Date of Award

6-2012

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Modern Languages and Literatures

First Advisor

Christine Henseler

Language

English

Keywords

Spain, homosexuality, society, attitudes, film

Abstract

Spain has a long history of discrimination, social and legal, against homosexuals which began to change with the end of Franco’s dictatorship in 1975. Spanish society became more and more accepting of homosexuals, and the laws that changed between 1975 and the present day reflect this change. Although Spanish society is relatively accepting of homosexuals, they have not been portrayed to a proportionate extent or with the same accepting attitudes in film. In particular, there is an overwhelming underrepresentation of lesbian movies, especially those that portray them in a positive light. This trend began to change in the 1990s, around the same time as a boom in the number of female directors in Spanish cinema, although there is still an underrepresentation of both. The movies Costa Brava (1995 de Marta Balletbò-Coll) and A mi madre le gustan las mujeres (My Mother Likes Women) (2002 de Inés París and Daniela Fejerman) are two examples of movies from the 1990s and early 2000s which reflect the positive images of lesbians that exist in contemporary Spanish society. Through their characters, their humor, and the presentation of lesbian couples, these movies present lesbianism as a conventional part of Spanish society which should be, and is, accepted. They reflect the trend of growing acceptance in Spain, yet they are part of a small group of movies which reflect this trend.

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