“They Didn’t Have to Say Gay”: Cultivating Conservative Acceptance of LGBTQIA+ Representation Through Identification

• In Event: Media and The Modern Political Landscape

Abstract

In this project, I explored the following research questions:
1. How do white, conservative men and women perceive same-sex relationships when gay men present as more traditionally masculine?
2. Do white, conservative men find queer narratives or same-sex relationships more favorable when they find they identify with other aspects of the character (race, gender, class, etc.)?
3. To what extent is there a relationship between security/firmness in gender identity and presentation and the reception of queer, masculine-presenting characters?


Given that DEI efforts and representation have been hotly contested in conservative circles, I was interested in detecting patterns among reasons why conservative folks may tolerate or enjoy watching queer folks on screen. Through interviews with conservative men and women, I found that curating character-audience identification with conservative values and understandings/expectations of masculinity could provide a roadmap for gradual change and depolarize representation efforts for queer characters. Therefore, using qualitative data gleaned from far-right interviewees, this paper proposes that writers and content creators can use strategic efforts to encourage and garner wider receptions and broader understandings of LGBTQIA+ representation for conservatives and more.

Author

• Amber Sestilio, Carnegie Mellon University