Lesson 2.2: Media Effects & Public Attitudes
In this topic, you will examine how sustained negative media coverage impacts public perceptions of feminist, queer, and trans movements. You'll consider how media frames these groups – as dangerous, illegitimate, or foreign – and how such narratives contribute to hostility, marginalisation, funding difficulties, or policy backlash. This topic also highlights how selective visibility and misrepresentation affect the legitimacy and safety of queer, feminist, and trans movements.
1. How media shape social attitudes
‘Anti-gender’ media discourses do more than provoke short-lived outrage - they gradually reshape how societies see feminist, queer, and trans movements. By repeatedly framing queer-feminist resistance as dangerous, illegitimate, or foreign, the media normalises suspicion and hostility. Over time, these portrayals erode public trust, silence activists, and make discrimination appear rational or even necessary.
