Title: Reading Gay Music Videos: An Inquiry into the Representation of Sexual Diversity in Contemporary Popular Music Videos
Abstract: The representation of sexual diversity has recently become common within popular music videos. Whether as part of a subplot or as main narrative, gay and lesbian identities and same-sex desire are key to these “gay music videos.” Drawing on queer theory-informed popular culture studies, this article investigates the way these videos negotiate heteronormativity. By means of a textual analysis of how seven contemporary gay music videos represent same-sex intimacies, the article demonstrates the diversity in the videos’ politics of representation, ranging from reiterations of the heteronormal to provocations and queer critiques of heteronormative discourse and homonormative aspirations.