With increased LGBT visibility, Hollywood got on board. While TV and movies reflected cultural attitudes—depictions of LGBT characters were often stereotypical—they also pushed American culture towards wider acceptance.
As Seen on the Big and Little Screen
“It is an old stereotype, that homosexuality has to do only with sex while heterosexuality is multifaceted and embraces love and romance.”
—author Vito Russo, in The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies
Clips from a variety of television shows and movies, which show some of the ways Hollywood has dealt with LGBT characters and topics. Compiled by Greenhouse Media, 2015
“It’s important for members of the LGBT community to be seen as part of the picture, to be seen as ‘us’ rather than as ‘them.’ We should be part of the landscape, doing the kinds of things everybody does. If people don’t see you in the culture, it allows people to spread bigoted ideas.”
—Steven Capsuto, author of Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television, 1930s to the Present