LGBTQIA+ inclusive films accounted for 23.6% of 2024 films released by major Hollywood studios. This is almost five percent lower than in 2022 and represents a setback in the industry, as everyone deserves to have their stories shared and shown.
Films are meant to reflect real life; they are a mirror and a looking glass into the bigger picture of the world. Representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in film is meant to represent the world around us and demonstrate how every human has a deeper story.
The film “Plainclothes” was released in September and follows Lucas, Tom Blyth, a young, closeted police officer struggling with his sexuality. He conceals and even assists in arresting other gay men, continuously repressing his own self and creating a large cloud of anxiety around him.
This film demonstrates how painful and overwhelming it can be to hide one's true self. Blyth stated in an interview with Gay Times Magazine that creating these films is important because “You can’t deny people’s humanity.”
Someone may relate to a character and use this as inspiration for their own story. When it comes to the LGBTQIA+ community, seeing others loving who they love and being who they are, even if it is a fictional story, may leave a larger impact than realized.
Films representing various groups as much as they can is important because familiarity can go hand in hand with embracement. If we do or see something often, it becomes less big or radical and more accepted as a part of life. The mere-exposure effect explains how simply being familiar with things creates a preference for them, without us even truly realizing it. This effect emphasizes the importance of seeing everyone represented. Straight and cisgender relationships have been seen in films since films were created, going back to the classic prince and princess fairytales.
These films have shown that balancing the playing field of what we see is important. All identities deserve to be the main character’s story and not in the form of a rare occurrence for a side character, as familiarity correlates with acceptance.
Films can represent the imbalance of LGBTQIA+ setbacks occurring in the world. This year, the Trump administration discontinued the suicide hotline specific to LGBTQIA+ youth. This hotline was a way for young LGBTQIA+ individuals to speak with those specifically trained to help them. With this tool being taken from those struggling, the film industry can step up and show young audiences everyone matters, and everyone’s stories will be shared.
The industry can create more focus around being inclusive to LGBTQIA+ people by creating more stories focused on the community or even just including more LGBTQIA+ characters in other stories. This is important because films have the power to speak to a larger audience and reach people struggling.
Queer cinema creates a place for people to witness humanity and see stories that either represent them or embrace others. Sharing LGBTQIA+ stories is vital for representation. Films are a glimpse into the real world, showing that such groups can be able to find themselves and feel accepted, as everyone's existence is real and important.
Kyra Dapore is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Kyra know by emailing her at kd364521@ohio.edu.
