The Marginalization of Sexual Minorities in Friends : A Critical Analysis of Queer Representation on Television

Abstract

This thesis aims to analyze how sexual minorities are discriminated against through language use in the situation comedy Friends. The goal is to examine what effects the queer representation in the series may have in real life. The main sources of this study include five episodes from different seasons of Friends. Other sources consist of books, articles, and online publications presenting previous research as well as recently increased public discussion about the topic. More specifically, this study focuses on the representation of lesbian and gay characters in Friends as well as compares how homosexual and heterosexual identities are received and portrayed in the series. In addition, this thesis aims to analyze the underlying attentions and insinuations hidden beneath the language use about the queer community. The main results of this research prove that the LGBTQ+ representation in the series can be hurtful towards queer individuals as well as have an impact on the audience’s attitudes in real life. It is also revealed that heteronormativity reigns the treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals in Friends, creating a certain hierarchy among different sexualities. This study is concluded with suggestions to use television as a medium for promoting equality as well as to learn from problematic representation of the past in order to make television series more progressive in the future.