Conceptual Modeling – Level I

After defining the theoretical foundations and collecting user stories, we focused on designing a model to represent the main concepts derived from both scholarly frameworks and narrative examples — landing on a first level of conceptual modeling. This stage focuses on building the ontology’s structure: defining the key concepts as in classes, properties, and relationships that describe how LGBTQ+ characters are portrayed in teenage dramas.

🎯 This phase blends top-down (grounded in theory and existing ontologies) with a bottom-up process informed by real narrative content. We started from media theory and frameworks like GLAAD and the Vito Russo Test, but also analyzed 10 sample scenarios and a full User Story centered on Jules Vaughn from Euphoria — one of the most complex and authentic transgender characters in recent television.

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📷 Ontology Visualization

Top-Down Visualization (📁 download the xmind file)

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🧱 Ontology Classes

Our ontology models the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters as the central phenomenon. We focused on:

• How characters are represented

• What impact these portrayals have

This is a list of the classes and relative sublasses.

TVShow Represents the teenage drama where LGBTQ+ portrayals occur, acting as the narrative container for all characters and their arcs. This class connects commercial production choices and audience reception to the broader cultural impact of the show’s representational practices.

Character Denotes the LGBTQ+ character being analyzed within the show. Each instance is linked to attributes such as narrative role, authenticity, and stereotype patterns, enabling nuanced comparison across different portrayals.

foaf:Person An abstract superclass capturing any individual involved in the show’s creation or performance. This abstraction allows for distinguishing between those who shape the portrayal (creators) and those who embody it on screen (performers).

• Creator Refers to individuals responsible for conceptual and narrative decisions, such as showrunners, screenwriters, or producers. Their intent is critical for interpreting whether a portrayal aligns with commercial or socially impactful goals.

• Performer Representing actors or actresses who portray LGBTQ+ characters. The casting choices (e.g., queer actors playing queer roles) may influence authenticity and audience perception.

ProductionAndIndustryFactory Captures the contextual elements around the show's production — including budget, platform, and target demographics. These factories help explain the pressures and constraints that shape LGBTQ+ portrayals through a profit-driven logic.

PortrayalOfLgbtqCharacter The central analytic class describing how a specific LGBTQ+ character is portrayed within a TV show. It aggregates information about representation type, narrative role, stereotypes, and character arc resolution, functioning as the main node connecting all perspectives.

• Authenticity Captures the degree to which a character’s portrayal aligns with real-life LGBTQ+ experiences and identities. This class distinguishes between authentic characterization — informed, realistic, and emotionally complex — and stereotypical portrayals that rely on clichéd or exaggerated traits for entertainment or simplicity.

• NarrativeRole

  Describes whether the character evolves dynamically within the narrative or remains static. It supports analyzing the depth of character development, especially in contrast to trope-based or tokenistic inclusion.

• SignificanceInPlot Indicates the weight and importance of the LGBTQ+ character within the show’s narrative structure (e.g., main vs. side vs. token). It provides insight into the structural inclusion of queer identities.

• PlotResolution Captures how the character’s narrative arc is resolved — for example, whether it affirms identity or reinforces tragic tropes. This class is key to analyzing emotional closure and message delivery to viewers.

• RepresentationType This class categorizes the quality and mode of representation of LGBTQ+ characters. Based on media tests and narrative theory, it includes values such as fair/unfair representation, authenticity, and role dynamism.

  • FairRepresentation: refers to portrayals of LGBTQ+ characters that are meaningful, relatable, and accurate, offering nuanced character development and authentic storylines. These representations affirm identity, avoid stereotypes, and contribute positively to visibility and understanding within both queer and broader audiences.

  • UnfairRepresentation: describes portrayals marked by tokenism, reductive stereotypes, or complete invisibility. These representations often serve superficial diversity goals, lack character depth, and may reinforce harmful assumptions about LGBTQ+ identities.

LGBTQCommunityImpact Assesses how the portrayal influences public perceptions and members of the LGBTQ+ community. It includes both positive models (empowering, relatable) and negative ones (harmful, stereotypical), contributing to the Social Impact Lens.

• PositiveRoleModel Represents LGBTQ+ characters whose portrayal is empowering, multifaceted, and affirming of queer identity. These characters serve as relatable figures for LGBTQ+ audiences, promoting self-acceptance and challenging social biases through their visibility and narrative agency.

• NegativeRoleModel Describes portrayals that reinforce harmful stereotypes, lack complexity, or depict queerness as deviant, tragic, or marginal. These representations may contribute to internalized stigma or societal misunderstanding, undermining the potential for positive cultural impact.

Stereotype Identifies repeated patterns or tropes in LGBTQ+ representation — such as the “Gay Best Friend” or “Tragic Trope.” This class enables semantic tagging of recurring harmful or reductive portrayals across different shows.

• TragicTrope

  Flags portrayals where the LGBTQ+ character is subjected to suffering, death, or punishment as a narrative resolution. Often signals moral or emotional manipulation tied to outdated or sensationalized views of queerness.

• GayBestFriend Represents a trope where the LGBTQ+ character exists to support the protagonist, often lacking narrative depth or personal goals. It reflects tokenism disguised as inclusivity.

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🔗 Object Properties

Property	Domain → Range	Description
schema:actor	schema:Character → schema:Performer	Maps a character to the actor or actress who portrays them on screen, useful for analyzing casting choices.
schema:creator	schema:TVShow → schema:Creator	Associates the show with its creator (writer, showrunner, etc.), important for tracking authorial intent and representation sources.
schema:productionCompany	schema:TVShow → schema:ProductionCompany	Connects the show to the production company responsible for its creation, relevant to understanding commercial context.
schema:hasOccupation	schema:Person → schema:Profession	Describes the occupation of the person, whether they are a creator or performer, for integration with broader vocabularies like Schema.org.
schema:character	TVshow → Character	Links a TV show to its LGBTQ+ character(s), establishing which characters are featured in which series.
:hasPortrayal	Character → PortrayalOfLGBTQCharacter	Describes how a specific character is portrayed in the show, forming the analytic core of the ontology.
:hasNarrativeFunction	Character → NarrativeRole RepresentationType → NarrativeRole	Indicates the character’s narrative role — whether they evolve dynamically or remain static in the storyline. Associates a type of representation (fair/unfair) with its narrative role — e.g., a stereotypical character often having a static role.
:hasStereotype	Portrayal → Stereotype UnfairRepresentation →Stereotype	Identifies the stereotype(s), if any, embedded in a character’s portrayal. If a representation is classified as unfair, this property allows specification of the particular stereotype present.
:hasImpactOn	Portrayal → LGBTQCommunityImpact ProductionAndIndustryFactory → PortrayalOfLGBTQCharacter	Links the portrayal to its social and cultural impact on the LGBTQ+ community and public perception, as well as shows how external production and industry pressures shape how the character is portrayed.

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🔢 Data Properties

Property	Domain	Example Value (Literals)
rdfs:label	Character	Jules Vaughn (rdfs:Literal)
rdfs:label	Person	Sam Levinson (rdfs:Literal)
schema:datePublished	TVShow	2019 (schema:date)
hasTitle	TVShow	Euphoria (rdfs:Literal)

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This formalization completes the first level of modeling and sets the foundation for enrichment through bottom-up data, described in the next chapter.