LEADER 04445nam 2200733Ia 450 001 9910821058603321 005 20240516203106.0 010 $a1-280-94713-6 010 $a0-8135-3689-8 010 $a9786610947133 010 $a0-8135-3932-3 024 3 $z9780813536880 024 3 $z9780813536897 035 $a(CKB)1000000000466574 035 $a(EBL)967379 035 $a(OCoLC)799765740 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000081305 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11120846 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000081305 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10108314 035 $a(PQKB)11107681 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC967379 035 $a(OCoLC)76876401 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse8087 035 $a(DE-B1597)529443 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780813539324 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL967379 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10146786 035 $a(dli)HEB08067 035 $a(MiU)MIU01000000000000009836246 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000466574 100 $a20050419d2006 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcn||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aGay TV and straight America /$fRon Becker 205 $a1st ed. 210 $aNew Brunswick, N.J. $cRutgers University Press$dc2006 215 $a1 online resource (296 p.) 300 $aDescription based upon print version of record. 311 $a0-8135-3688-X 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 235-270) and index. 327 $tFront matter --$tContents --$tAcknowledgments --$tIntroduction: The Importance of Gay-Themed TV --$t1. Straight Panic and American Culture in the 1990's --$t2. Thinking about Gay People: Civil Rights and the Confusion over Sexual Identity --$t3. Network Narrowcasting and the Slumpy Demographic --$t4. The Affordable, Multicultural Politics of Gay Chic --$t5. Gay Material and Prime-Time Network Television in the 1990's --$t6. ?We?re Not Gay!? Heterosexuality and Gay-Themed Programming --$tConclusion: Straight Panic in the 2000's --$tAppendix A: Select Gay-Themed Network TV Episodes --$tAppendix B: List of Interviews --$tNotes --$tIndex --$tAbout the Author 330 $aAfter 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. 517 3 $aGay television and straight America 606 $aHomosexuality on television 606 $aHomosexuality$zUnited States$xPublic opinion 606 $aPublic opinion$zUnited States 615 0$aHomosexuality on television. 615 0$aHomosexuality$xPublic opinion. 615 0$aPublic opinion 676 $a791.45653 676 $a791.456538 686 $aAP 33283$qHBZ$2rvk 700 $aBecker$b Ron$f1969-$01013492 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910821058603321 996 $aGay TV and straight America$92357073 997 $aUNINA