Looking Back: The Evolution of Queer TV

Abstract

This chapter reflects on the evolution of queer representation on American television and shows how LGBT+ characters exemplify a specific moment in time. Drawing on previous studies, it pays particular attention to groundbreaking programmes from the 1990s and 2000s like Ellen, Will & Grace, Queer as Folk, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and The L Word, which revolutionised television by increasing LGBT+ visibility and challenging stereotypes. No longer demonised and ridiculed, TV gays and lesbians of that era entered mainstream culture. However, as this chapter demonstrates, this ``gaystreaming'' strategy was problematic because it privileged a narrow segment of the LGBT+ community (namely, white gays and lesbians), overlooked structural issues and erased queerness by promoting assimilation and normalisation.