What’s Queer about Queer Media Now?

What makes media queer? Who does it represent? What does it do? The 21st century has seen a proliferation of LGBTQ+ representation in media through an apparently progressive political moment – from the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to federal legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States. However, these new media have also come up among increased censorship, book bans, and homo- and transphobic violence, in a reflection of the not-so-linear story of queer representation. By examining memoir, film, television, and internet cultures, we will explore these developments through a framework of queer that goes beyond sexual orientation, and consider the role of the non-normative under racial capitalism, heteropatriarchy, the carceral state, and United States empire across oceans.