Support for equal rights for the LGBT community through mainstream media and pop culture has become increasingly widespread in the last few decades. Starting from films, music videos, TV series, and social media campaigns are also used as a means of voicing the importance of capturing LGBT issues as part of social inclusivity.
The use of mainstream media and entertainment is not done without reason, this is done because the scope and reach of information dissemination in this way is able to reach a wider domain. So that countries that are not even familiar with LGBT issues can also be targeted by the campaign.
Indonesia is one of the countries that still considers the LGBT phenomenon as a taboo issue to discuss, even on the more extreme side, the people consider this as something immoral. One of the harshest rejections was from the Muslim community, considering that Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world and the LGBT phenomenon is considered incompatible with the theological teachings they adhere to. However, with the massive movement of constructing inclusive norms carried out by countries that have supported and legalized LGBT, the Indonesian LGBT community has begun to react and respond.
New media and LGBT campaigns
Changes that occur in the information media are not only in how the information is conveyed but also in how the information is accessed. New media users no longer play on the newspaper reporting system where they get the information provided, but instead use internet algorithms to find the information they want. So that the process of filtering information ultimately lies with the user, not the media.
LGBT campaigns as part of social inclusivity through pop culture are often not the primary source of information for communicants but rather become a kind of trigger to spark the curiosity of its users to find related information in different media. For this reason, pop culture does not explicitly raise LGBT issues, but instead makes it an insert between the main topics or themes of the content it creates.
Call it a music video with the main spotlight being two men who love each other, as we can see from several music videos released in the United States. Two decades ago, the Indonesian public would not have thought that such a scene could be used as the main character in a music video. With the emergence of such content, the first idea that was instilled in viewers of the music video was that it was possible to voice LGBT issues in unusual ways.
Image power
Gays and lesbians in contemporary pop culture products from countries that support LGBT are depicted as part of a normal society that is fully accepted. Superhero films and even animations that can be watched by various age groups are starting to feature more and more LGBT characters. There we can see that these figures can act like ordinary people while still maintaining their identity as gay or lesbian. It’s not even impossible, the audience will choose a character with an LGBT background as their favorite character.
The image created by pop culture of LGBT also tries to show that such an identity is something that arises naturally and does not need to be negated, either by its owner or by the environment around it. In fact, it is not uncommon to be shown in pop culture that taking into account someone’s sexual orientation can close their potential. In other words, LGBT is no longer seen as something that needs to be debated and must be set aside for the greater good.
This form of the campaign through new media and pop culture is starting to show positive results, as evidenced by European countries and even some Asian countries starting to legalize same-sex marriage. Thailand as an example has even issued many television series with gay themes and main characters.
Indonesian and LGBT
A survey was conducted by The Jakarta Post to find out the level of acceptance by the Indonesian people towards the LGBT society. As a result, 9% of Indonesians accept LGBT as part of society. This figure has increased from only 3% in 2013. This number is expected to continue to increase with the emergence of non-governmental organizations that focus on advocating LGBT people, such as Arus Pelangi. One of the values voiced by this Institute is that it is time for the Indonesian people to eliminate the stigma of LGBT as sexual deviance.
Indonesia may need another decade or two to be able to do things that European countries have done, such as incorporating LGBT elements into their pop culture products. But at least, films and pop culture content that are emerging now can be a driving force for the success of the LGBT community in Indonesia in voicing their rights. Potential strategies that can be carried out by the Indonesian LGBT community can be pursued by making Western pop culture products as authentic evidence that LGBT is a natural part of society and can support the advancement of civilization. On the other hand, exploring the potential of each individual will be maximized regardless of their sexual orientation.
