Gay TV and straight America / Ron Becker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Becker, Ron, 1969-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Homosexuality on television.

Homosexuality--United States--Public opinion.

Homosexuality.

Public opinion--United States.

Public opinion.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (296 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Gay television and straight America

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

After decades of silence on the subject of homosexuality, television in the 1990's saw a striking increase in programming that incorporated and, in many cases, centered on gay material. In shows including Friends, Seinfeld, Party of Five, Homicide, Suddenly Susan, The Commish, Ellen, Will & Grace, and others, gay characters were introduced, references to homosexuality became commonplace, and issues of gay and lesbian relationships were explored, often in explicit detail. In Gay TV and Straight America, Ron Becker draws on a wide range of political and cultural indicators to explain this sudden upsurge of gay material on prime-time network television. Bringing together analysis of relevant Supreme Court rulings, media coverage of gay rights battles, debates about multiculturalism, concerns over political correctness, and much more, Becker's assessment helps us understand how and why televised gayness was constructed by a specific culture of tastemakers during the decade. On one hand the evidence points to network business strategies that embraced gay material as a valuable tool for targeting a quality audience of well-educated, upscale adults looking for something "edgy" to watch. But, Becker also argues that the increase of gay material in the public eye creates growing mainstream anxiety in reaction to the seemingly civil public conversation about equal rights. In today's cultural climate where controversies rage over issues of gay marriage yet millions of viewers tune in weekly to programs like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, this book offers valuable insight to the complex condition of America's sexual politics.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Importance of Gay-Themed TV

1. Straight Panic and American Culture in the 1990's

2. Thinking about Gay People: Civil Rights and the Confusion over Sexual Identity

3. Network Narrowcasting and the Slumpy Demographic

4. The Affordable, Multicultural Politics of Gay Chic

5. Gay Material and Prime-Time Network Television in the 1990's

6. “We’re Not Gay!” Heterosexuality and Gay-Themed Programming

Conclusion: Straight Panic in the 2000's

Appendix A: Select Gay-Themed Network TV Episodes

Appendix B: List of Interviews

Notes

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-270) and index.

ISBN:

9786610947133

9781280947131

1280947136

9780813536897

0813536898

9780813539324

0813539323

OCLC:

799765740

Publisher Number:

9780813536880

9780813536897