Teenage queerness: negotiating heteronormativity in the representation of gay teenagers inGlee

Hegemonic Heteronormativity: Toward a New Era of Queer Family Theory

“…Background and Critique Oswald et al's (2005) definition of heteronormativity as an "ideological composite" (p. 142) has been instrumental in studying lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans 1 , and queer (LGBTQ) individuals in the fields of family science (Allen, 2016), communication (e.g., Chevrette, 2013), and psychology (e.g., Goldberg & Smith, 2015;Goldberg, Sweeney, Black, & Moyer, 2016;Toomey, Ryan, Diaz, Card, & Russell, 2010), among other fields (e.g., media studies; Dhaenens, 2013). As background to our proposed model, we felt it prudent to review the body of literature that has engaged with and/or referenced Oswald et al's (2005) chapter.…”

Kurt and Blaine

“…The social and political gains earned by queer individuals in the last 20 years have not come without costs (Brown, 2012;Dhaenens, 2013) and thus the last few years has brought us to a new social and media landscape: homonormativity. Brown (2012) argues that gains in visibility have focused primarily on White, middle-to upper-class queer individuals and thus this has "entrenched" this viewpoint in modern discourse.…”

“…Brown (2012) argues that gains in visibility have focused primarily on White, middle-to upper-class queer individuals and thus this has "entrenched" this viewpoint in modern discourse. As opposed to heteronormativity (which posits that the only acceptable way to be is to be heterosexual), homonormativity grounds queer life, suggesting that in order to gain acceptance, queer individuals have to give up their sexual freedoms (Dhaenens, 2013). By negating the examination of sex for gay male youth in current media discourse, Dhaenens (2013) argues that "in the end, heteronormativity offers the gay teen only one feasible option: to become a homonormative subject (p.…”

“You're Wearing Kurt's Necklace!”

“…This show, often described as a dramedy for the ways it tackles serious topics humorously, offers a window into the lives of ostracized teens through comedic, often absurd scenes. Both Marwick, Gray, and Anannny (2013) and Dhaenens () found that Glee 's use of irony, parody, satire, and camp was intended to subvert the heteronormative matrix. The mere fact that viewers are required to suspend their disbelief when characters break out in song, in the tradition of a musical, is absurd and laughable but exemplifies Butler's () playful strategy of subversion.…”