Discrimination fueled by Media

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Posted by Administrator in Youth on February 15, 2010  |  0 Comments More from this author  |

“Words have power,” said BC senior and GLC representative Chyna McRae.

After various other lyrics by artists such as Jay-Z and Katy Perry, all of which had phrases such as “No homo” and “You’re so gay” were displayed on a big screen at the front of the lecture hall, McRae turned to a more serious note.

“I know in the video, some of the content is funny, but it’s really kind of scary how some of this language is being used,” she said. “We are here to talk about how race and sexuality intersect in honor of Black History Month. They’re constantly compartmentalized.”

Panelist William Chamley, a junior at BC, said he feels it is a shame that pop and hip-hop music reinforce terms such as “no homo” and “that’s gay.” He said ultimately this was a product of American culture and stereotypical imaging in the media.

“It speaks to a larger issue that America as a whole is homophobic and wants the pop and media cultures to reinforce that image,” he said.

Chamley also said that the word gay in popular culture has come to mean something far beyond the original meaning.

“It’s troublesome to link the word gay to being stupid, lame or awful,” he said.

Associate professor of History and panelist Martin Summers, who is openly gay, researches on gender, race and sexuality. He said that associating the word gay with stupidity makes people feel that they’re not worthy members of the community.

“Language influences behavior against significant parts of the community,” he said.
Panelist Sarah Hogan, a graduate student, agreed and said “anti-gay language enforces a code of silence.”

Read full story at The Daily Free Press