pauraque: butterfly trailing a rainbow through the sky from the Reading Rainbow TV show opening (butterfly in the sky)
[personal profile] pauraque
This is a history of queer representation on American sitcoms, from shows like Bewitched where closeted queer folks worked behind the scenes to include pointed hints and metaphors, to efforts throughout the '70s and '80s to depict actual queer characters (with mixed results), to shows like Will & Grace and Modern Family finding popular success with queer characters in the main cast in the '90s and 2000s.

The book is very well-researched and does a great job of contextualizing what people were seeing on TV with what was happening in the political and legal landscape across this time period. Baume's thesis is that activism and media representation are in conversation with each other and both matter. Even though I lived through a lot of this, the book filled in some important gaps for me, especially with respect to the mini golden age of surprisingly sophisticated queer rep in the '70s (which was before my time, but I saw the reruns) and the national right-turn that set it back hard in the Reagan era.

Baume writes with wit and clarity, able to balance discussion of serious issues with the entertaining and curious details that make history come alive. (Did you know ABC employed a staff psychic in the late '70s?) I also appreciated his conclusion pointing out that the fight for queer rights has seen a lot of ups and downs, and encouraging us to look to the successful strategies of the past when considering how to approach recent setbacks.

Video essays covering a lot of this material (and more) are available on Baume's YouTube channel, which I also highly recommend if this topic interests you. I think the video format makes some of his points clearer, since you can actually see and hear the scenes he's talking about, rather than just read them described. But the book does add more detail and an extensive bibliography, so I think they're complementary resources.

Date: 20 Sep 2023 04:55 pm (UTC)
sanguinity: woodcut by M.C. Escher, "Snakes" (Default)
From: [personal profile] sanguinity
the mini golden age of surprisingly sophisticated queer rep in the 70s

I don't think I'd heard of this! Can you give some examples?

Date: 20 Sep 2023 07:06 pm (UTC)
sanguinity: woodcut by M.C. Escher, "Snakes" (Default)
From: [personal profile] sanguinity
Thank you! I've seen that MASH episode, and it was decent -- a pleasant surprise, since I'd been ready to flinch. But it's interesting to know that the gay liberation movement of the 1970s was reflected sympathetically on TV before the backlash of the 80s.

Date: 20 Sep 2023 05:32 pm (UTC)
yarnofariadne: miranda from black sails in an elegant green dress, looking concerned, with a green background. (tv: but you loved me last)
From: [personal profile] yarnofariadne
I find it fascinating and depressing how often we have these small periods of progress, acceptance, and flourishing diversity before hard right turns ruin everything. This sounds like a fascinating book!

Date: 20 Sep 2023 06:08 pm (UTC)
senmut: an owl that is quite large sitting on a roof (Default)
From: [personal profile] senmut
Definitely a book for me to find.

Date: 21 Sep 2023 02:56 am (UTC)
wrote_and_writ: (Default)
From: [personal profile] wrote_and_writ
Ooh, this sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for sharing your review!

Date: 21 Sep 2023 07:31 am (UTC)
frausorge: Janelle Monae in a sheer black top with a feathery collar and a tiara, looking to the side and smiling, with white backdrop pieces edged in gold behind her (limned in gold)
From: [personal profile] frausorge
That sounds like a cool book! Reading upthread - I had no idea there was so much rep in the 70s.

Date: 21 Sep 2023 09:56 am (UTC)
adore: (movelove)
From: [personal profile] adore
thanks for linking his channel! i enjoy video essays.

Date: 21 Sep 2023 11:35 am (UTC)
merit: (YOI Victor Phone)
From: [personal profile] merit
Sounds fascinating! I'll see about finding a copy. I haven't seen much TV from the 1970s (US reruns from that era were not so much of a thing) so that time will certainly be interesting.

Date: 22 Sep 2023 02:39 pm (UTC)
lokifan: black Converse against a black background (Default)
From: [personal profile] lokifan
Oh, interesting! Thanks for the rec. Someone must've done it for British TV too, I might see if I can find something.

The 70s golden age is interesting! It's so important to know these things - it shows that our public, thriving history is longer than we think and that things can go backwards.

Date: 22 Sep 2023 03:36 pm (UTC)
radiantfracture: Beadwork bunny head (Default)
From: [personal profile] radiantfracture

Thanks for the link to the YouTube channel! I'm enjoying the videos.

Matt Baume

Date: 23 Sep 2023 03:48 am (UTC)
oldtoadwoman: (Default)
From: [personal profile] oldtoadwoman

I love Matt Baume's videos. He does a great job of providing context for the things he's talking about.

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