Evolving Landscapes, Shifting Narratives

Understanding Taiwanese News Media Portrayals of LGBTQ+ Populations from 2010 to 2021

Bibliographic Data

ID21424049
AuthorsJ H Chen (0000-0002-1522-3616, National Chengchi University, corresponding author), Hsiu-Chi Lu (0009-0006-7631-8391, Universidad del Noreste)
Year2026
Pages1-29
Publication date2026-06-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Homosexuality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0091-8369 • E-ISSN: 1540-3602
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00918369.2026.2690193
PMID42348425
OpenAlexW7165850092
LanguageEN
References cited54

This study examines how mainstream Taiwanese newspapers portrayed sexual minorities from 2010 to 2021, a period marked by rising LGBTQ+ visibility and major legal change. Drawing on institutional mediation and legitimacy perspectives, we test three hypotheses: first, that coverage becomes more negative as LGBTQ+ issues gain visibility over time; second, that gay men receive more negative coverage than lesbian women; and third, that major legal and social milestones shift coverage toward more neutral portrayals and a broader range of topics. To evaluate these expectations, we analyze 18,558 articles from China Times, Liberty Times, and United Daily News using web-scraped data, AI (i.e. GPT-4 model) assisted classification of articles as gay with time series regression models. The findings reveal an overall increase in positive news coverage over the decade, but disparities in the frequency and sentiment of coverage between gay and lesbian subjects persist. The study concludes that while there has been progress toward inclusiveness, significant events and milestones have only partially influenced the portrayal of the LGBTQ+ community. The results highlight the ongoing need for efforts toward equitable media representation

Content analysis · Ethnic group · Journalism · Mass media · Narrative · News media · Social media · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Japanese History and Culture · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy