Fig 1.
Coverage size over time of LGBT keywords in Singapore news media over a decade (2010–2020).
Overall increase in mainstream media mentions of LGBT keywords over the decade from 2010 to 2020. Coverage was skewed in favor of keywords related to gay identity markers, followed by transgender identity markers, and with lesbian and bisexual identity markers lagging in comparison.
Fig 2.
Comparative disparity in overall coverage size of LGBT keywords in news media over a decade from 2010 to 2020.
Over the span of the decade (2010–2020), comparative disparities in coverage volume were evident. On average, Gay identity markers (keywords including ‘gay(s)’, ‘gay man/men’) were mentioned at a higher frequency than other identity markers; with coverage of this group outstripping Bisexual keywords (including ‘bisexual(s)’, ‘bisexuality’) by seven times, Lesbian (keywords including ‘lesbian(s)’) by four, Transgender (keywords including ‘transgender(s)’, ‘transsexual(s)’, ‘transvestite(s)’) by two, even outnumbering general keywords denoting LGBT identities as a collective whole (including keywords ‘LGBT(Q)’, ‘GLBT’, ‘homosexual(s)’, ‘pansexual(s)’).
Fig 3.
Sentiment score of LGBT categories in news media over a decade (2010–2020).
Sentiment scores are assigned to collocates on a valence scale of 1–5, where 1 (very negative), 3 (neutral), 5 (very positive). Given that a neutral score is denoted by ‘3’, coverage about Pink Dot (the local pride event) was comparatively the most positive, followed by neutral scores for Lesbian, Gay, LGBT, Transgender. The only set of identity marker keywords that dipped slightly below the neutral threshold were Bisexual and 377A (the law against homosexual relations).
Table 1.
Key themes for LGBT and its component identities based on highest frequency descriptors over a decade (2010–2020).