From Perverts to Fab Five: The Media's Changing Depiction of Gay Men and Lesbians

From "Perverts" to "Fab Five"tracks the dramatic change in how the American media have depicted gay people over the last half-century. Each chapter illuminates a particular media product that served as a milestone on the media's journey from demonizing homosexuals some fifty years ago to celebrating the gay community--or at least some sectors of the gay community--today.The media, Streitmatter argues, have not merely reflected the American public's shift to a more enlightened view of gay people, but they have been instrumental in propelling that change. The book spans the breadth of communication venues. Individual chapters focus on major news stories, entertainment television programs, and mainstream motion pictures that captured the public imagination while, at the same time, sending powerful messages about gay men and lesbians. Ideal for any reader interested in the changing depiction of gay men and lesbians in the media over time, or as required reading in media courses, From "Perverts" to "Fab Five"challenges our very understandings of the words "public" and "media" both.

Rodger Streitmatter is a Professor and Senior Associate Dean in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C.