Abstract
The stereotypical representations of Filipino LGBT people in Philippine media, like comic relief and sexual deviants, have existed for years, somehow enabling it to be the dominant perception of Filipinos towards LGBT people. Adding to the problem is the absence of the anti-discrimination law that legally protects them, sending a message that they remain unrepresented and non-recognized in the country. Very few media projects showed efforts to showcase them positively through recent advertisements. However, some garnered backlash and censorship. Bench/ commercial in 2018 called “How long can you keep a secret?” successfully caught the Filipino’s attention and gained positive responses and support. A few similar LGBT-themed ads followed, making this study interested in people’s perceptions. Thus, this research aims to determine the reactions of Filipinos to the recent LGBT-themed advertisements with non-stereotypical messages. The answers were gathered from non-LGBT individuals, through surveys (158 respondents) and LGBT members (25 participants), through focus groups to encapsulate the different perceptions. The study is guided by George Gerbner’s Cultivation theory, saying that the more people watch TV, the more they think that their reality and the television world are the same, and David Morley’s Relevance Theory, stating that audiences in the same socio-economic group can read media texts differently than those who do not belong to the said group. The study has discovered that while the LGBT community celebrates this, albeit small, good change, the Filipino public remains neutral about the issue.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Philippines, Cultivation Theory, Relevance Theory, Filipino Audience, Filipino LGBTs, Advertisements
