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Bestseller
BestsellerE-Book
Author Becker, Ron, 1969-

Title Gay TV and straight America / Ron Becker.

Publication Info. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, [2006]
©2006

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 Rocky Hill - Downloadable Materials  EBSCO Ebook    Downloadable
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Description 1 online resource (x, 283 pages) : illustrations
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-270) and index.
Contents Introduction: the importance of gay-themed tv -- Straight panic and American culture in the 1990s -- Thinking about gay people : civil rights and the confusion over sexual identity -- Network narrowcasting and the slumpy demographic -- The affordable, multicultural politics of gay chic -- Gay material and prime-time network television in the 1990s -- "We're not gay!" : heterosexuality and gay-themed programming -- Straight panic in the 2000s.
Summary After decades of silence on the subject of homosexuality, television in the 1990s 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.
Subject Homosexuality on television.
Homosexuality -- United States -- Public opinion.
Public opinion -- United States.
PERFORMING ARTS -- Television -- Reference.
SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Gay Studies.
Homosexuality on television. (OCoLC)fst00959836
Homosexuality -- Public opinion. (OCoLC)fst00959781
Public opinion. (OCoLC)fst01082785
United States. (OCoLC)fst01204155
Homoseksualiteit.
Heteroseksualiteit.
Televisie.
United States.
Added Title Gay television and straight America
Other Form: Print version: Becker, Ron, 1969- Gay TV and straight America. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, ©2006 081353688X 0813536898 (DLC) 2005011266 (OCoLC)59279740
Standard No. 9780813536880
9780813536897
ISBN 0813539323 (electronic bk.)
9780813539324 (electronic bk.)
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