{"id":{"repo_id":"unt","oai_identifier":"info:ark/67531/metadc4900"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/unt/info:ark/67531/metadc4900","repository":{"repo_id":"unt","name":"University of North Texas","base_url":"https://digital.library.unt.edu/oai/"},"display":{"title":"A Question of Queerness: Case Studies of Contemporary American Television","abstract":"This project utilizes a case study approach to explore the various ways in which the portrayals of gay people have changed on American television. Three contemporary programs - Will & Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and The L Word - are examined as examples of how far American television has progressed in terms of treating gay people with respect. Whether those shows move beyond merely presenting gay characters and into a level of actively challenging mainstream views on gay people is also examined. Findings suggest different factors affect the ability of the individual programs to test said views - including the genres to which each belongs, and their presence on network television (Will & Grace), basic cable (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) or premium cable (The L Word). While all three programs show some tendencies toward queerness, they also take steps toward negotiating with mainstream culture, indicating that complete queerness may be an unattainable goal on American television.","abstract_html":"This project utilizes a case study approach to explore the various ways in which the portrayals of gay people have changed on American television. Three contemporary programs - Will & Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and The L Word - are examined as examples of how far American television has progressed in terms of treating gay people with respect. Whether those shows move beyond merely presenting gay characters and into a level of actively challenging mainstream views on gay people is also examined. Findings suggest different factors affect the ability of the individual programs to test said views - including the genres to which each belongs, and their presence on network television (Will & Grace), basic cable (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) or premium cable (The L Word). While all three programs show some tendencies toward queerness, they also take steps toward negotiating with mainstream culture, indicating that complete queerness may be an unattainable goal on American television.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bentley, Jon Alexander"],"institution":"University of North Texas","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Benshoff, Harry","Hirsch, Joshua","Foertsch, Jacqueline"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2005,"date_issued":"2005-12","date_published":"2005-12","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:35:09Z","subjects":["Mass media and gays -- United States.","Gays in popular culture -- United States.","Television broadcasting -- Social aspects -- United States.","television","gay characters","Will & Grace","queerness","The L Word"],"languages":["English"],"rights":["Public","Copyright","Bentley, Jon Alexander","Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oclc: 68718238","https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4900/","ark: ark:/67531/metadc4900"],"render_values":[{"text":"oclc: 68718238","href":null,"code":true},{"text":"https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4900/","href":"https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4900/","code":true},{"text":"ark: ark:/67531/metadc4900","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.12794/metadc4900","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Benshoff, Harry","Hirsch, Joshua","Foertsch, Jacqueline"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bentley, Jon Alexander"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2005-12"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of North Texas"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis or Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Mass media and gays -- United States.","Gays in popular culture -- United States.","Television broadcasting -- Social aspects -- United States.","television","gay characters","Will & Grace","queerness","The L Word"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Public","Copyright","Bentley, Jon Alexander","Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. 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Findings suggest different factors affect the ability of the individual programs to test said views - including the genres to which each belongs, and their presence on network television (Will & Grace), basic cable (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) or premium cable (The L Word). While all three programs show some tendencies toward queerness, they also take steps toward negotiating with mainstream culture, indicating that complete queerness may be an unattainable goal on American television."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["Text"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Question of Queerness: Case Studies of Contemporary American Television"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Benshoff, Harry","Hirsch, Joshua","Foertsch, Jacqueline"],"dc:creator":["Bentley, Jon Alexander"],"dc:date":["2005-12"],"dc:description":["This project utilizes a case study approach to explore the various ways in which the portrayals of gay people have changed on American television. Three contemporary programs - Will & Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and The L Word - are examined as examples of how far American television has progressed in terms of treating gay people with respect. Whether those shows move beyond merely presenting gay characters and into a level of actively challenging mainstream views on gay people is also examined. Findings suggest different factors affect the ability of the individual programs to test said views - including the genres to which each belongs, and their presence on network television (Will & Grace), basic cable (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) or premium cable (The L Word). While all three programs show some tendencies toward queerness, they also take steps toward negotiating with mainstream culture, indicating that complete queerness may be an unattainable goal on American television."],"dc:format":["Text"],"dc:identifier":["oclc: 68718238","doi: 10.12794/metadc4900","https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4900/","ark: ark:/67531/metadc4900"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:publisher":["University of North Texas"],"dc:rights":["Public","Copyright","Bentley, Jon Alexander","Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved."],"dc:subject":["Mass media and gays -- United States.","Gays in popular culture -- United States.","Television broadcasting -- Social aspects -- United States.","television","gay characters","Will & Grace","queerness","The L Word"],"dc:title":["A Question of Queerness: Case Studies of Contemporary American Television"],"dc:type":["Thesis or Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:35:09Z"}