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Unseen on screen

A study into the portrayal of gay people on youth TV 2010

Some key findings:

Lesbian, gay and bisexual people were portrayed for 5 hours and 43 minutes - 4.5 per cent of total programme minutes.
However, lesbian, gay and bisexual people were portrayed negatively for two hours and three minutes.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual people were positively and realistically portrayed for just 46 minutes, 0.6 per cent of total programmes monitored.
Three quarters of portrayal was confined to just four
programmes – Hollyoaks, I’m A Celebrity..., How to Look
Good Naked and Emmerdale.
Half (49 per cent) of all portrayal was stereotypical.
Gay people were depicted as figures of fun, predatory or
promiscuous.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual people were portrayed negatively
for two hours and three minutes – accounting for 36 per cent of all portrayal.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual people were presented in a
realistic and positive way in just 46 minutes of programming
out of 126 hours.
Just seven minutes featured scenes where homophobia
was challenged.