IMPACTS OF MASS MEDIA ON THE LGBT COMMUNITY IN HO CHI MINH CITY NOWADAYS

Abstract

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community (LGBT) is growing bigger and bigger in Vietnam, especially in Ho Chi Minh City where 66% of members of this community are living. Although the LGBT community has been under severe stigmatization of society due to the biases related to sexual tendency and gender identity, it is becoming more familiar and popular with more people thanks to mass media. Therefore, the mass media plays a significant role in making the public understand this community properly and sufficiently. In addition to positive impacts, mass media also has some negative effects which mislead the perception of information takers. This paper uses qualitative data to analyze the positive as well as negative impacts of mass media on the images of LGBT people and the human rights that they deserve.