Visibility Matters: The Disappearing Lesbian on Primetime Broadcast TV

Thank you, Sarah.  Sorry you have to be redundant, but the good thing is everytime you have to re-explain, there is a whole new generation of women reading your site. 

And its articles like this that make me the "expert" in the room when my class is discussing feminist theory and gender roles.  I really wish I could take you to class with me 'cause my 65 yr old straight male professor is of no help.  He kept calling on me to answer my classmates questions. 

I appreciate your help in seeing trends and themes that otherwise would fly over my head.

This all feels so fast to me. A month ago we were running around impressed with the amount of visibility, the amount of rights, etc.

I can't believe this is happening.

Who knew the awaited 2008 year was going to be the worst one after all?

It is sad but true what you wrote in this article... we have finally awoken to a day when people saw beyond race and elected Barack Obama as our 44th President, yet we are still waiting to wake up to that day when "America... one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all" will truly mean ALL and that the GLBT community will be included.

I am hopeful, because the vote was nonetheless close in California (and technically at this hour votes are still being counted regarding Proposition 8).  And while in my state of Florida the votes were not as close... Barack Obama won the state of Florida and this to me signifies that people are willing to change. I frankly don't know enough about Arizona to comment much on that state. As for the most offensive measure passed, I still think that Arkansas voting to ban gays from both fostering and adopting children is the most hateful and discriminatory measure passed, as if the GLBT community is somehow so horrid and unfit as to dare to be allowed to give a child a loving home... that to me is reprehensible.

I say that we must continue the good fight. We must continue to speak up and speak out on behalf of the entire GLBT community, as must all heterosexual allies of the GLBT community, so that one day soon we will hopefully wake up to a truly new day, one in which there is EQUALITY FOR ALL!

Thank you to Sarah and all of the bloggers, vloggers, editors, etc. of After Ellen who in keeping this web site and it's brother site After Elton so up to date with all of the latest information that concerns the GLBT community help in keeping our visibility at the forefront!  

(Self Appointed) "#1 Bridget McManus Fan"

and not cross any lines of being truly and overtly offensive.

It is the new subtext.

And I suspect GLAAD is helping them.

Because not only are characters who are labeled bisexual now replacing lesbians...so that there is that one sweeps show with the girl-on-girl action and then everything can go back to how it is "supposed" to be and hook her up with a guy...

let's not forget how ABC's All My Children hired a male actor to play a transgendered character who immediately fell in love with Bianca and came out as a lesbian...so no matter how many times we were told this was a lesbian couple...what the viewing audience saw was a man and a woman kissing.

That storyline was a disservice to the transgendered character who never had a full coming out arc in the show...and to the lesbian character Bianca who we got to see accept and be all excited about a date with a man (pre-coming out) for New Year's Eve.  Yet, it got the GLAAD seal of approval and so the show could run with it.

I never thought a show without any gay storylines would be less offensive but shows that yank out queer characters with little respect to the arcs and perpetuate negative stereotypes do more harm than good.

We know the power of the media and I am just so tired of their crap.

I always look forward to the Visibility Matters article.  It's one of my favourite blogs because it's always intelligent without being over the top. 

I enjoyed your view on why we're seeing a rise in bisexual women characters.  Well stated and thought provoking, even though it did depress me some.  While progress is always slow, we seem to actually be moving backwards.  One day, when internet catches up, the large networks will lose their power and we may actually see the positive and equal representation we're hoping for.

Excellent article Sarah.  Thanks for your insight.

this article has beautifully illustrated how I am feeling right now.  I am feeling so defeated by the Grey's news.  it felt almost as hurtful as Prop 8.  You have helped me to understand why.  it feels like we are invisible and ignored.  We do need to be a part of these stories. 

"what kind of rat bastard psychotic would play that song right now at this minute?"

Walking around college all day with my head hung low, while everyone else was all smiles... it prompted question of "whats wrong.. did u hear Obama got elected?" I replied with "did u hear prop 8, 102 and every other proposition limited gay civil rights was passed??"
I think it was a giant step back for california, i mean u produce most mainstream media n if they are in support of giving us rights, and visibility then we will never get it across to mainstream america. Obama spoke through television sets about himself what he stands for and he got the vote, where is our voice when no one will show us? When will it be ok for us to be citizens, and not second class people living in a free nation... Its all so upsetting i am scared to go to CCA (california) for my masters program.

I think Money and Funding are the most important elements at play here. Everything else is secondary.

Not only lesbians, but if women in general want themselves to be portrayed as they really are, rather than how straight men wish to portray them... then they have to be in control of their image at the FUNDING and PRODUCING level, aka MONEY and POWER.

All this visibility-drain proves that even being the head manager of a creative team is useless if we still have to sell the idea to a male producer at the end of the day.

Expecting some sort of "Fairness" from these mainstream networks is a Mistake. Simply because we are a minority.. and to give the 5% LGBT minority some 20% TV time at a hit TV show will never ever be fair ! (Harsh but true)

Take advantage of the internet and other cheap technology. If the creative amongst us follow their OWN vision instead of waiting for these desperate networks to provide for us... then they will create a new world of entertainment, and I garuntee you it WILL be a success.. underground or above.. cos ppl from all walks are sick of the old formulas and want a change.

Lets invest in ourselves !!!

Peace  :)

But there has been a slow but steady improvement in bisexual visibility on TV.

Gray's Anatomy, Bones, and House. Perhaps because I'm in a foul mood but examples like this don't feel like an qualitative improvement. On GA, according to rumors Callie will be celibate and grieving for the foreseeable future. On Bones, Angela is looking to jump a man before her female ex shows up for a sweeps stunt. On House, Thirteen's is sleeping with women as a symptom of spinning out of control until (supposedly) Foreman saves her with his sweet, sweet love. Ouch.

The notion that these characters are being used to avoid having lesbian characters makes the whole thing even more painful.

Sigh

I know this is a numberical improvement but honesty, I could do with less visibity until someone comes up with one, stable, sane, and normal three dimensional bi character who has female relationships outside of sweeps.

Bah humbug

"Television is America's cultural campfire, where we tell stories about ourselves. Where we imagine what our lives could, and should, be like."

For a long time, I thought just visited AfterEllen because I liked knowing celebrity gossip with a lesbian twist. A couple years ago, I realized what I already knew--how very important entertainment is. High art or low, it's a part of our culture. Thanks for this reminder, Sarah.

the part where you mentioned the lack of bisexual characters on shows like the L Word because they don't appeal to the core audience confuses me. You are championing for more bisexual (and thus representative and equal) characters on such shows, right? Isn't it true that lesbians are discriminatory toward bisexual characters? For example, on the L Word Alice's relationship with "Lisa" and Tina's relationship with Henry were both greatly hated on by the majority of people on this site. Sure they were flawed, but many a lesbian relationship on the L Word was just as flawed and there was no sense of equal criticism felt.

Networks try to make decisions based on what their audiences want. The lesbian community is a part of that audience and before criticizing others should be more accepting of other types of relationships as well.

Out of site out of mind, we all do it with people we don’t like. For example seeing someone in the hallway and all the sudden the wall gets VERY interesting or your ipod needs to be seriously fiddled with. So lesbians make people uncomfortable so we will hide them away until the public wants to see them dance a little during sweeps. This has been used so much lately that I keep waiting for someone to scream out “Hey it’s the token lesbian!” Not only that but now networks have come to realize that Bisexuals are like Lesbian-Lite and can be turned straight again if there is too much of a back lash from their viewing public.

As for Crime Dramas the formulas say it all:

Heterosexual = neg+pos=the screwed up world we live in.

GLBT=neg+(oh were we supposed to negate this?)=Tainted views of the GLBT community.

I highly doubt any network/show was out for anything but viewership and the bottom dollar but what they end up doing is creating propaganda.  With so many GLBT relationships behind closed doors throughout the USA the exposure most people have is through the media. With such little to go on and it being mostly negative it shouldn’t be all that surprising when the public has strong feelings against the LGBT community even if it has never truly encountered it.

But what’s a girl to do but ride it out and keep shouting to be heard?

And that is thanks to you Sarah Warn. I just wanted to point out one thing, I know there aren't any lesbian characters in mainstream tv in U.S. right now, but there ARE lesbians who inspire, impress and changes the life of their viewers forever, and they are not awkwardly written characters, they are definitely not anorexic, they are just real women proud of their sexuality and makes us proud to be a part of this community. They are the beloved vloggers of this wonderful website. And let me tell you, as a lesbian from another country (but I watched and still watch almost every show airing at the U.S. ) vloggers here has helped me become a proud lesbian, and changed my life so much more than those fictional characters(Willow excluded).  And I know this isn't your point, I know to be accepted we have to be visible to a broader range of people, but if it wasn't for you and this website maybe some of us wouldn't be even visible to themselves. You said yourself in the near future people will start to follow regularly a more independent medium, web series', and I'm hopeful about it, since people making them won't have to get an approval from executives or major sponsors. Because of that EVERYONE will have a chance to show their lives from their points of view and without prejudice and pressure. So while we're waiting for those days, Afterellen and You will keep us visible and proud I'm sure of it:)Just wanted to let you know how I feel and don't lose hope, we have a strong community here and I'm sure we can make a change, definitely not over a night, but we can and we will make a change for sure:)

P.S. To all americans who have lost their rights to marry and adopt, as a  lesbian who lives in a country which probably never will give me my rights as a citizen to marry or adopt, I share your pain and please don't lose hope I'm sure things will change, we just have to wait and do our parts to claim our freedom.

unfortunately you are right, Sarah.

the tv landscape represents (or rather is trying to represent) the world as it is today. despite having some high profile openly gay lesbians among celebs and tv personalities the majority of people would rather not acknowledge we exist. if I close my eyes continuously saying "if I don't see them they don't exist" seems to be the prevalent mindset of most people. if a network/show creator can't take it upon him or herself to change that, to make a difference, to bring lesbians into everyone's livingroom once a week (that people that don't want to see it can just chose not to) and all we have is a talk show host and a political commentator being openly gay and supported by their network that is a shame. a shame indeed. I thought having Ellen and Rachel Maddow with their own shows (the shows even carry their names) was a sign forward. apparently their impact has not sunken in as much as I thought it had... yet.

why do people constantly need a minority they can look down on? a minority they need to feel superior to? a minority they are afraid to grant the same rights as themselves. what is so friggin scary about us?

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My Photography

feels like we took a huge step back...like 50 years worth of a step..

its 2008 for heavens sake!!we have 'the ellen show' as one of the most viewed talk show on tv,'the rachel maddow show' as one of the best political news show and not to mention how many 'out' lesbian writers and producers..

one would expect that with the ammount of lesbian celebrities coming out and being accepted with out mainstream hollywood and all the media making all that much fuss about it -i.e lindsay lohan- that in this day and age,something like giving us the chance to have the same rights as everyone else would be a no brainer...shame on you california!

i wont even get into the arkansas prop,cause that just blows me away..

how is it possible that a country that is supposed to be the symbol of equality,acceptence and liberty be so backwards when it comes to this?

i've been all over the world and seen alot...countrys where women have no rights at all and lead their life according to what their husband/father/dominant male figure tells them to.where racism still is accepted.

the supposedly 'free world' seems no better then any of them when it comes to gay rights...i mean,wheres the difference when your partner is in the hospital and you cant see them cause youre not considered family?wheres the difference when your goverment denies you your basic rights cause of your sexual orientation?sure,compared with those countrys maybe we have it better cause if someone attacks you cause youre gay its considered a hate crime,and you can be as out as you want and you wont be put in jail for it,but is it the fact that its not as bad as these other places any comfort at all?

and to top it off,they fire brooke smith from 'grey's anatomy'...

makes me think that after all,we are more alone then i though..its sad that in a time were things should be getting better for all of us as people and the united states looked beyond the color of the skin to elect the next president,that some people out there still think its ok to deny others their rights and happyness...

Firstly, I just wanted to say that I echo what others here have said- that was a great article that encapsulates what most of us feel. You do have a talent at putting these issues into really intelligent and eloquent arguments that deserve to be read by a wider audience.

I do want to seriously ask, if there is not something afterellen as a group can do, in light of the Grey's news? It is just one in a string of events but it feels like it was the straw that broke the camels back, especially the nasty and disrespectful nature of how ABC handled things. In light of this and in light of Prop 8 and all other amendements, I feel as if if we don't stand up and say something publicy now then its a missed opportunity. Emotions are running so high, this has brought the lesbian community together on one subject that we unanimously agree on.

GLAAD has not represented our feelings in any way. If they won't, then who will? It's all very good discussing things amongst ourselves, but if no one else hear's it, then what's the point? I realise that we do not have all the facts and I also realise that afterellen may not have the opportunity to voice itself in the same way as GLAAD, but do you not agree that a some sort of statement could be made whereby our opinion is at least put out there. I think a lot of frustration is coming from the fact that our voices seem to be permanently mute!

Thank you for this article. It completely captures how I am feeling right now and makes me want to channel my frustration into doing something about it. If anything, the situation is even worse in the UK - there is no Ellen or Rachel Maddow, and again, no lesbians on mainstream TV. Shows throw in the token gay man but more often than not it is for light relief and it is not often they get the type of storylines the straight characters get. Part of me thinks if it wasn't for this site, I would feel like I was one of the only lesbians in the world.

I just want to congratulate all the AE staff for keeping this site so interesting - it can't be easy finding things to blog about every day when there is so little out there to use as inspiration, but you do it and it makes all of us smile and reassures us that we are part of a community and it's one we are proud to call our own.

Please sign this people: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/hope4hahn

 And get involved in the projects both the erica_callie and hope4hahn LJ communities are orchestrating.

Each time a new Bisexual character is announced, at first i think "yay" then i think "why not a Lesbian character instead" then i think "how long 'til they a: de-sexualize her/de-gay her?  b: how long 'til she gets killed? or c: how long 'til she reveals her inner crazy and starts killing people?" While it's good that long ignored Bi women are being represented, its not good that we're being represented by the above kind of Bisexual. And it's not good when networks are using Bi characters 'cause it's easier for their straight male veiwers to accept (and easier to have her be Bi in name only, that is until they have her randomly hook up with a woman to show that she is having a breakdown/is a bad girl/sick of men).

As for Grey's Anatomy - grrr!!! - don't even get me started. I made a complaint to ABC and signed a petition to get Brooke Smith back on the show. Even if it doesn't work, at least they'll know how we feel. They won't care, but they'll know.

There are many things that make me proud to be English/British(racial and cultural diversity, music, art, our dry wit and sarcasm. And of course Manchester United), but as a Bi women, what makes me proudest is that not only can Gays serve in the Military, they can wear their uniforms to march in a Pride Parade if they wanna. We can adopt/foster and we can get married. It may be officialy known as a "Civil Partnership", but it's known to almost everyone as marriage 'cause that IS what it is.

And WOW did my post get kinda long. I only wanted to share a quick thought but once i started rambling, i couldn't stop. WHOO!!!

"If being sane is thinking there's something wrong with being different...I'd rather be completely fucking mental"

I like that you had pointed out the lack of visibility for lesbians in the primarily hetereosexual tv shows as well as the lack of visibility for bisexuals in lesbian tv shows.  As a lesbian, I totally respect people who come out as bisexual, as they could easily take the straight road and be accepted by the status quo but opted not to.

I really am disheartened that ANOTHER lesbian character has been pulled off a mainstream tv show.  I would have thought Grey's Anatomy would have given us some hope with a longer storyline, especially since T.R. Knight had outed himself on that show. 

Nevertheless, the show still has made another dent in the visibility for lesbians, even if it was only for a little while.  The status quo is changing.  Kids nowadays don't distinguish sexual orientation as much as we don't distinguish race and gender.  We'll just have to keep roaring for more as each lesbian character comes our way.

USA may be lacking lesbian characters right now but never fear, the numbers are growing in the rest of the world.

It shocks me that America can be so far behind the UK in this regard and seem to be going backwards. I swear that I will not take for granted what we have in the UK and you will always be in my thoughts!

Lack of gay representation in entertainment is always about money and then there's the "ick" factor.  There is never any consideration for human decency or loving thy neighbor.  We "care" about morality so we promote hatred.  Are we really this soulless as a society?  Even the dramas on tv that are considered "good" entertainment are all about tearing down and apart their characters.  WHY is this entertaining?  Shouldn't we be a bit bothered by that?

It's truly disturbing to find that the media has such a control over the mind and opinion of the average person on the street, for worse OR better.  Does no one ever think and feel for him or her self anymore??? 

One of the biggest UK papers comments on the Brook Smith fireing.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/nov/06/greys-anato...

"As a lesbian I resent your laughter and all laughter" - Sarah Silverman

I love this column and look forward to it everytime! 

I said it in a couple posts, but it's worth mentioning.  Check out this site.  It tells you how to file a complaint to the IRS against the mormon church.  As a non profit they are not allowed to lobby for legislation.  Whether or not this will work, it's better than doing nothing.

http://lds501c3.wordpress.com/2008/10/29/how-to-file-an-irs-501c3-complaint/

Thank you for putting into words what I, and I think a lot of us, have been feeling for the last few days.

And thank you for creating this space where we can turn for that representation and visibility that is so lacking in the mainstream media.

to be fair, Callie might end up being a lesbian, didin't she say maybe i will never see leaves or maybe i will? i think she is still in the figuring it out stage, which to me means, maybe Shonda sort of accidentaly leaked a spoiler, ie, she figures out she needs glases too! or maybe no, but like prop 8, i'm saying its too close to call,

in addition, i think we should keep demanding BOTH lesbian and bisexual content, AND be glad that overall, there is an increase of LGBT representation,   

with your article, Sarah.  I fired off an email to ABC yesterday (for all the good it will do).  I hope TV execs will wake up and smell the ratings one of these ddays.

 BTW don't forget Agent David(Cote D'Pablo) on NCIS has a bisexual past, too.  They allude to it ocaasionally when she's teasing Tony Dinozzo.

I'm a lurker rather than a poster, but I thought this article was so well done that I decided that I wanted to comment on it. Sarah, I thought that this was an excellent article - great content, great writing style, and a great flow and progression of ideas and arguments. I always enjoy your articles but there was something especially striking about this one; perhaps the so-very-understandable emotion behind it? I dunno, but reading it reminded me of why this is one of my very favourite websites. 

"I could vomit just looking at you."  Dorothy Zbornak (The Golden Girls)

www.myspace.com/lunakiss7

Wow, thank you Sarah for this great article. I didn't know there weren't any Lesbian/Bisexual cop, FBI, dectective characters on television. Interesting. Very interesting. In the real world there are plenty lesbian and bisexual law enforcement officers.

After, I call down for the past two days. It was a lot to take in emotionally for me. I pretty still am a believer change is coming. I'm still taken aback by Obama as president-elect. I hope this is a sign for change for all people from all walks of life. I feel he can do it. It was the divine that got him there. He isn't like the others. We need to pray for him and his family's protection though.

Don't give up hope. Change is coming to uor governmental system. So will the visibility of LGBTQI characters.  The world wide web will lead the way. It may cost money but it's going to happen. It's coming.  So hang in there.

 All right, not about the article of course! Sarah's article shows us how excellent afterellen is. I've been reading the web site for quite a while now, but it's time for me to write a comment. Sarah, I've enjoyed reading your article so much that tears almost came to my eyes! Great ideas, and just as Maat wrote above, perhaps it was the emotion behind it. There are indeed lots of mixed feelings going on at the moment : the USA elected Barack Obama  a man who will surely bring some change to a country but  to the world as well ( I'm in France).  And today I see  California's results for Prop 8 : first BIG disappointment. From the outside, it really looked as if California was ready for gay marriage ( I have in mind the examples of Belgium or Spain), but apparently it's not the case. And then, there is ABC's axing of Brooke Smith from Grey's A. : 2nd HUGE  disappointment!  Ok, I must say that at first I thought " right, it's just a tv show , there are much worse things happening in the world" but NO ! First there is here the denying of the amazing Brooke Smith's talent; this actress is so talented I can't understand how her character can be written off the show in such a ridiculous, rude way. And then, it shows how censure , yes, censure! ( btw I hope this is the right word ! I can't think of another one) still exists. ABC, big network, is the latest example of how people are blind to the diversity that exists in our world. What are networks afraid of? I might be extremely naive, but I can't understand how networks CEOs still won't accept to show bi / lesbian / gay characters in their shows. Ok, ratings, but come on!! it's 2008! Why Ellen, Rachel Maddow, M.Etheridge.. and no Erica Hahn (and a lot more) ?  Anyway, I 'll keep on reading After Ellen and fight for representation in the media because as you proudly remind us, Sarah, VISIBILITY MATTERS!

Thank you Sarah,

You vindicated me. For years I have argued that The L Word would do nothing more than gettoize us onto cable and that's exactly what has been done. While cable does not have to play by the same FCC rules as network television, it's important to demand that there should still be some form of room for a lesbian character on the networks.  Instead, we still get more effeminent gay men like on Ugly Betty. I'm sorry, but I don't see this as good. Sure, he's funny, but that is how we and our borthers have always been used by network TV, as the butt of the joke.

I blame GLAAD for a lot of this. They have become less our advocate and more obsessed with how many celebrities they can attract to an awards banquet. Good for them. But in the long run, I ask, what have they done for lesbians lately? You mentioned daytime, and I add in defense of my condemnation of GLAAD that they rubber stamped and approved of the rape storyline of the only lesbian on network television at the time, Bianca on All My Children. That is not an advocacy group I have fatih in.

I am saddened to say, I don't see anything getting better anytime soon.  LGBT characters are used to spice up flagging ratings, attract PR (good and bad PR is supposed to be good these days, after all) and provide a great gasp of "will they/or won't they" during sweeps.

The sooner we realize the truth, that things haven't gotten better in US television and that the rest of the world is passing it by, the sooner people might feel galvanized to out shout the Minivan Mafia and claim a chunk of the airwaves for ourselves.