Mediated Construction 2
construction of gay identity of several male homosexual characters in popular films and
television programs in the context of the gay male/straight female best-friends narrative. She
argues that gay males are defined as privileged for their total access to women but as impotent
for their homosexuality (p. 88), a notion consistent with heterosexism. On the other hand, Meyer
(2003) maintains that the best-friends narrative provides a space to explore intimate issues of gay
male characters outside the core friendship. Batles and Hilton-Morrow (2002) analyze Will &
Grace from its dependence on traditional sitcom formulas and argue that the narratives diminish
any of the show’s potentially subversive themes and any threats to heteronormativity.
The recent explosion of gay male characters in American television, and the perceived
liberalism in which their behavior is represented, requires further examination. Using queer
theory as well of notions of race and class as its theoretical framework and a discourse analysis
of television shows with leading gay male characters as its method, this work examines the
dominant themes in the construction of gay male identity in American television. It addresses in
particular whether the explosion of gay male characters and the perceived advancement in their
representation challenge heteronormative notions of masculinity and hegemonic models of social
relations.
Hegemonic Sexual Identities
The debate over essentialism and constructionism is central to gay and lesbian studies.
Essentialists believe that homosexuality is innate or biological and gay identities can be traced
back in history, while constructionists believe that a homosexual identity is a cultural product
and a social construction. Foucault (1978) argues that sexuality and sexual definitions are created
by society in order to repress individuals from behaviors deviating from the heterosexual model.
Queer theory is a radical area of study resulting from the development of feminist theories, gay
Convention