early 2000s featuring openly gay men, and positively at that. Although comparatively, the 2004 "Queer Eye" was selling American audiences caricatures of gay men, forcing them into a narrow box, whereas 2018s "Queer Eye" is groundbreaking in its representation of queer people.
The 2018 cast of "Queer Eye" is noticeably more diverse than the original, which featured all-white men with the exception of Jai Rodriguez. The current cast includes Karamo Brown, an African American, Tan France, who is Pakistani, and Jonathan Van Ness who recently came out as non-binary. In our heteronormative society "Queer Eye"'s diverse cast is anathema to the stereotypical gay man we were used to seeing in media; cowardly, effeminate, and usually the butt of the joke.
Popular media holds a substantial amount of power over cultural perception, and we often believe what we see and read in media, whether it is substantiated or not. Unfortunately, this means a lack of representation in popular media, specifically for LGBTQ people, signifies a lack of acceptance. "Queer Eye" has created a space for queer people to be seen and heard, as individuals.
Consequently, most intolerance, such as homophobia, stems from fear due to ignorance. Accurate portrayals of LGBTQ people, like "Queer Eye", provide a face to what was once an unknown entity or an unbelievable character. On the same note, "The Laramie Project" shows the horror of what can come from homophobia likely fueled by false media depictions of queer people. Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson used homophobic stereotypes to defend their assault of Mathew Shepard, claiming that Matthew has come onto them. Perhaps if McKinney and Henderson had been exposed to accurate representations of LGBTQ people they would have seen Matthew as a person and not an other.
In addition to media changes, McCabe , Dragowski & Rubinson study "What Is Homophobic Bias Anyway? Defining and Recognizing Microaggressions and Harassment of LGBTQ Youth" uncovers the importance of monitoring school language for microaggressions. The impact of homophobic language in schools is two-fold, affecting the aggressors' target, and negatively impacting the mental health of those who hear. Unfortunately, McCabe, et al. argue that school climate is directly related to the wider community, where heteronormativity "allows for stigmatization and marginalization of those who are perceived as deviating from the norm of heterosexuality".
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