LGBTQ Video
|
As we found in our interviews, putting a face on the issue of LGBTQ rights is paramount for advocators in this community. This technique can be clearly seen in Pixar’s “It Gets Better” video, our cultural artifact for the LGBTQ culture. In the video, a wide range of Pixar employees share an important message of hope to gay youth: it really does get better. These individuals are from all walks of life, hold different roles within the company, and have varied experiences, but share one key characteristic: they are all members of the LGBTQ community.
They each share incredibly emotional stories of being gay, touching on the confusion, fear, isolation, loneliness, sadness, and self-hatred that they experienced. These personal narratives are sure to resonate with LGBTQ youth struggling with their own identities (“I knew I was different” “I walked wrong, I talked wrong” “It was all I could do to keep it under wraps” “I felt that if I was a lesbian my father wouldn’t love me anymore” “There’s a sense of invisibility when you’re gay”) and are couched in powerful emotional rhetoric. The “coming out” stories they share are equally resonant.
The video begins and ends with strong emotions that evoke strong responses; painful, often heart-wrenching stories, and ultimately a message of positivity and hope. The plethora of positive experiences, friendships, relationships, and insights that are shared at the end of the video are universally appealing.
Rather than simply ignoring or maintaining gay stereotypes, the video actively fights against them—“not everybody’s Kurt on Glee.” By emphasizing the diversity of the LGBTQ community and featuring the very real lives and experiences within the Pixar team, the video simultaneously offers encouragement to LGBTQ youth and employs a powerful emotional appeal for those either indifferent or opposed to the issue.
They each share incredibly emotional stories of being gay, touching on the confusion, fear, isolation, loneliness, sadness, and self-hatred that they experienced. These personal narratives are sure to resonate with LGBTQ youth struggling with their own identities (“I knew I was different” “I walked wrong, I talked wrong” “It was all I could do to keep it under wraps” “I felt that if I was a lesbian my father wouldn’t love me anymore” “There’s a sense of invisibility when you’re gay”) and are couched in powerful emotional rhetoric. The “coming out” stories they share are equally resonant.
The video begins and ends with strong emotions that evoke strong responses; painful, often heart-wrenching stories, and ultimately a message of positivity and hope. The plethora of positive experiences, friendships, relationships, and insights that are shared at the end of the video are universally appealing.
Rather than simply ignoring or maintaining gay stereotypes, the video actively fights against them—“not everybody’s Kurt on Glee.” By emphasizing the diversity of the LGBTQ community and featuring the very real lives and experiences within the Pixar team, the video simultaneously offers encouragement to LGBTQ youth and employs a powerful emotional appeal for those either indifferent or opposed to the issue.