A Question of Queerness: Case Studies of Contemporary American Television

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.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2005

Author dc:creator

• Bentley, Jon Alexander

Contributors dc:contributor

• Benshoff, Harry
• Hirsch, Joshua
• Foertsch, Jacqueline

• 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

Statement dc:rights

• Public
• Copyright
• Bentley, Jon Alexander
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 68718238
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4900/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc4900

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc4900