In order for one to fully comprehend issues that affect marginalized groups, it is imperative to incorporate the intersections that might exist within these groups. Recently, the gay movement has gained ground through the media. Whether there is a gay character on a show or romance, being LGBT is gradually becoming more acceptable in today’s society. The issue that arises within the gay community is the isolation that exists when acknowledging other communities.  In this society, being gay is seen as a unitary issue, thus LGBTQ racial minorities are marginalized since the plight of reconciling their racial heritage and LGBTQ identity is often ignored. The most prevalent issue encountered by LGBTQ youth of color is the lack of visible role models. In our media, the majority of the representation of the gay community is white and middle class.

If one looks at the current shows to date such as Glee, Will and Grace, and Queer as Folk, one will notice that these shows barely have a diverse representation for the youth of color, thus these youth do not have someone to look up to because the media confines the representation of the gay community to the majority. Most of these shows do not even explore these intersections of identity. They fail to delve into the difficulties in reconciling racial identity and sexual identity. Thus, racial minorities may have a hard time relating to these characters.

This limited portrayal may also affect the majority community’s perception of minorities if their only exposure to these communities is through the news, books, and television. If all they have seen are stereotypically gay characters or white characters then their perceptions are flawed or lack inclusivity; this may cause LGBT racial minorities to disidentify with their own community and adopt an identity that does not take into account their racial background.  The media’s portrayal of LGBT adolescents is exclusive, and in order to rectify this problem, there needs to be a shift in society’s attitudes on what is an unacceptable representation of LGBT youth. If you are an lgbt racial minority, here are some support groups you can turn to that will aid you in your walk.

http://www.generationalalliance.org
http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/youthresource