{{Short description|Media made for and/or by LGBTQ people}} {{Multiple issues| {{Original research|date=May 2020}} {{Missing information|history, usage and impact of its topic|date=May 2020}} {{globalize|date=October 2024}} {{Lead too short|date=November 2025}} }} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}} {{LGBTQ sidebar|expanded=culture}}

'''LGBTQ media''' or '''queer media''' is media created by LGBTQ individuals or groups or for which the primary target audience is LGBTQ people. Prominent types of LGBTQ media include periodicals, films, art, literature, video games, and television.

The first gay journal in the world, ''Der Eigene'', was published in Berlin beginning in 1896. However, for the most part, LGBTQ media emerged in the 20th century, with creators tending towards self-published media due to restrictions and censorship in corporate media. Radio, magazines, newspapers, zines, and public-access television are some such avenues that LGBTQ creators and activists have used. With the rise of the internet, LGBTQ media has also found a home online, with podcasts and internet radio being accessible to a larger audience than traditional print or broadcast media.

LGBTQ media is used for a variety of purposes, including to share news or educational material, for entertainment, and for self-expression. LGBTQ representation in popular media can influence the self-perceptions of LGBTQ people, especially youth.

== Overview == Some LGBTQ media is created by out LGBTQ individuals or groups of out LGBTQ people.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=March 7, 2012 |title=Queer Representation in Film and Television |url=https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/media-issues/diversity-media/queer-representation/queer-representation-film-television |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127013816/https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/media-issues/diversity-media/queer-representation/queer-representation-film-television |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |access-date=December 3, 2020 |website=MediaSmarts |language=en}}</ref> LGBTQ creators do not always include LGBTQ themes or issues in the media that they produce, but there are often at least subtle references to queerness in these media.<ref name=":02" /> LGBTQ media may also be defined by its intended target audience; under this definition, LGBTQ media is created for a primary target audience is LGBTQ people.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Moscowitz |first=Leigh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lLFiAgAAQBAJ&dq=gay+media+definitions&pg=PP1 |title=The Battle over Marriage: Gay Rights Activism through the Media |date=November 15, 2013 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-09538-2 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 19, 1991 |title=Gay Images: TV's Mixed Signals |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/19/arts/gay-images-tv-s-mixed-signals.html?pagewanted=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604202203/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/19/arts/gay-images-tv-s-mixed-signals.html?pagewanted=3 |archive-date=June 4, 2019 |access-date=October 24, 2010 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> LGBTQ+ allies are a secondary target audience, and in some instances, as a form of activism, LGBTQ media may also target an audience of people who oppose gay rights.<ref name=":2" />

There have been both positive and negative representations of gay people across popular media, including film, television, literature, press, etc.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Steiner |first1=Linda |last2=Fejes |first2=Fred |last3=Petrich |first3=Kevin |date=December 1, 1993 |title=Invisibility, homophobia and heterosexism: Lesbians, gays and the media |url=https://nca.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15295039309366878 |journal=Critical Studies in Mass Communication |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=395–422 |doi=10.1080/15295039309366878 |issn=0739-3180 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

LGBTQ representation in the media is powerful, particularly for youth.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fürsich |first=Elfriede |year=2010 |title=Media and the representation of Others |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-2451.2010.01751.x |journal=International Social Science Journal |language=en |volume=61 |issue=199 |pages=113–130 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-2451.2010.01751.x |issn=1468-2451 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> There have been studies that have shown that media can have an influence on LGBTQ+ people's self-realization, coming out, and current identities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=MS |first1=Sarah C. Gomillion |last2=PhD |first2=Traci A. Giuliano |date=February 22, 2011 |title=The Influence of Media Role Models on Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity |journal=Journal of Homosexuality |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=330–354 |doi=10.1080/00918369.2011.546729 |issn=0091-8369 |pmid=21360390 |s2cid=37534112 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Africa == {{Category see also|LGBTQ culture in Africa}}

=== Namibia === Namibian LGBTQ organization The Rainbow Project has broadcast the radio show ''Talking Pink'' in the country since 1999.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Swartz |first=Ian |date=July 2006 |title=THE RAINBOW PROJECT: A LESSON IN PRIDE |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/848763eeedfa7f6166adfd66a36de7f6/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=25421 |journal=Sister Namibia |location=Windhoek |volume=18 |issue=3 |page=14}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite book |last=Ashley. |first=Currier |title=Out in Africa: LGBT Organizing in Namibia and South Africa. |date=2012 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |isbn=978-0-8166-8248-5 |location=Minneapolis |oclc=857365205}}</ref>

=== Tunisia === In 2018, Shams Rad was founded in the country's capital, Tunis; the station is the self-proclaimed "only gay radio station" in the Arab world. The station airs music and programs discussing LGBTQ issues, but presenters do not "identify themselves as sexually active on air" due to laws in Tunisia that criminalize homosexuality. The station is partially funded by the Dutch embassy.<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |date=June 17, 2018 |title=Inside Tunisia's Shams Rad - the Arab world's 'only gay radio station' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44137901 |access-date=March 25, 2025 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Station director Bouhdid Belhedi has reported receiving death threats for his part in the station.<ref name=":12" />

=== South Africa === {{Category see also|LGBTQ culture in South Africa}} By 2007, ''In the Pink'' was broadcast on Bush Radio in Cape Town, being the country's "only gay radio program".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bosch |first=Tanja E. |date=September 1, 2007 |title=In The Pink: Gay radio in South Africa |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14680770701477859 |journal=Feminist Media Studies |volume=7 |issue=3 |doi=10.1080/14680770701477859 |issn=1468-0777 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> As of 2016, GaySAradio, based in Pretoria, was the country's only LGBTQ radio station.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Inside Africa's only gay radio station |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-36865106 |access-date=March 25, 2025 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Asia == {{Category see also|LGBTQ culture in Asia}}{{See also|LGBTQ culture in the Philippines#Media|LGBTQ culture in Singapore#Media|LGBTQ culture in Thailand#Media}}

=== China === {{Category see also|LGBTQ culture in China}} ''Les+ Magazine'', a magazine aimed at queer women, was founded in Beijing in 2005.

=== India === {{Main|LGBTQ culture in India#Media}}

==== Magazines and newspapers ==== India's first LGBTQ magazines appeared in the 1990s, with ''Bombay Dost'' in 1990<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 12, 2016 |title=The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of India's Oldest Surviving LGBT Magazine |url=https://psmag.com/news/the-rise-fall-and-resurrection-of-indias-oldest-surviving-lgbt-magazine/ |access-date=December 7, 2024 |website=Pacific Standard |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite book |last1=Horton |first1=Brian A. |title=Queer Politics in Times of New Authoritarianisms |date=February 15, 2024 |chapter=Between the sheets: The queer sociality of Bombay zines |pages=58–74 |chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003461678-5/sheets-queer-sociality-bombay-zines-brian-horton |publisher=Taylor & Francis |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003461678-5 |isbn=978-1-003-46167-8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250503103549/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003461678-5/sheets-queer-sociality-bombay-zines-brian-horton |archive-date=May 3, 2025 |access-date=July 16, 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''Pravartak'' in 1991.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 8, 2021 |title=The Secret LGBTQ Newsletter From '90s India That Kickstarted A Movement |url=https://homegrown.co.in/homegrown-explore/the-secret-lgbtq-newsletter-from-90s-india-that-kickstarted-a-movement |access-date=December 7, 2024 |website=Homegrown |language=en}}</ref> Prominent zines in the 1990s and 2000s also included ''Gaysi Zine'' and ''Scripts''.<ref name=":4" />

==== Radio ==== In July 2017, India's self-proclaimed "first LGBTQ radio show", titled ''Gaydio'', launched. The show was a two-hour weekly program, broadcast in Mumbai and two other cities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bengali |first=Shashank |date=July 31, 2017 |title=India's first LGBTQ radio show aims to broaden the country's concept of love |url=https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-india-gay-radio-2017-story.html |access-date=March 25, 2025 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Iran === {{Category see also|LGBTQ culture in Iran}} In October 2012, Radio Ranginkaman launched as a 30-minute program for the LGBTQ community.<ref name=":03">{{Cite news |last=Tuslian |first=Narges |title=رادیو رنگین کمان؛ رسانه همجنسگرایان و دیگر اقلیتهای جنسی |url=https://iranwire.com/fa/citizen-rights/2252/ |work=IranWire}}</ref> Since then, it has grown into its own station, and broadcasts on shortwave, satellite and online radio.<ref name=":03" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=شماره جدید رادیو رنگین کمان |trans-title=New issue of Rainbow Radio |url=https://www.tribunezamaneh.com/archives/12560 |access-date=May 30, 2024 |website=تریبون زمانه |language=en}}</ref> It broadcasts in both Dari and Persian.

== Europe == {{Category see also|LGBTQ culture in Europe}}{{See also|LGBTQ culture in Russia#Media}} LGBTQ periodicals began being published in European countries in the 1970s, and have been published in a number of countries, including Hungary (''Mások'', 1991) Ireland (''Gay Community News'', 1988), the Netherlands (''Gay Krant'', 1980), Romania (''Switch'', 2005) and Sweden (''QX'', 1995).

=== Denmark === Radio Rosa launched in Copenhagen on June 22, 1983, with the backing of the Danish National Association of Gays and Lesbians. The station closed in 2010.

=== France ===

==== Periodicals ==== France began seeing LGBTQ magazines in the late 1970s, with ''Gai pied'' in 1979. The 1980s saw further publications, including ''Gaie France'' (1986) and ''Illico'' (1988).

==== Radio ==== Clandestine radio broadcasts by lesbians occurred as early as 1978, by the group {{lang|fr|Les Radioteuses}}, who were shut down following their first broadcast. The group reorganized as {{lang|fr|Radio Nanas}}, and legally in 1981 as {{lang|fr|Les Nanas Radioteuses}}.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Chaplin |first=Tamara |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w1UZEQAAQBAJ&dq=lesbian+radio&pg=PT169 |title=Becoming Lesbian: A Queer History of Modern France |date=December 4, 2024 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-83654-6 |language=en}}</ref>

The early 1980s saw a number of gay and lesbian radio programs in France as state control of radio officially ended.<ref name=":8" /> The lesbian radio collective {{lang|fr|Femmes Entre Elles}} (Canal Gay Radio Savane, Rennes) produced multiple lesbian programs, as did the broadcasting collective {{lang|fr|Les Jardins de Selene}} (Amiens); other collectives also existed in Marseille and Paris.<ref name=":8" />

The Parisian free radio station Fréquence Gaie was launched in 1981; in 1982, it became the "world's first 24-hour gay radio program".<ref name=":92">{{Cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Paul |title=Transnationalizing Radio Research: New Approaches to an Old Medium |last2=Linfoot |first2=Matthew |date=October 2, 2018 |publisher=transcript Verlag |isbn=978-3-8394-3913-5 |editor-last=Golo Föllmer Alexander Badenoch |language=en |chapter=Gaywaves: Transcending National Boundaries |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gQxxDwAAQBAJ&dq=gay+radio&pg=PA73}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> Originally aimed primarily at gay men, programs produced by and for lesbians began to increase under the leadership of station president Genevieve Pastre, elected in June 1982. In early 1983, the station was rated fourth in the city in a public opinion survey. Due to financial troubles, the station floundered, and its LGBTQ audience had largely left by 1985.<ref name=":8" />

By 1983, stations broadcasting gay and lesbian programming, called "{{lang|fr|antennes roses}}" (English: "Pink stations") existed in at least 27 French towns and cities; by 1984, there were between 36 and 50.<ref name=":8" /> In 1984, the first International Meeting of Male and Female Hosts of Homosexual Broadcasts in France was held.<ref name=":8" />

=== Germany ===

==== Periodicals ==== The first gay journal in the world, ''Der Eigene'', was published in Berlin beginning in 1896 by Adolf Brand. A number of LGBTQ periodicals were published in Weimar Germany, including ''Die Insel'' (1926) and ''Das 3. Geschlecht'' (1930), which is thought to be the first transvestite magazine in history. Weimar Germany was also home to multiple lesbian periodicals, including ''Die Freundin'' (1924), ''Frauenliebe'' (1926) and ''Die BIF'' (mid to late 1920s). These publications had ceased by 1933, with the rise of the Nazi party to power.

In the second half of the 20th century, ''Siegessäule'', established in 1984, became a major LGBTQ periodical in Germany.

==== Radio ==== In August 1985, the twice-weekly LGBTQ program ''Eldoradio'' began airing on the Berlin Cable Network. Named after Eldorado, a gay bar in Berlin during the 1920s, the two-hour program had "music, jokes, and self-produced radio plays" during the Sunday time slot, with Wednesday's program focusing on news and reporting. By the end of the year, Eldoradio had joined Radio 100, a "consort of alternative media groups" from Berlin. The show ended in 1989, due to financial troubles, including lack of advertisers.<ref name=":14">{{Cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Phylis W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6TzfBQAAQBAJ&dq=gay+radio&pg=PA181 |title=Queer Airwaves: The Story of Gay and Lesbian Broadcasting |last2=Keith |first2=Michael C. |date=December 18, 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-46151-7 |pages=179–182 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Malta === Malta has a DAB station which broadcasts GlitterBeam, an LGBTQ station based in the United Kingdom.

=== Portugal === In Portugal, lesbian feminist activists published the zines {{lang|pt|Organa}} (1990–1992) and {{lang|pt|Lilás}} (1993–2002). In addition to original content, these publications also carried translations of works "by lesbian feminist authors from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Holleran |first=Grace |date=January 1, 2024 |title=Translation as Consciousness-Building in the Portuguese Lesbian Press (1990–2002) |url=https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jfs/vol24/iss24/5 |journal=Journal of Feminist Scholarship |volume=24 |issue=24 |pages=65–78 |doi=10.23860/jfs.2024.24.05 |issn=2158-6179}}</ref>

=== Spain === In Spain, LGBTQ activists began publishing literature of their own in the late 1970s.<ref name=":5" />

In 1991, Madrid-based gay activist group La Radical Gai (LRG) began publishing {{lang|es|De un Plumazo}}, a zine which had six total issues and two dossiers, with its final issue in 1996. The group's 1993 issue was titled ''Queerzine''; it is thought that this was the first usage of "queer" in a Spanish context. Topics covered included HIV/AIDS, politics, art, and literature.<ref name=":6" />

Lesbian activist group Lesbianas Sin Duda (LSD) contributed to some articles in ''Queerzine'', but stated their own zine, ''Non-Grata'', in 1994; this publication had four issues in total. Topic covered included lesbian visibility, HIV/AIDS, art, and Spanish translations of queer theory articles by English-language writers.<ref name=":6" />

=== United Kingdom ===

==== Magazines and newspapers ==== In the United Kingdom, the 1960, 1970s, and 1980s saw a number of LGBTQ magazines and newspapers established, including ''Arena Three'' (1964-1971), ''Gay News'' (1972-1983), ''Capital Gay'' (1981-1995) and ''Pink Paper'' (1987-2009). In the 21st century, the U.K. is home to online newspaper PinkNews.

==== Radio ==== In 1982, the community radio program ''Gaywaves'' began broadcast on a pirate station Our Radio in London. The two-hour program aired weekly on Wednesday nights. Although the show tried to include some lesbian programming, the program was mostly listened to by gay men, with programming shifting to reflect that. Segments included interviews, news, and skits. Program organizers also tried to incorporate material on the lives of gay men and lesbians outside the U.K.<ref name=":92"/>

By the 1990s, the BBC hosted five gay and lesbian radio shows: ''A Sunday Outing,<ref name=":23">{{Cite book |last=Mitchell |first=Caroline |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=azRpAwAAQBAJ&dq=gay+radio&pg=PA80 |title=Women and Radio: Airing Differences |date=April 23, 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-35473-1 |pages=78–80 |language=en}}</ref>'' ''Gay and Lesbian London'', ''Gaytalk'',<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Linfoot |first=Matthew |date=July 3, 2018 |title=Queer in Your Ear: Connecting Space, Community, and Identity in LGBT BBC Radio Programs, 1992–2000 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19376529.2018.1473402 |journal=Journal of Radio & Audio Media |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=195–208 |doi=10.1080/19376529.2018.1473402 |issn=1937-6529 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> ''Loud'n'proud'', and ''Out This Week''.

== Middle East == {{Category see also|LGBTQ culture in the Middle East}} The Middle East has seen its first LGBTQ periodicals in the 21st century, including ''My.Kali'', founded in 2007, and ''El Shad'', created in 2014.

The Za'faraan Collective, which focuses on the experiences of LGBTQ migrants in the Middle East, began publishing a digital zine in 2019.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Omeran |first1=Layle |last2=Kayan |date=March 1, 2020 |title=Zaʾfaraan: A Space for Creative Expression of LGBTQ Folks in the MENA/SWANA Region |url=https://doi.org/10.1215/15525864-8016604 |journal=Journal of Middle East Women's Studies |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=94–99 |doi=10.1215/15525864-8016604 |issn=1552-5864|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== North America == {{Category see also|LGBTQ culture in North America}}

=== Canada === {{See also|LGBTQ people in Canada#LGBTQ media}}

==== Comics ==== Beginning in 1987, Canadian lesbian cartoonist Noreen Stevens illustrated the comic strip ''The Chosen Family'', which featured LGBTQ characters and was based on Stevens' own experiences.

==== Periodicals ==== A number of LGBTQ-related periodicals have been published in Canada, in both English and French-speaking communities. ''Les Mouches fantastiques'', the earliest known gay or lesbian periodical on the continent, was published in Montreal from 1918 to 1920. Early Canadian periodicals in the gay rights movement included ''Gay'' (1964), ''TWO'' (1964), ''The Body Politic'' (1971), ''FILE Megazine'' (1972), ''Amazones d'Hier, Lesbiennes d'Aujourd'hui'' (1982), ''Perceptions'' (1983), ''Wayves'' (1983), ''Fugues'' (1984), and ''Rites'' (1984). One of the first queer zines, ''J.D.s'', was published by G.B Jones and Bruce LaBruce from 1985 until 1991.

In 2012, LGBTQ literary magazine ''Plenitude'' was launched in Canada.

==== Radio ==== In Canada, the rise of LGBTQ radio programs occurred alongside the expansion of community radio, with the first community radio stations launching in 1974.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|last=Copeland |first=Stacey |chapter=Finding Queer Soundwork: Information Activism in Lesbian Feminist Radio and Queer Podcast Networks |date=October 22, 2024 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Radio and Podcasting |pages=482 |editor-last=Hilmes |editor-first=Michele |url=https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/57513/chapter-abstract/467942523 |access-date=May 13, 2025 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197551127.013.24 |isbn=978-0-19-755112-7 |editor2-last=Bottomley |editor2-first=Andrew J.}}</ref>

On August 9, 1978, ''Gay News and Views'' made its debut on CKMS-FM, a community radio station run by the University of Waterloo. The program, the "first regularly scheduled gay radio program in Canada", was produced by the Kitchener-Waterloo Gay Media Collective. In September 1978, Vancouver saw its first gay radio program with ''Coming Out'', broadcast on Vancouver Co-operative Radio (CFRO-FM). In June 1979, the ''Lesbian Show'' debuted on CFRO-FM, becoming the country's first lesbian radio program.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2SLGBTQ+ History |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/timeline/lgbtq2 |access-date=March 25, 2025 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia}}</ref> According to a co-founder of the Lesbian Show, Silva Tenenbein, the show grew out of tensions within the "male-dominated" ''Coming Out'' program and larger tensions within the Canadian feminist community.<ref name=":13" />

By the mid-1990s, CITR-FM in Vancouver was broadcasting the program ''Queer FM''.<ref name=":13" />

In April 2007, Proud FM was launched in Toronto, becoming the country's "first mainstream, commercial station" for an LGBTQ audience.<ref name=":04">{{Cite book |last=Keith |first=Michael C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TXPG9-dA4BcC&dq=gay+radio&pg=PA108 |title=Radio Cultures: The Sound Medium in American Life |date=2008 |publisher=Peter Lang |isbn=978-0-8204-8648-2 |pages=95–108 |language=en}}</ref>

=== United States ===

==== Books and pamphlets ==== The early 1970s saw the publication of texts by lesbian feminists, such as Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon's ''Lesbian/Woman'' in 1972 and Jill Johnston's ''Lesbian Nation'' in 1973.

In 1977, American gay authors Charles Silverstein and Edmund White released the sex manual ''The Joy of Gay Sex.'' In 1982, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence published ''Play Fair!'', a brochure about safe sex for gay men.

In 1981, the lesbian feminist S/M organisation Samois, based in San Francisco, published the anthology ''Coming to Power''. The work combined short stories with advice.

==== Comics ==== Beginning in 1983, American lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel illustrated ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', a comic strip revolving around a primarily lesbian cast. In 1989, gay cartoonist Eric Orner launched ''The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green'', a comic strip featuring a gay male protagonist.

==== Film ==== The Motion Picture Production Code, an industry guideline in which Hollywood's motion picture producers agreed to self-censor all major motion pictures from 1934 to 1968,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.asu.edu/courses/fms200s/total-readings/MotionPictureProductionCode.pdf |title=The Motion Picture Production Code (as Published 31 March, 1930) |access-date=March 6, 2021 |archive-date=September 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902023305/https://www.asu.edu/courses/fms200s/total-readings/MotionPictureProductionCode.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> led to LGBTQ invisibility in film in United States film. However, even in the 1960s and 1970s, when LGBTQ representation in film was becoming more commonplace, it was also becoming more homophobic. Gay characters in this time period were represented very negatively, whether that meant they were dangerous and suicidal, or predatory and violent. Examples of such movies include ''The Children's Hour, The Boys in the Band, Midnight Express,'' and ''Vanishing Point.''<ref name=":02" />

In 1977, American director Arthur J. Bressan Jr. released ''Gay USA'', thought to be the first documentary by and about LGBTQ people.

In the 1990s, films that included LGBTQ themes, such as ''The Birdcage, Philadelphia, To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Flawless'' and ''In & Out'' were quite popular.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} 2005, ''Brokeback Mountain'' grossed over $178&nbsp;million<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388795/ |title=Brokeback Mountain |publisher=IMDb |access-date=March 6, 2021 |archive-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305203906/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388795/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and in 2017, ''Moonlight'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture along with Actor in a Supporting Role and Adapted Screenplay.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://envelope.latimes.com/awards/titles/moonlight/ |title=Moonlight |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=March 6, 2021}}</ref>

The gay man and heterosexual woman couple has become a popular film genre in recent years. This coupling exists in popular films such as ''My Best Friend's Wedding, The Object of My Affection,'' and ''The Next Best Thing.'' According to Helene Shugart, writing in Critical Studies in Media Communication, homosexuality is recoded and modified in these films to approve sexism and heteronormativity.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shugart|first=Helene A.|date=January 1, 2003|title=Reinventing Privilege: The New (Gay) Man in Contemporary Popular Media|url=https://nca.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0739318032000067056|journal=Critical Studies in Media Communication|volume=20|issue=1|pages=67–91|doi=10.1080/0739318032000067056|s2cid=29622909|issn=1529-5036|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==== Magazines and newspapers ==== Prior to the beginning of the gay rights movement, some gay and lesbian magazines were published in the U.S. ''Vice Versa'', published 1947 and 1948, is the earliest known lesbian periodical in the U.S. The first national distributed lesbian periodical was ''The Ladder'', founded in 1956. Publications in the 1960s included ''Drum'' (Philadelphia, 1964) and ''The Advocate'' (Los Angeles, 1967). In 1966, midwest gay activist Drew Shafer founded ''The Phoenix: Midwest Homophile Voice'', the first known LGBTQ magazine published in the Midwestern U.S., in Kansas City, Missouri.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Mackenzie |date=June 1, 2022 |title=Before Stonewall, this Kansas City activist helped unite the national gay rights movement |url=https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-06-01/before-stonewall-this-kansas-city-activist-helped-unite-the-national-gay-rights-movement |website=KCUR - NPR |access-date=December 11, 2024 |archive-date=December 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203074746/https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-06-01/before-stonewall-this-kansas-city-activist-helped-unite-the-national-gay-rights-movement |url-status=live }}</ref>

The beginning of the gay rights movement, from 1969 through the 1970s, saw a number of LGBTQ newspapers established across the country. These included ''Come Out!'' (New York City, 1969), ''The'' ''Gay Blade'' (Washington, D.C., 1969), ''Bay Area Reporter'' (San Francisco Bay Area, 1971), ''Fag Rag'' (Boston, 1971), ''Lavender Woman'' (Chicago, 1971), ''Chicago Gay Crusader'' (1973), ''Gay Community News'' (Boston, 1973), the ''San Francisco Sentinel'' (1974), ''Philadelphia Gay News'' (1976), ''Gaysweek'' (New York City, 1977), and ''San Francisco Bay Times'' (1978).

Lesbian Connection, founded in 1974,<ref name=Schlesinger>{{cite web|title=Magazines at Schlesinger Library: Lesbian Connection |url=http://guides.library.harvard.edu/schlesinger_womens_magazines| website=Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America |publisher=Harvard Radcliffe Institute |accessdate=October 19, 2015}}</ref><ref name=fmf>{{cite web|title=Feminist Magazines: Lesbian Connection |url=http://www.feminist.org/research/zines.html |work=Feminist Majority Foundation |accessdate=October 27, 2015}}</ref> is still in publication as of 2025 and is the longest-running periodical for lesbians in the United States.

==== Radio ==== In 1956, Pacifica Radio became the first known listener-sponsored non-commercial American radio network to allow openly LGBTQ individuals airtime.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=DeShazor |first=Brian |date=July 3, 2018 |title=Queer Radio History: Pacifica Radio |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19376529.2018.1481246 |journal=Journal of Radio & Audio Media |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=253–265 |doi=10.1080/19376529.2018.1481246 |issn=1937-6529|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

One of the nation's earliest LGBTQ radio programs was ''Lesbian Nation'' (1972-1973), an interview show created by Martha Shelley, a member of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Gay Liberation Front.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 23, 2020 |title=Students Race Against Time to Digitize Archives of 1970s and '80s LGBTQ+ Radio and TV Programs |url=https://www.pratt.edu/news/students-race-against-time-to-digitize-archives-of-1970s-and-80s-lgbtq-radi/ |access-date=December 7, 2024 |website=Pratt Institute |language=en-us |archive-date=December 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208063635/https://www.pratt.edu/news/students-race-against-time-to-digitize-archives-of-1970s-and-80s-lgbtq-radi/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1975, the LGBTQ interview program ''Wilde 'n' Stein'' began broadcasting on Houston's KPFT station.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ulaby |first=Neda |date=June 4, 2024 |title=Saving Houston's LGBTQ history through thousands of hours of radio archives |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/05/28/nx-s1-4969775/pride-houston-lgbtq-history-radio-archive |publisher=NPR}}</ref> In Hartford, Connecticut, ''Gay Spirit Radio'' began airing in November 1980. The program includes interviews, news, and music segments.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weiss |first=Abby |date=June 27, 2024 |title=One the nation's oldest LGBTQ+ radio shows is broadcast from Hartford |url=https://www.ctinsider.com/westhartford/article/gay-spirit-radio-lgbtq-pride-hartford-ct-19541576.php |work=CT Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Doherty |first=Caitlin |date=April 16, 2024 |title=Gay Spirit Radio Celebrates Over 40 Years of Centering LGBTQ+ Artists and Activists in the Hartford Community |url=https://trinitytripod.com/news/gay-spirit-radio-celebrates-over-40-years-of-centering-lgbtq-artists-and-activists-in-the-hartford-community/ |access-date=December 7, 2024 |website=Trinity Tripod |language=en}}</ref>

==== Television ==== The Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters indirectly prohibited positive homosexual representation from 1952 to 1983, preventing many queer actors in the television field from coming out and further preventing representation of the LGBTQ+ community in commercial television.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} However, many LGBTQ communities made use of public-access television to broadcast self-created programs. These included variety shows like ''The Emerald City'' (1977-1979),<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Herold |first=Lauren |date=October 9, 2024 |title=From gay liberation to backlash: producing pride and New York's LGBTQ public culture on The Emerald City |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ccc/tcae038 |journal=Communication, Culture and Critique |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=241–247|doi=10.1093/ccc/tcae038 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> ''Gay Morning America'' (1984-1985) and ''Candied Camera'' (1990s), scripted programs, like soap opera ''Secret Passions'', informational shows (''Dyke TV'', ''Gay USA'') and interview programs like ''The Glennda and Brenda Show.''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=FlaglerLive |date=August 16, 2024 |title=When Public Access TV Was an LGBTQ Safe Space |url=https://flaglerlive.com/when-public-access-tv-was-an-lgbtq-safe-space/ |access-date=December 7, 2024 |website=FlaglerLive |language=en-US |archive-date=September 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917120520/https://flaglerlive.com/when-public-access-tv-was-an-lgbtq-safe-space/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 1980s, LGBTQ public access programs spoke frankly about the HIV/AIDS crisis, sharing information and educating viewers on the disease.<ref name=":0" />

In 1997, ''Ellen'' became the first show to have a gay main character.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cook|first=Carson|date=May 1, 2018|title=A content analysis of LGBT representation on broadcast and streaming television|url=https://scholar.utc.edu/honors-theses/128|journal=Honors Theses}}</ref> After this, there was an increase in shows that included recurring gay characters such as ''Will & Grace, Dawson's Creek, Spin City, ER, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nightline, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Queer as Folk, The Young and the Restless, Ugly Betty'' and ''Glee.''

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and storylines across a wide range of television genres.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Raja |first1=Ashikin |last2=Lambert |first2=Karen |last3=Patlamazoglou |first3=Lefteris |last4=Pringle |first4=Richard |date=May 31, 2023 |title=Diversity and inclusion strategies for LGBTQ + students from diverse ethnic backgrounds in higher education: a scoping review |journal=International Journal of Inclusive Education |volume=28 |issue=14 |language=en |pages=3585–3605 |doi=10.1080/13603116.2023.2217814 |issn=1360-3116|doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Mexico === {{See also|LGBTQ culture in Mexico|LGBTQ literature in Mexico}} Stereotypical representations of gay men appeared in Mexican cinema throughout the 20th century, and the first films to portray gay characters sympathetically included 1978's ''El lugar sin límites'' and 1984's ''Doña Herlinda and Her Son''.<ref name="Lonely Planet">{{cite web |author=Lonely Planet|title=Gay and Lesbian Mexico City|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/free_chapters/mexico-city-3-gay-lesbian.pdf|accessdate=December 5, 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607172340/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/free_chapters/mexico-city-3-gay-lesbian.pdf|archivedate=June 7, 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://cinemexicano.mty.itesm.mx/peliculas/lugar.html "El lugar sin límites"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518131402/http://cinemexicano.mty.itesm.mx/peliculas/lugar.html|date=2011-05-18}}, in ''Cine Club Cine Mexicano'', accessed 2 December 2007.</ref> Openly gay figures like Chavela Vargas, Juan Soriano, Carlos Monsiváis, and Juan Gabriel were often denigrated in the media for their identity.<ref name="Lonely Planet" /><ref name="glbtq literature">{{cite web |author=David William Foster|url=http://www.glbtq.com/literature/latin1_am_lit.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102203947/http://www.glbtq.com/literature/latin1_am_lit.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 January 2013|title=Latin American Literature|work=lgbtq|accessdate=19 December 2007}}</ref>

A lesbian character appeared in the 1990s series ''Nada personal'',<ref name="Haggerty, p. 590">{{Cite book|title=Gay histories and cultures: an encyclopedia|last=Haggerty|first=George E.|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2000|pages=590|isbn=9780815318804}}</ref> and soon ''La vida en el espejo'' was the first telenovela to portray a gay character sympathetically.<ref name="Gays Mexican TV II">{{cite web |author=Adelaido Martínez Huitrón|publisher=Anodis|title=Televisión y diversidad sexual: entre el amor y el odio|date=February 19, 2007|url=http://anodis.com/nota/8676.asp|accessdate=December 5, 2009|language=es|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105205051/http://anodis.com/nota/8676.asp|archivedate=January 5, 2010}}</ref> Over these decades, the New Queer Cinema movement supported many styles of LGBTQ cinema in Latin America.<ref name="rich">{{cite book|title=New Queer Cinema: The Director's Cut|author=B. Ruby Rich|year=2013|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=9780822354284}}</ref><sup>:142-143</sup> During the 21st century, mass media began to discuss LGBTQ people and issues more openly.<ref name="Lonely Planet" />

== Oceania == {{Category see also|LGBTQ culture in Oceania}}

=== Australia === {{See also|LGBTQ culture in Australia}} LGBTQ literature was heavily censored in Australia during the 20th century.<ref name="censorship">{{cite book |last1=Fisher|first1=Jeremy|editor1-last=Moore|editor1-first=Nicole|title=Censorship and the Limits of the Literary: A Global View|date=2015|publisher=Bloomsbury|location=New York|isbn=9781628920109|pages=191–194|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A4nxCQAAQBAJ&dq=gay+literature+australia&pg=PA191|chapter=Out of the Shadows: The Emergence of Overt Gay Narratives in Australia}}</ref> G.M. Glaskin wrote the first openly gay Australian novel, ''No End to the Way'', released in 1967.<ref>{{cite web |title=''No End to the Way''|url=https://queerarchives.org.au/collections/books/no-end-to-the-way/|publisher=Australian Queer Archives|access-date=13 June 2025}}</ref>

Queer culture and media gained visibility during the gay liberation movement in the 1970s.<ref name="censorship" /> In 1978, the Gay Teachers and Students Group of Melbourne released ''Young, Gay and Proud'', a book aimed at teenagers exploring a gay identity.

On December 1, 1993, Joy Melbourne 90.7, a volunteer-run gay and lesbian station, began broadcasting in Melbourne. The station was the country's first LGBTQ radio station.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Featherstone |first=Lisa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wCtQBwAAQBAJ&dq=gay+radio&pg=PA71 |title=Acts of Love and Lust: Sexuality in Australia from 1945-2010 |date=October 2, 2014 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-4438-6833-4 |pages=71 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":14"/>

=== New Zealand === {{main|LGBTQ people in New Zealand#Gay and lesbian publications}}

In 1973, the Sisters for Homophile Equality (SHE) in Wellington, New Zealand founded ''The Circle'', which continued to publish until 1986.

In the 1980s, Wellington Access Radio hosted multiple lesbian radio programs. The first of these was ''Leave the Dishes in the Sink'', a feminist program which included some lesbians. In 1984, several lesbians developed an hour-long program, which aired once a month as part of the Womanzone feminist radio collective. In October 1984, the Lesbian Community Radio Programme (LCRP) was established. The weekly show had a variety of content, including news, poetry, educational segments, and updates on local events.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Branch |first=New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs Historical |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b2kqAAAAYAAJ&dq=lesbian+radio&pg=PA565 |title=Women Together: A History of Women's Organisations in New Zealand : Ngā Rōpū Wāhine O Te Motu |date=1993 |publisher=Historical Branch, Department of Internal Affairs |isbn=978-0-908896-29-5 |pages=565–566 |language=en}}</ref>

== South America == {{Category see also|LGBTQ culture in South America}}{{See also|LGBTQ culture in Colombia#LGBTQ culture|LGBTQ culture in Argentina#Arts and Culture|LGBTQ people in Chile#LGBTQ culture}} In Brazil, the zine ''Chanacomchana'', published between 1981 and 1987, aimed to organize feminists around lesbian issues.

Gay characters have appeared in Latin American cinema since at least 1923.<ref name="lewis">{{cite book|title=Crossing Sex and Gender in Latin America|author=V. Lewis|year=2010|publisher=Springer|isbn=9780230109964}}</ref><sup>:75</sup> LGBTQ characters were often used symbolically during films of the 1970s and 1980s. During the 1990s and 2000s, the New Queer Cinema movement supported many types of LGBTQ cinema.<ref name="rich" /><sup>:142-143</sup>

== Podcasts == {{See also|List of LGBTQ podcasts}} Podcasts, as a form of media that can be independently published and easily accessible via internet, have been used by LGBTQ creators to avoid censorship or other restrictions posed by commercial radio.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Drushel |first=Bruce |date=April 1, 2023 |title=Where radio dare not tread: Podcasts as queer audio media |url=https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/rjao_00073_1 |journal=Radio Journal:International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media |language=en |volume=21 |issue=Podcasting and Gender |pages=67–81 |doi=10.1386/rjao_00073_1 |issn=1476-4504|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tufan |first1=Fırat |last2=Şenyüz |first2=Bilge |date=April 1, 2023 |title=You cannot turn my voice down: Podcasts as alternative media for queers in Turkey |url=https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/rjao_00072_1 |journal=Radio Journal:International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media |language=en |volume=21 |issue=Podcasting and Gender |pages=45–65 |doi=10.1386/rjao_00072_1 |issn=1476-4504|url-access=subscription }}</ref> LGBTQ podcasts cover a variety of genres, including the talk show or interview format (''Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness''), audio dramas (''The Penumbra Podcast'', ''Welcome to Night Vale''), and educational series focused on LGBTQ culture or history (''Making Gay History'', ''Nancy'').

== Zines == Zines, a type of self-published written work, have been used by LGBTQ creators as a way to share information, fiction, or personal experiences related to LGBTQ identity. As they are self-published, zines allow creators to avoid censorship or other restrictions that publishing houses or authorities might put in place. For example, zines have been used to share health information and to criticize the healthcare system's treatment of LGBTQ people.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Latham |first1=Joyce M. |chapter=(Im)patient Narratives: Peer-to-Peer Health Information Transfer in the LGBTQ+ Community via Zines from the Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP) |date=January 1, 2020 |title=Roles and Responsibilities of Libraries in Increasing Consumer Health Literacy and Reducing Health Disparities |volume=47 |pages=241–261 |editor-last=St. Jean |editor-first=Beth |url=https://doi.org/10.1108/S0065-283020200000047012 |access-date=July 16, 2025 |series=Advances in Librarianship |publisher=Emerald Publishing Limited |doi=10.1108/S0065-283020200000047012 |isbn=978-1-83909-341-8 |last2=Cooke |first2=Sarah |editor2-last=Jindal |editor2-first=Gagan |editor3-last=Liao |editor3-first=Yuting |editor4-last=T. Jaeger |editor4-first=Paul}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=7.2 Queer zines in Madrid in 1990's |first=Laura |last=López Casado |url=https://repositorio.ulisboa.pt/bitstream/10451/54225/1/Queer%20Zines%20in%20Madrid%20in%201990's.pdf|pages=342–352}}</ref> Spanish LGBTQ activists have used zines to sustain "oppositional mobilization".<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Snyder |first=Jonathan |date=July 2, 2020 |title=Making Oppositional Means: The Illustrated Zine Literature of Queer Activist Groups in Spain, 1970s to the Present |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/24741604.2020.1825160 |journal=Bulletin of Spanish Visual Studies |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=305–325 |doi=10.1080/24741604.2020.1825160 |issn=2474-1604|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

One notable LGBTQ zine is American writer Mira Bellwether's ''Fucking Trans Women.''

The Queer Zine Archive Project in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. is one archive dedicated to this type of LGBTQ media.

== See also == * Censorship of LGBTQ issues * LGBTQ marketing * Lists of LGBTQ figures in fiction and myth * List of LGBTQ-related films * Queer coding * Queerbaiting

==References== {{Reflist}}

== Further reading == * {{Cite journal |last1=Kerrigan |first1=Páraic |last2=O'Brien |first2=Anne |date=September 20, 2018 |title="Openness through Sound": Dualcasting on Irish LGBT Radio |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/19376529.2018.1477779 |journal=Journal of Radio & Audio Media |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=224–239|doi=10.1080/19376529.2018.1477779 |url-access=subscription }} * {{Cite journal |last=Copeland |first=Stacey |date=September 20, 2018 |title=Broadcasting Queer Feminisms: Lesbian and Queer Women Programming in Transnational, Local, and Community Radio |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/19376529.2018.1482899 |journal=Journal of Radio & Audio Media |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=209–223|doi=10.1080/19376529.2018.1482899 |url-access=subscription }} * {{Cite book|title=Queer Print in Europe|editor-last1=Davis|editor-first1=Glyn|editor-last2=Guy|editor-first2=Laura|date=2022|publisher=Bloomsbury|isbn=9781350158665}} * {{Cite book |first=Kristine Michelle L. |last=Santos |date=November 22, 2022 |chapter=Independent and safe panels for youths : Queer comics in a time of Southeast Asian populism |title=Queer Southeast Asia |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003320517-10/independent-safe-panels-youths-kristine-michelle-santos |publisher=Taylor & Francis |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003320517-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219180655/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003320517-10/independent-safe-panels-youths-kristine-michelle-santos |archive-date=February 19, 2024 |access-date=July 16, 2025 |url-status=live }} * {{Cite book |date=April 30, 2024 |last=Galvan |first=Margaret |chapter=Comics as Trans Literature |title=The Routledge Handbook of Trans Literature |pages=419–428 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003365938-41/comics-trans-literature-margaret-galvan |publisher=Taylor & Francis |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003365938-41 |isbn=978-1-003-36593-8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250429083229/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003365938-41/comics-trans-literature-margaret-galvan |archive-date=April 29, 2025 |access-date=July 16, 2025 |url-status=live }} * {{Cite journal |last=Galvan |first=Margaret |date=March 2025 |title=Making Lesbians Visible: Recovering the Social History of the 1990s Lesbian Comics Boom |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/962235 |journal=Feminist Formations |language=en |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=178–205 |doi=10.1353/ff.2025.a962235 |issn=2151-7371}} * {{Cite journal |last=Daros |first=Otávio |title=LGBTQ+ Media in Latin America: From Dictatorships to Market Democracy |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00947679.2025.2509705 |journal=Journalism History|date=2025 |pages=1–18 |doi=10.1080/00947679.2025.2509705 |issn=0094-7679|url-access=subscription }}

{{Citizendium|title=Gay media}}

{{LGBTQ fiction}} {{LGBTQ|culture}}

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