Abstract:

This paper presents a proposal of work on respecting diversity in sexual orientation through Media Education with secondary education students.

The media are of great influence when it comes to creating collective imagination. They have the capacity of projecting events as being “natural”. They reinforce stereotypes and social roles, in addition to promoting values, fashions and lifestyles in a space from which certain groups are left out.

Traditionally, the LGTB community has been one of the groups which has suffered marginalisation by the media industry, and not only because it has been excluded, but also because it has been represented through stereotyped images, giving rise to prejudices and negative attitudes.

In these media constructions, lesbian and bisexual women have been doubly discriminated for belonging to two minorities: being woman and being lesbian or bisexual. In fact, until a few years ago the standard practice was to consider this group an invisible one. The media helped create this collective imagination in which lesbian or bisexual women apparently did not exist, and this invisibility perpetuated their discrimination and prevented them from participating in and enjoying civil rights.

In recent years, thanks to feminist and LGTB movements, among others, changes are taking place. This community is increasingly becoming more visible, and this can also be observed in media productions. However, visibility is not a synonym of inclusion because stereotypes and prejudices towards this community are often reproduced.

This paper’s proposal sets out to promote tolerance towards diversity in sexual orientation among secondary education students by means of reflecting on and deconstructing the representation of lesbian and bisexual women created by the media. Emphasis is placed firstly on critically reading media messages and secondly on being capable of creating and producing alternative inclusive and diverse discourses.

Keywords:

Media Education, Diversity, Ethics, Minorities.