Becoming the homovoyeur: consuming homosexual representation in Queer as Folk

摘要

Gay and lesbian representations in television programming have changed drastically in the past few years with the introduction of shows such as The L Word and Queer as Folk. The number of heterosexuals watching queered television has also increased, leaving us wondering how we can interpret their growing numbers as cultural consumers of queer portrayals. This article infuses cultural and queer studies with sociology, proposing that straight viewers of the television program Queer as Folk become “homovoyeurs” through their consumption of queer imagery as spectacle and entertainment. Through a semiotic reading, I also suggest that queer television programming - while opening up symbolic spaces for cross-sexual identity consumption - still leaves intact barriers to meaningful interaction and dialogue across the homosexual/heterosexual identity boundary.