Season 3 Episode 7 | Queer Growing Pains in Television

Queernundrum Podcast

In today's show we talk about the decline in Queer representation in television/streaming providers. Since its inception as an integral part of our lives, television has both reflected and nurtured cultural mores and values. Television brought the realities of real-world events into our living rooms in vivid detail. From the unfolding story of the assignation of John F. Kennedy through to the death Lee Harvey Oswald, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. With the resulting intense stress, many people turned to escapist programs such as I Dream of Jeannie to Game of Thrones – we have coined a phrase for this: “Binge Worthy”. From the Death of Princess Diana, the OJ Simpson trial, the 9-1-1 Trade Towers, wars, and much more. Television has brought these realities and escapist programs into our lives. Now, as we see unprecedented legislation against the Queer community we are seeing a drop in Queer representation in television for more heteronormative escapist programs.

Show Notes

CNN “Record number of anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced this year”. At least 417 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the United States since the start of the year — a new record, according to American Civil Liberties Union data as of April 3. That’s already more than twice the number of such bills introduced all of last year.

Durante, Ruben, Paolo Pinotti, and Andrea Tesei. 2019. "The Political Legacy of Entertainment TV." American Economic Review, 109 (7): 2497-2530. Studies have showed that found that individuals exposed to entertainment TV as children were less cognitively sophisticated and civic-minded as adults, and ultimately more vulnerable to political rhetoric.

Gaytimes Article “Every LGBTQ+ show canceled over the past year, from Warrior Nun to Gossip Girl” 2022 was undeniably one of the best (and most authentic) on record for LGBTQ+ characters and narratives. Because queers can’t have nice things, however, several championed dramas with L’s, G’s, B’s, T’s and Q’s have been unceremoniously axed over the past year to pandemonium online.

GLAAD Report “Where We Are on TV Report – 2022” The Where We Are on TV report analyzes the number of LGBTQ characters on primetime scripted series on broadcast networks, primetime scripted series on cable networks, and scripted series on streaming services for 2022-2023 TV season. This year's report was released in March 2023.

Study: “The Relationship Between Television and Culture”

Intro music by Jahzzar “Please Listen Carefully” "Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA" and Outro music by Scott Holmes “Acoustic Indie Folk” @ [e-mail].

Editor: H. Greystone via FinalCut Pro

Writer: G. Thoren