Homophobia and the Reception of Lesbian Characters in Audiovisual Narratives

Abstract

The presence of lesbian characters has increased in popular audiovisual narratives such as television series and movies. It is therefore necessary to explore how they are perceived by heterogeneous audiences. The main goal of this research is to explore the relationship between homophobia, identification with characters, and enjoyment as processes of narrative reception in audiovisual fiction featuring lesbians. To do this, an empirical study was carried out, consisting of an online questionnaire in which 140 participants answered questions about their degree of homophobia. Then they watched prescribed television material and finally answered questions related to identification, enjoyment, and taste. Afer obtaining evidence of the validity of the Modern Homophobia Scale (mhS-l), the relationships between the scale’s dimensions and other variables were explored. The primary results show that people who have a lower degree of institutional homophobia enjoy the video and like it more. Likewise, men identify more intensely with lesbian characters and gays and lesbians enjoy it more. These results are interpreted in the light of media entertainment theories.