E.T.Ho.S.
Eliminating Transphobic, HOmophobic and biphobic Stereotypes through better media representation
Main Objective of E.T.H.o.S.
The overall objective of the E.T.H.o.S project is to educate and raise awareness among journalists and media students about the phenomenon of Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (HTB) in the media and in particular about the direct or indirect (re)production of harmful stereotypes against LGBT+ people.
This will ultimately serve the overarching goal of E.T.Ho.S. to combat discrimination against LGBT+ in Greece, Lithuania and Croatia by enlisting media power for their benefit while challenging misrepresentation.
To achieve this objective, four types of activities are planned:
·Development of a LGBT+ Media Reporting Guide for media professionals and students.
● Training of media professionals and students in the three participating countries: 12 (3×4) trainings for media professionals (20-25 participants per training) and 12 (3×4) trainings for media students (20-25 participants per training).
· Advocacy and lobbying on LGBT+ rights and the elimination of discrimination against them.
· Raising on Homophobic, Transphobic and Biphobic (HTB) Media discourse.
The direct beneficiaries of the project are journalists and media professionals/staff and media students on the one hand and policy and decision makers on the other
The results that the planned activities are expected to produce comprise the following:
- Improved knowledge about non-discriminatory portrayal of LGBT+ people among journalists and media students in the 3 participating countries.
- Increased awareness and understanding regarding the prevention and combating homophobic/ biphobic/ transphobic stereotypes in Greece, Lithuania and Croatia.
- Better representation of LGBT+ people and issues in the media.
- Increased awareness about the phenomenon of HTB Media discourse among policy and decision makers, professionals and the public.
- Better equipped educational institutions to embed LGBT+ equality in media studies.
Our publications
Media reporting and reference guide on LGBT issues
As part of the E.T.Ho.S project, the following guide was created, targeted to media professionals and students, which includes all the basic terminology for the concepts and identities regarding sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics, good practices and guidelines for the appropriate representation of LGBTQI+ issues on media, the legal framework on discrimination and hate speech, as well as other information.
The guide is a useful and practical for all media professionals, helping them to broaden their knowledge on LGBTQI issues and to give, through their work, space and visibility to the issues affecting the community and to LGBTQI+ people to speak about their experiences, in a way that will not reproduce negative stereotypes and prejudices against LGBTQI+ people
The guide is also available in English, in an enriched edition, which includes a comparative analysis between Greece, Lithuania and Croatia.
Policy and Recommendation Paper on LGBT Media Reporting
The media in Greece have contributed to a great degree in the (re)production of negative stereotypes and prejudices on LGBTQI+ people, maintaining the negative attitudes against them and their social exclusion. The Greek State, the Media, the Media University Departments and the Media Professionals’ Unions can play an important role in combating discrimination and hate speech, and in protecting the human rights of LGBTQI+ people. This policy paper includes policy recommendations for targeted actions that can be implemented to ensure and promote the rights of LGBTQI+ people by and through mainstream media, including the education of media professionals, the creation of mechanisms for eliminating hate speech and discrimination, and the creation of networks of cooperation between the media and LGBTQI+ organisations.
The English edition includes the policy recommendations for Lithuania and Croatia.
Training Manual for Media professionals on reporting and referring to LGBT issues
This training manual focuses on media professionals and media student. The main aims of the training programme are:
- To raise awareness among (future) media professionals regarding the phenomena of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in general, but also regarding the context in which these are reproduced by the media.
- To familiarise (future) media professionals with the basic LGBTQI+ terminology, the existing European and national legal framework, good practices that are already applied by some media, public actors and civil society organisations aiming to improve the representation and media coverage of LGBTQI+ people and issues, and, in general, the promotion of the human rights of LGBTQI+ people.
- To equip (future) media professionals with the appropriate skills and tools, in order to cover LGBTQI+ issues in an inclusive and representative way, avoiding the use of stigmatising language and the reproduction of stereotypes.
