‘I’m Gay’: Declarations, Desire, and Coming Out On Prime-Time Television

Abstract

Discourses of ‘coming out’ play a significant role in the construction of lesbian and gay sexualities, and in the politics of lesbian and gay movements. Although the critique of ‘identity claiming’ has been well established in the literature, popular culture representations of coming out have only recently begun to proliferate. My focus here is on prime-time television; I explore two lesbian coming out texts in some detail in order to consider how different forms of coming out have different meanings and effects. I argue this is due to the two competing discourses at work: identity versus desire. I also explore what these two seemingly different coming out moments share, how, at the end of the day, they may be more similar than it appears at first. And while much scholarship in the field prefers transgressive acts to identity declarations, I use these case studies to suggest that this critique may be misplaced.

Constructing the Personal Narratives of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Asylum Claimants

“…Finally, the individual may achieve pride in, and a growing synthesis of, their identity with more positive self-regard, a deeper understanding of homosexuality as one integrated facet of the self and renewed congruity between the public and private selves. Over time, this psychological theory of sexual identity development has infused popular consciousness, shaping our cultural expectations of the 'natural' progression of sexual identity formation or standard 'coming out story' (Herman 2005;Millbank 2004, 166;Robson 1998, 87-111).…”

Wanting to be Anna: Examining Lesbian Sporting Celebrity onThe L Word

“…(p. 16). The two distinct articulations lead to different effects, and as a consequence, Herman (2005) suggests that an important question within discussions of coming out is no longer "from where" these characters came but rather, "into where" are they going (Herman, 2005, p. 18). In our analysis, we would agree as we argue that Fairbanks moves into uncharted territory as a lesbian professional athlete after her Subaru advertisement facilitates her public coming out.…”

“…To help us locate our interest in exploring Fairbanks' coming out narrative, we call on Herman's (2005) important work on the discourses surrounding coming out declarations on prime-time television. Herman (2005)-through a comparative analysis of two prime-time television sitcoms, Ellen in the United States and Bad Girls in the United Kingdom-differentiates between "two competing discourses of coming out": Ellen's articulation of identity ("I'm gay.")…”

La identificación con personajes de lesbianas: Recepción de audiencias heterosexuales y homosexuales desde una aproximación metodológica mixta

“…Las mujeres homosexuales de The L Word tienen vidas complejas y excitantes, son de clase media alta y viven el sexo libremente. Su impacto y novedad, de hecho, ha motivado la reflexión de investigadores de distintas sensibilidades (Campanello, 2007;Farr & Degroult, 2008;Herman, 2005;Moore, 2007;Moore, D., 2009;Wolfe, 2009 La serie se escogió porque ofrecía hasta 70 capítulos, doblados al español, para crear/seleccionar los estímulos adecuados: tenía variedad de personajes femeninos homosexuales (y algún heterosexual, aunque casi siempre secundario), así como de peripecias a las que se enfrentaban. Los personajes principales son mayoritariamente lesbianas que desempeñan labores profesionales reconocidas socialmente y de alto estatus (decanas, productoras de televisión, periodistas, tenistas, estilistas, escritoras, profesoras).…”

“…Las mujeres homosexuales de The L Word tienen vidas complejas y excitantes, son de clase media alta y viven el sexo libremente. Su impacto y novedad, de hecho, ha motivado la reflexión de investigadores de distintas sensibilidades (Campanello, 2007;Farr & Degroult, 2008;Herman, 2005;Moore, 2007;Moore, D., 2009;Wolfe, 2009 Las escenas que formaron parte de las dos historias usadas para esta investigación se sucedían a lo largo de distintos capítulos de las seis temporadas de la serie. El propósito capital de la selección (de historias y escenas) era que permitieran obtener narrativas coherentes, con planteamiento, nudo y desenlace y mantenimiento de tensión dramática, al tiempo que presentar un tema susceptible de provocar opiniones y reacciones emocionales intensas.…”