Queer Youth and Media Cultures

315 Pages·2014·3.104 MB·English

by  Christopher Pullen (eds.)

Queer Youth and Media Cultures
AlsobyChristopherPullen
DOCUMENTINGGAYMEN:IdentityandPerformanceinRealityTelevisionand
DocumentaryFilm
GAYIDENTITY,NEWSTORYTELLINGANDTHEMEDIA
LGBTTRANSNATIONALIDENTITYANDTHEMEDIA
LGBTIDENTITYANDONLINENEWMEDIA(co-editedwithMargaretCooper)
QUEER LOVE IN TELEVISION AND FILM: Critical Essays (co-edited with Pamela
Demory)
Queer Youth and Media
Cultures
Editedby
Christopher Pullen
BournemouthUniversity,UK
Introduction,selectionandeditorialmatter©ChristopherPullen2014
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Queeryouthandmediacultures/[editedby]ChristopherPullen,
BournemouthUniversity,UK.
pages cm
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
1. Sexualminorityyouthinmassmedia. I. Pullen,Christopher,
1959–editor.
P96.S58Q472014
302.23086(cid:2)64—dc23 2014024480
In memory of Asher Brown (1997–2010), A. J. Betts
(1997–2013), and many more LGBT youths who have lost
their lives, often coming out while at school, but finding
alienation and oppression from peers and the wider world1
1See Chapter 4 of this book for a discussion of Asher’s life, and the Acknowl-
edgementssectionforreferencetoA.J.Seealsochapters3,12and19,forawider
discussionof‘queer’youthsuicides.
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Contents
ListofFiguresandTables xiii
Preface xiv
Acknowledgements xvi
NotesonContributors xviii
Introduction 1
ChristopherPullen
Don’tEverWipeTearsandShemetov’sphotograph 1
Queermediaculturesandyouth 4
Comingout,education,bullyingandhomophobia 6
Queeryouthandidentification 7
Structureofbook 10
Conclusion 12
Part I PerformanceandCulture
1 StorieslikeMine:ComingOutVideosandQueer
IdentitiesonYouTube 19
BryanWuest
Visibilityandacculturation 23
Conclusion 30
2 TransgenderYouthandYouTubeVideos:
Self-RepresentationandFiveIdentifiableTransYouth
Narratives 34
MatthewG.O’Neill
Introduction 34
Self-representationintransyouth:Atheoretical
framework 34
Adaptablemethodsinthestudyoftransyouth
andYouTubevideos 38
Fiveidentifiabletransyouthnarratives 40
Conclusion 43
vii
viii Contents
3 ‘ASafeandSupportiveEnvironment’:LGBTQYouth
andSocialMedia 46
StephenTropiano
LGBTteensonline 49
ItGetsBetterProject:‘GivehopetoLGBTyouth’ 50
TheTrevorProject:‘Savingyounglives’ 55
4 MediaResponsestoQueerYouthSuicide:Trauma,
TherapeuticDiscourseandCo-Presence 63
ChristopherPullen
Introduction 63
Method 64
ThecommodityoftheItGetsBetterProject 65
Counterpublic,confessionandtherapeuticdiscourse 67
Shame,rememberingandpedagogicwork 69
Intimateandpainfulcontributions:JustinAaberg’s
andAsherBrown’sparents 70
TheItGetsBetterProject,consensualvalidationandthe
socialityofpain 73
Conclusion 80
5 SexuallyMarginalizedYouthintheSouth:Narration
StrategiesandDiscourseCoalitionsinNewspaper
CoverageofaSouthernHighSchoolGay–Straight
AllianceClubControversy 86
SkylerLauderdale
Dataandmethods 87
GSAcontroversyinCurrituckCounty,NorthCarolina 88
Discoursecoalitionsandpeopleproductionin
CurrituckCounty 89
MargaretSmiley 90
Localelectedofficials 91
GSAsassexualrecruitmentclubs 93
Resolutionandaftermath 94
Discussion 95
6 ‘We’veGotBigNews’:CreatingMediatoEmpower
QueerYouthinSchools 98
KarylKetchum
SignifyingregimesandDebord’s‘spectacle’ 100
Contents ix
Background 102
Theshoot 105
Conclusion 108
Postscript 110
Part II HistoriesandCommodity
7 TalkingLiberties:FramedYouth,CommunityVideo
andChannel4’sRemitinAction 115
IeuanFranklin
Introduction:Alicencetobequeer? 115
Prefigurative?TheoriginsofFramedYouth 116
ThedocumentaryaestheticsofFramedYouth 118
Framed?Distribution,educationandSection28 121
Documentingstruggle/documentary(as)struggle 124
Overcomingpoliticalfragmentation 126
Conclusion:Re-FramedYouth 127
8 WeNeedtoTalkaboutJack!Onthe
RepresentationofMaleHomosexualityinAmerican
TeenSoaps 131
MareikeJenner
Introduction 131
Theteensoap:Constructingidentity 134
BeforeJack:Homosexualityand‘otherness’ 136
ButwhataboutJack?Movinghomosexualityintothe
‘mainstream’ 138
AfterJack:Thenormalityof‘otherness’ 141
Conclusion:The‘gaykid’aspartofthe
mainstream? 142
9 QueeringTVConventions:LGBTTeenNarratives
onGlee 145
RaffiSarkissian
Introductionandhistory 145
Frommultiplicitytomicrocosm 147
Serialnarrative 150
Concludingthoughts 154
10 BoyWizards:MagicalandHomosocialPowerinHarry
PotterandtheGobletofFireandTheCovenant 158