This article explores the representation of sexual others in prime-time Brazilian telenovelas. It investigates how gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) individuals have been portrayed in those media texts. It presents an account of the few images of gay males on telenovelas, with the even fewer ones of lesbian, bisexual and transgendered characters, and attempts to discuss these images in a particular historical moment in Brazil. It also looks at the impact that official censorship, audience ratings, pressure from conservative groups, such as the Catholic Church, and advertisers have on the fate and range of those images. This article ends with two case studies of recent telenovelas that included the most progressive representations in the history of the genre in Brazil.
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