by Ron Becker
about Ron Becker
Ron Becker is Professor of Media and Culture at Miami University of Ohio. He is the author of Gay TV and Straight America. His work has also appeared in The Television Studies Reader; Queer TV: Theories, Histories, Politics; The Great American Makeover: Television, History and Nation; The Historical Journal of Radio, Film, and Television; and Television and New Media.
Glee/House Hunters International
Abstract: One key cultural function of television is to represent different identities, especially marginalized groups; here Ron Becker considers one interesting type of contemporary gay representation. By connecting seemingly disparate texts of Glee, House Hunters International, and the online It Gets Better movement, we can see how media construct messages of optimism and hope that can have powerful impacts on viewers.