Ohio University’s LGBT Center will be having weekly gatherings to watch TV shows and movies in order to analyze queer narratives in the media.
The LGBT Center plans to get together every Monday at 5 p.m. in Baker Center 354. Although the screenings will be held in the center, all students are welcomed.
According to Joseph Metcalf, a student worker from the LGBT Center, the center has had only one meeting so far this school year. During their meeting, they discussed and touched on TV shows they have analyzed and used for discussions during past semesters.
Metcalf, a sophomore studying adolescent-to-young-adult — mathematics, said the center will be “playing it by ear” and are currently “taking advice for which shows will work.”
In the past, some of the TV shows that have been screened, included: Steven Universe, The Fosters and One Day at a Time.
One Day at a Time in particular discusses Latino culture, Metcalf said. The show has been adapted for a Netflix reboot and has themes discussing gender equality, coming out and immigration among others.
Some students voiced their opinions about the TV shows they watch, such as the ones listed above, and if those TV shows provide proper representation.
Morgan Hunter, a junior studying community and public health, said she believes that shows currently airing on TV have good representation.
“It is very diverse,” she said.
A second opinion came from Irene Hancock, a senior studying integrated language arts, who spoke about the TV show, Shameless. Hancock explained she particularly liked the sixth season of the series.
“(Shameless) did a really good job of talking about transgender youth”, Hancock said, adding that the show “did it in a funny way.”
To Hancock, the show casts a positive spotlight on LGBT-identifying individuals, “especially in later seasons,” she said.
With TV shows such as One Day at a Time, there will be a variety of both good and bad representation, which in Metcalf’s opinion, is positive.
It is very important to be able to get representation for more than just one story, Metcalf said.
“Part of why we’re doing this is to talk about the good and bad”, he said.
