Public Relations and LGBTQ+ Equality Issues: Supporting the Rights and Representation of the LGBTQ+ Community in Media and Society
Abstract
The function of Public Relations is very important in shaping public opinion, especially regarding sensitive issues such as LGBTQ+ equality. Since the representation and rights of the LGBTQ+ community are often still limited and biased in the media and society, it is important to examine further how public Relations can support advocacy for these communities. This study aims to investigate Public Relations strategies and actions that support LGBTQ+ equality and assess how effective they are in increasing the positive image of the LGBTQ+ community in the media and general public. This research focuses on identifying Public Relations actions that assist in accepting and respecting LGBTQ+ rights. The research methods used are quantitative and qualitative. This method was chosen for data collection and analysis involving interviews, media content analysis related to the LGBTQ+ equality campaign, and surveys regarding public perceptions of the campaign. The results of this research show that inclusive and educational communication strategies from Public Relations can increase awareness and support for LGBTQ+ issues. Campaigns that highlight personal stories, collaborations with influencers, and advocacy activities are effective in creating a more inclusive and empathetic dialogue in society. This research concludes that Public Relations plays a crucial role in supporting LGBTQ+ equality through effective and inclusive communication approaches. Strong collaboration between Public Relations practitioners, the media, and the LGBTQ+ community is needed to expand LGBTQ+ representation and rights. Public Relations serves as an important intermediary to promote better understanding and social acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community
Full text article
References
Alessi, E. J., Kahn, S., Greenfield, B., Woolner, L., & Manning, D. (2020). A Qualitative Exploration of the Integration Experiences of LGBTQ Refugees Who Fled from the Middle East, North Africa, and Central and South Asia to Austria and the Netherlands. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 17(1), 13–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-018-0364-7
Anderson, B. (2023). The role of public relations in a counterhegemony: A case study of the 1968 Poor People's campaign. Public Relations Review, 49(4), 102363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102363
Billard, T. J., & Gross, L. (2020). LGBTQ Politics in Media and Culture. In T. J. Billard & L. Gross, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1263
Caceres, BA, Streed, CG, Corliss, HL, Lloyd-Jones, DM, Matthews, PA, Mukherjee, M., Poteat, T., Rosendale, N., Ross, LM, & On behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Hypertension; Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease; and Stroke Council. (2020). Assessing and Addressing Cardiovascular Health in LGBTQ Adults: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation, 142(19). https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000914
Ecker, J., Aubry, T., & Sylvestre, J. (2019). A Review of the Literature on LGBTQ Adults Who Experience Homelessness. Journal of Homosexuality, 66(3), 297–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2017.1413277
Garcia Johnson, C. P., & Otto, K. (2019). Better Together: A Model for Women and LGBTQ Equality in the Workplace. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 272. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00272
Green, A.E., Price, M.N., & Dorison, S.H. (2022). Cumulative minority stress and suicide risk among LGBTQ youth. American Journal of Community Psychology, 69(1–2), 157–168. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12553
Kim, Y., & Bhalla, N. (2022). A two-path model of the impact of LGBTQ+ diversity CSR levels on public response. Public Relations Review, 48(3), 102203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2022.102203
Lane, A. (2023). Towards a theory of organizational storytelling for public relations: An engagement perspective. Public Relations Review, 49(1), 102297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102297
Levitt, H.M. (2019). A Psychosocial Genealogy of LGBTQ+ Gender: An Empirically Based Theory of Gender and Gender Identity Cultures. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(3), 275–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684319834641
Lund, M. L., Olofsson, A., & Malinowsky, C. (2022). Accessing public space in the digital society: Relationship between the use of everyday technology and places visited outside the home after acquired brain injury. Disability and Rehabilitation, 44(23), 7059–7068. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2021.1979666
Mahmood, Y., Kama, N., Azmi, A., & Ya'acob, S. (2020). An IoT-based Home Automation Integrated Approach: Impact on Society in Sustainable Development Perspective. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2020.0110131
Moloney, K., & McGrath, C. (2019). Rethinking Public Relations: Persuasion, Democracy and Society (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429489310
Nadal, K. L. (2019). A Decade of Microaggression Research and LGBTQ Communities: An Introduction to the Special Issue. Journal of Homosexuality, 66(10), 1309–1316. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2018.1539582
Navarro, C., Moreno, A., Molleda, J.C., Khalil, N., & Verhoeven, P. (2020). The challenge of new gatekeepers for public relations. A comparative analysis of the role of social media influencers for European and Latin American professionals. Public Relations Review, 46(2), 101881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101881
Onyango, G. (2021). Public Accountability: State-Society Relations in Kenya. In G. Onyango & G. Hyden (Eds.), Governing Kenya (pp. 143–162). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61784-4_9
Parmenter, J.G., Galliher, R.V., & Maughan, ADA (2020). An Exploration of LGBTQ+ Community Members' Positive Perceptions of LGBTQ+ Culture. The Counseling Psychologist, 48(7), 1016–1047. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000020933188
Parmenter, J.G., Galliher, R.V., Wong, E., & Perez, D. (2021). An intersectional approach to understanding LGBTQ+ people of color's access to LGBTQ+ community resilience. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68(6), 629–641. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000578
Place, K. R., Edwards, L., & Bowen, S. A. (2021). Dignity and respect or homocommodification? Applying moral philosophy to LGBTQ public relations. Public Relations Review, 47(4), 102085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2021.102085
Pregnall, A. M., Churchwell, A. L., & Ehrenfeld, J. M. (2021). A Call for LGBTQ Content in Graduate Medical Education Program Requirements. Academic Medicine, 96(6), 828–835. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000003581
Reisner, S.L., Sava, L.M., Menino, D.D., Perrotti, J., Barnes, T.N., Humphrey, D.L., Nikitin, R.V., & Earnshaw, V.A. (2020). Addressing LGBTQ Student Bullying in Massachusetts Schools: Perspectives of LGBTQ Students and School Health Professionals. Prevention Science, 21(3), 408–421. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-019-01084-4
Rogers, B.G., Coats, C.S., Adams, E., Murphy, M., Stewart, C., Arnold, T., Chan, P.A., & Nunn, A. (2020). Development of Telemedicine Infrastructure at an LGBTQ+ Clinic to Support HIV Prevention and Care in Response to COVID-19, Providence, RI. AIDS and Behavior, 24(10), 2743–2747. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-02895-1
Scroggs, B., Love, H. A., & Torgerson, C. (2021). COVID-19 and LGBTQ Emerging Adults: Risk in the Face of Social Distancing. Emerging Adulthood, 9(5), 639–644. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696820968699
Sprik, P., & Gentile, D. (2020). Cultural Humility: A Way to Reduce LGBTQ Health Disparities at the End of Life. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, 37(6), 404–408. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909119880548
Upadhyay, S., & Upadhyay, N. (2019). Investigating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Usage of Pathos in the Cyber-Physical Society – A Case of Public Relations Campaign. Procedia Computer Science, 162, 400–404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.12.003
Vaccaro, A., & Koob, R. M. (2019). A Critical and Intersectional Model of LGBTQ Microaggressions: Toward a More Comprehensive Understanding. Journal of Homosexuality, 66(10), 1317–1344. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2018.1539583
Wang, G., & Ma, X. (2021). Representations of LGBTQ+ issues in China in its official English-language media: A corpus-assisted critical discourse study. Critical Discourse Studies, 18(2), 188–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2020.1738251
White, C. L., & Boatwright, B. (2020). Social media ethics in the data economy: Issues of social responsibility for using Facebook for public relations. Public Relations Review, 46(5), 101980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101980
Williams, A. J., Jones, C., Arcelus, J., Townsend, E., Lazaridou, A., & Michail, M. (2021). A systematic review and meta-analysis of victimization and mental health prevalence among LGBTQ+ young people with experiences of self-harm and suicide. PLOS ONE, 16(1), e0245268. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245268
Yang, A., & Saffer, A. J. (2019). Embracing a network perspective in the network society: The dawn of a new paradigm in strategic public relations. Public Relations Review, 45(4), 101843. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101843
Authors
Copyright (c) 2024 Zulfikar Zulfikar, Sri Chatun

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.