We all know that she doesn’t have the same following or media power of Oprah but Tyra Banks is doing her best to cover serious issues on her show. Today’s program took on the complex and difficult issues growing up as LGBT in America’s inner cities. “Gays in the Ghetto” looked at the real life experiences of gay and transgender young people growing up in tough urban areas. It profiles the work of the House of Jourdan where LGBT young people can go to escape persecution.
People often criticize Tyra for trivializing complex social problems but in this case she deserves to be applauded for not only looking at gay and lesbian issues but for picking one of the least glamorous perspectives on life for gay and lesbian people and giving it airtime. It also serves as a reality check for those of us who see many more young people coming out at an earlier ages and gaining acceptance from their parents and peer groups, but sometimes forget that for so many the experience is so different.
I remember blogging about Oprah’s show on gay and lesbian issues but frankly her guests, although they had experienced discrimination, were relatively privileged success stories who could escape from their circumstances. I think Tyra deserves some credit for taking on the subject from a more gritty perspective and examining the lives of young people who experienced the realities of being openly gay in harsh surroundings.
SUBSCRIBE
Tyra is a lot more intelligent and substantive than she gets credit for. Obviously, she’s a smart business woman — she’s made herself an industry. And like you said, unlike Oprah, Tyra is looking at things through a more challenging scope. I grew up on the Texas-Mexico border. It wasn’t the ghetto, but still not a great environment for a boy that everyone (but me) knew was gay. I’m sure the Tyra episode will be eye-opening in exposing the cruelty and challenges that gay youth in hostile environments face.