Ovsepyan 1

Andrew Ovsepyan
Professor Makarosyan
English 114B
April 12, 2016
Same-Sex Marriage Portrayed in Media
No longer may this liberty be denied, said Justice Anthony M. Kennedy when the
Supreme Court decided to legalize same-sex marriage on June 26, 2015. Even though now samesex marriage is legal, it is still a huge controversy for many. There are usually three sides of the
argument. There are those who are strongly against it, those who are strongly for it, and those
who are neutral. For the first two groups, it is very difficult to change their stance. However,
those who are neutral, especially the younger generations, can be swayed easily. That is where
the media comes into play. The media plays a huge role in marketing to the public. It is
responsible for many positive and negative opinions about certain issues. Same-sex marriages
have been a hot topic for the media. The media has been trying to positively represent same-sex
marriages by helping the society see what life is like in the shoes of a same-sex couple.
The easiest age group to influence are the teenagers. Teens are impressionable and are
constantly trying to find themselves and with the social media playing a huge role in the lives of
current teens, it is easy to see why teens are the easiest to influence.
It could be argued that the teenagers contributed to the acceptance of same-sex marriages.
The Pew Research Center stated, The rise in support for same-sex marriage over the past decade
is among the largest changes in opinion on any policy issue [M]uch of the shift is attributable
to the arrival of a large cohort of young adults who are far more open to gay rights than previous
generations (qtd.in Ayoub and Garretson 2). With society evolving and being more open to

Ovsepyan 2

accepting changes, the youth are the foundation in leading the change. Teens who are strong
believers in equality for all have been calling attention to important taken over social media
proposing change with gay rights by targeting neutral teens and adults to follow them in a path to
bring equality to all people, no matter if they are homo- or hetero- sexual.
Video games and teens go together perfectly. It has been argued many times that video
games contribute to the youths behavior and sometimes opinions. That is why many video game
companies are introducing a homosexual protagonist. The representation of a homosexual
character in the positive light helps with the acceptance of homosexual individuals. Video games
like Assassin's Creed, Dragon Age 3, and Fallout have included homosexual characters into their
video games. The user does not care about the fact that the hero is homosexual, which is the
point the video game companies are trying to make. Also a homosexual person seeing that he/she
is represented in the game feels more accepted. In an article published in The Daily Dot, Jack
Flanagan says, Modern game titles now have more people who exist outside traditional gender
and sexual orientations, represented more broadly and accurately. We are getting to a place where
we can say that there are relatable and realistic gay characters young gamers can be inspired by
(Flanagan 1). Children are often taught that homosexual people should be looked upon different
and should not be looked at as heroes. Now, children can play as a homosexual character and
realize that there is no difference between a homosexual and a straight person, they can also see
that there is no difference in the types of marriages.
Another major way the media has helped with representation of same-sex marriages was
by featuring same-sex couples in movies and TV shows. Throughout the years there has been
more and more shows portraying same sex married couples. After the Supreme Court ruled
same-sex marriage would be legal nationwide, TIME magazine published an article talking about

Ovsepyan 3

how TV shows featuring a gay couple could have influenced the public into being in favor of gay
marriage. It was said, According to a 2012 Hollywood Reporter poll, 27% of people who had
changed their minds about gay marriage from anti- to pro- in the last decade said that they made
their decision after watching gay characters on shows like Modern Family and Glee
(Dockterman 1). Modern Family is a great example of a show portraying a married gay couple.
The characters are happily married and have adopted a little girl. They argue, makeup, and love
each other just like any traditional families do. It is easy to look past the fact that a married
same-sex couple is being shown on TV nowadays, but it was a major part in helping same-sex
couples get equality in marriage. The TV and movie industry has changed views of same-sex
marriage positively by showing couples that are just like every other couple that has been
traditionally recognized.
Another way of influencing the public is through books and other written media forms.
Many authors who are homosexual have written about their own struggles and experiences to
help readers get a feeling of what it is like to be in their shoes. In an article titled Why Gay
Marriage Is Good for Straight America, Andrew Sullivan writes about growing up being told
that he will never experience what love is because of his sexuality. Sullivan writes, The small
percentage of people who are gay or lesbian were born, as all humans are, with the capacity to
love and the need to be loved. These things, above everything, are what make life worth living
(Sullivan 2). Many people can relate to Sullivans story because they experienced similar
struggles with being homosexual and being treated differently for it. Sullivan points out that
human beings need love regardless of their sexuality. A same-sex marriage is a unity of two
people who are in love and nothing more or less than that.

Ovsepyan 4

Probably the biggest type of media influence comes from music. Every car has a radio
and the majority of people have music players. One of the biggest artists in todays music
industry is Sam Smith, who is a homosexual man. Amy LaCount, writer for Music.Mic tells us
how Sam Smith has changed the music industry. LaCount writes, It was the year that Sam
Smith showed that love songs don't have to be heteronormative to be beloved (LaCount 1).
Most love songs talk about a man or woman falling in love with the opposite sex. Sam Smith and
many other artists changed it around to show that a man can fall in love with a man and a woman
can fall in love with a woman.
LaCount also uses one of Sam Smiths quotes where he talks about how he wants his
music to cause a change in society. Smith says,
My aim is to tell people how good it's been for me so that, hopefully, gay men or
parents with gay children can look at my story and think, Wow, that's how it
should be. That's what we can work towards. That's been my whole motive to
not make it a talking point. My music should be a talking point. (LaCount 2).
A music star that is beloved by fans and looked up to by many people sings about his story of
growing up a gay man. Sam Smith along with many same-sex artists have demonstrated to the
society about how hard life is growing up as a homosexual person. These musicians have been
showing us through music what it is like to fall in love, regardless of sexuality.
It is noticeable by statistics that the number of same-sex marriages has been increasing
yearly and that is in large part to the representation to same-sex couples in media sources. The
younger generations are becoming the leading vote on our social problems, and because the
media can influence them easily, the media starts to play a bigger role in our society. The
younger generations grow up on advanced technology and exposure to many different sides of a

Ovsepyan 5

story and not just a single view. As medias representation of same-sex marriages increase, the
increased support for same-sex marriages will follow.
The media has started to progress in positively representing same-sex marriages. It has
helped popularize same-sex marriages. TV shows and movies have started to feature more samesex couples. Homosexual authors and musicians have helped the society understand what it is
like growing up gay by telling their stories. In addition, video games have started to introduce
homosexual protagonists which again helps with the representation of homosexuals. All of these
have helped portray same-sex marriages in different ways and helped the public be more
accepting. However, it should not stop here. These are just a few examples of same-sex
marriages being portrayed in media sources. Same-sex marriage being legalized in 2015, we
have a long way to go. There are still many homosexuals who live in fear of being judged and do
not feel like they can be themselves. More representations of happily married same-sex couples
would help children who are homosexual feel accepted and feel that they can have a happily ever
after with whoever they want.

Ovsepyan 6

Work Cited
Ayoub, Phillip M., and Jeremiah Garretson. "Getting the message out: Media context and global
changes in attitudes toward homosexuality." American Political Science Association
Annual Meeting, Washington, DC. 2014.
Dockterman, Eliana. "These Shows Helped Shape America's Attitudes About Gay
Relationships." Time. Time, 26 June 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Flanagan, Jack. "The Complete History of LGBT Video Game Characters." The Daily Dot. 16
May 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
LaCount, Amy. "16 LGBT Musicians Who Are Shattering Stereotypes and Making It Big."
Music.Mic. 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Pew Research. 2013. "Growing Support for Gay Marriage: Changed Minds and Changing
Demographics." accessed on April. 20th, 2016
Sullivan, Andrew. Why Gay Marriage Is Good for Straight America. The Contemporary
Reader. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1990. 414-417.