• Homepage
• About us
• Media
  • Current releases
  • Media archive
  • Tuned Out - gay people in the media
  • Stonewall news Ebulletin
  • Help us with our media work
• Campaigns
• Support us
• Workplace
• Information bank
• Events
• Contact us
• Sitemap

Tuned Out -

gay people in the media

The media is an extremely powerful tool - television, radio, newspapers, magazines and even advertising have the capacity to educate, inform, include and challenge millions of individuals.

For many lesbians and gay men, the media provides their first images of gay sexuality. It can provide gay people with positive role models, and can help them realise they are not alone.

However, the media can also be damaging to gay people, reinforcing stereotypes and perpetuating homophobic views.

In this section:

• Tuned Out - the BBC's portrayal of lesbian and gay people
• Media Monitor: tell the media what you think!
• Make a complaint
• Tips and advice
• Be a media monitor for Stonewall

Tuned Out - the BBC's portrayal of lesbian and gay people
Stonewall has carried out research into how the BBC represents lesbian and gay lives. We looked at a range of areas including:

Does TV have a positive or negative impact?
Does the BBC challenge homophobia?
Do gay licence-payers get value for money?

We monitored 168 hours of peak time TV on BBC One and BBC Two: during that time, lesbian and gay people and their lives were realistically and positively portrayed for just six minutes.

• Gay people are contributing almost £190 million every year towards BBC programming.
• Gay people and their lives are five times more likely to be portrayed in negative terms on the BBC.
• Gay life is most likely to appear in entertainment programmes, and is rarely featured in factual programmes, like documentaries and the news.
• BBC programmes frequently use gay sexuality for making jokes or as an insult, and rely heavily on clichéd stereotypes.

Stonewall also spoke to gay and straight people from across the UK to find out how they feel about the way lesbians and gay men are portrayed on TV. They told us they wanted to see:

• More documentaries to help everyone understand lesbian and gay lives - and not just ones focussing on negative issues
• More positive role models for young gay people
• More realistic and non-sensationalised/clichéd gay characters in soaps and drama
• A more diverse range of lesbian and gay identities, beyond the urban stereotypes.

The full report can be downloaded here: Tuned Out

If you would like to see Tuned Out as a word document or in larger print please contact 020 7593 1850 or email info@stonewall.org.uk.

Media monitor: tell the media what you think!
Have you read something homophobic in a newspaper?
Heard something offensive on the radio?
Fed up with gay stereotypes on TV?

It's time to tell the media how you feel!

Stonewall wants you to take action and let the producers, editors, journalists, presenters and broadcasters know about how misrepresenting gay people affects you, and why they should challenge homophobia.

Make a complaint
To make a complaint about something you have either seen or heard, you can either use the contact details shown or click on the links provided to make a complaint online.

• BBC TV
  BBC Complaints
  PO Box 1922
  Glasgow G2 3WT
  Telephone: 08700 100 222
  Textphone: 08700 100 212
  On line: click here
  
  
• ITV
  ITV Complaints
  Duty Office
  Gas Street
  Birmingham B1 2JT
  Telephone: 0870 600 6766
  Fax: 0121 634 4898
  Email: dutyoffice@itv.com
  On line: click here 
  
  
• Channel 4
  Viewer Enquiries
  Channel 4 Television
  124 Horseferry Road
  London SW1P 2TX
  Telephone: 020 7306 8333
  Email: viewerenquiries@channel4.co.uk
  On line: click here
  
  
• Channel 5
  Five
  22 Long Acre
  London WC2E 9LY
  Telephone: 0845 705 0505
  Email: customerservices@five.tv
  
  
• Sky
  Phone: 08702 40 40 40
  Email: viewer@bskyb.com
  On line: click here
  
  
• BBC Radio
  BBC Complaints
  PO Box 1922
  Glasgow G2 3WT
  Telephone: 08700 100 222
  Textphone: 08700 100 212
  On line: click here
   
  
• Virgin Radio
  1 Golden Square
  London W1F 9DJ
  Telephone: 08707 30 1215
  
  
• Talksport Radio
  18 Hatfields
  London SE1 8DJ
  On line: click here 
  
  
• Teletext
  10 Chiswick Park
  566 Chiswick High Road
  London W4 5TS.
  Tel:  0870 731 3000
  Email: webmaster@teletext.co.uk
  
  
• Press Complaints Commission
  1 Salisbury Square
  London EC4Y 8JB
  Telephone: 0845 600 2757
  On line: click here
   
  
• Advertising Standards Authority
  Mid City Place
  71 High Holborn
  London WC1V 6QT
  Telephone: 020 7492 2222
  Email: enquiries@asa.org.uk
  On line: click here 
  
  
• Ofcom (Independent regulator)
  Riverside House
  2a Southwark Bridge Road
  London SE1 9HA
  Telephone: 020 7981 3000
  Textphone: 020 7981 3043
  On line: click here

Tips and advice
For tips and advice about making a complaint please click here.

Be a media monitor for Stonewall
We want to continue our media monitoring and need your help.

By letting us know what you have seen or heard that has offended you, or that you thought was positive, you will be helping us with our future media research.  All you need to do is use the links below and put your comments on our media monitor log.

Register your comments here and be part of Stonewall's ongoing media monitoring.
 
Click here to look at the media monitor log and see other people's responses to the media.

* Stonewall accept no responsibility for the content of external sites.