About Look Out

Introduction

Look Out is the Wales Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) Media Group which aims to reduce the level of discrimination experienced by some members of the LGB community from negative media reporting in Wales.

Look Out was funded between 2004 - 2007 by Comic Relief but the project will continue to campaign to improve reporting of LGB issues.

Background

Findings from Counted Out, our first-ever survey of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Wales, indicated a large proportion of LGB people felt that they had been the victims of discrimination and mistreatment because of the way lesbian and gay people and issues can sometimes be sensationally or inaccurately portrayed in the Welsh media.  According to the report, the most common type of discrimination experienced overall was 'feeling that you cannot express yourself in public as a gay person', which was experienced by 71% respondents. The next most common forms of discrimination, experienced by between 65 - 69% of respondents, were 'being offended by public statements about the morality of homosexuals', 'being offended by articles or editorials in the print media', and 'being offended by the way homosexuals are portrayed on television' and 'name calling or public ridicule.'

Stonewall Cymru has also been contacted by many people to express their concerns about Welsh media coverage of LGB issues. In particular, the complainants have been upset over the number of disparaging comments that have appeared in the letters pages of local newspapers. As a direct result of the strength of feeling among LGB people, Stonewall Cymru set up Look Out.

Aims

Look Out aims to  publicly challenge discrimination and prejudice in the media in Wales by:

• Building relationships with the Welsh media
• Providing journalists with accurate LGB related advice and information
• Working with LGB people and community groups to promote practical support and advice on media relations
• Identifying ways to reach people who do not access traditional Welsh media.

Comment on this page

Comment on this page

Name / alias

Your email
(not displayed)

Subject
(will appear on this page)

Your comments
(will appear on this page)

Your comments