From "Perverts" to "Fab Five": The Media's Changing Depiction of Gay Men and Lesbians » (1st Edition)

From "Perverts" to "Fab Five" tracks the dramatic change in how the American media have depicted gay people over the last half-century. Each chapter illuminates a particular media product that served as a milestone on the media's journey from demonizing homosexuals some fifty years ago to celebrating the gay community--or at least some sectors of the gay community--today.

The media, Streitmatter argues, have not merely reflected the American public's shift to a more enlightened view of gay people, but they have been instrumental in propelling that change. The book spans the breadth of communication venues. Individual chapters focus on major news stories, entertainment television programs, and mainstream motion pictures that captured the public imagination while, at the same time, sending powerful messages about gay men and lesbians. Ideal for any reader interested in the changing depiction of gay men and lesbians in the media over time, or as required reading in media courses, From "Perverts" to "Fab Five" challenges our very understandings of the words "public" and "media" both.

List of Figures

Introduction 1

1 "Perverts" on the Potomac: Homosexuals Enter the News Arena 6

2 Stonewall Rebellion: Reporting on an Epic Event 17

3 The Boys in the Band: Homosexuality Comes to the Big Screen 26

4 Soap: A Gay Man Comes to TV Land 37

5 AIDS Enters the News: Reporting on the "Gay Plague" 50

6 AIDS Becomes Major News: "Now No One Is Safe" 57

7 Gays in the Military: The Debate over Lifting the Ban 65

8 Fleeting Images of Lesbians: Killing, Kissing, Being Chic 73

9 Philadelphia: "A Quantum Leap for Gays on Film" 83

10 A New Gay Man in Town: Hollywood Shifts to Positive Stereotypes 93

11 Ellen: Coming Out, On Screen and Off 104

12 Will & Grace: The Biggest Gay Hit in TV History 115

13 Queer as Folk: "An Unvarnished Treatment of Gay Life" 127

14 Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The "Fab Five" as Gay Reality TV 137

15 Notes on Gay Visibility vs. Lesbian Visibility 146

16 The L Word: Lesbians Move into the Spotlight 149

17 Same-Sex Marriage: A Journalistic Love Fest 159

18 Brokeback Mountain: "A Breakthrough Gay Romance" 169

Conclusion: From "Perverts" to "Fab Five" - Progress in Three Stages ... and Waiting for a Fourth 179

Notes 189

Index 217