THE RAINBOW AGE OF TELEVISION

An examination of queer representation in the TV industry.

“My first loves were television and women,” writes Warner, a bisexual writer from Brooklyn, at the beginning of this spotlight of the history of queer people in TV. The author investigates how queer characters have evolved on screen over the years and how media representation has affected the community, and they highlight a new “rainbow” roster of openly queer and gender-fluid characters making their way to the screen. Drawing on more than 70 years of history, Warner explores the limitations so frequently placed on queer people trying to make it in the industry and calls for audiences to not only pay attention to queer artists, but celebrate them and allow for evolution. With the mass production of content and ubiquity of streaming services, queer representation is deviating from being an exception to the rule; instead, it is becoming prominent and praised. Although there is always more space to be made for characters across the spectrum of the queer community, Warner shows how the industry has evolved since the early days. Especially interesting are the author’s discussions of a refreshing variety of actors and the roles that stood out, including Rosie O’Donnell on The L Word and Nancy McKeon on The Facts of Life. “On November 19, 1980,” writes Warner, McKeon “rode her motorcycle onto Diff’rent Strokes, a spin-off of The Facts of Life, and into the hearts of burgeoning dykes across America.” Ending the journey on a bittersweet note, they write, “no matter how dire Hollywood’s queer landscape may seem, regardless of whether the glittering, briefly prolific Rainbow Age of Television has actually come to its close, that doesn’t change the fact that we, flesh and blood queer people, are never really alone.”

A thoughtful, well-researched cultural study.