Author(s): Steven Capsuto

Popular Culture

PHOTO-ILLUSTRATED REVISED EDITIONA vibrant celebration of early queer visibility on television, "Alternate Channels" explores breakthrough gay and lesbian characters of the 20th century while also looking at TV's first baby steps towards bi and trans inclusiveness.From the start of broadcasting to the year 2000, queer images progressed from invisibility to stereotypes; from stereotypes to milestones such as "Ellen," "Will & Grace," and "Tales of the City"; and from killer dykes on "Police Woman" to lesbian heroes on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."The book goes behind the scenes to see how the images came about, how queer organizers fought for better representation, and how all of that reflected the changing status of LGBT people in 20th-century America. The author constructed this account from archival materials, more than a thousand broadcast recordings, and his interviews with scriptwriters, TV executives, and early activists. This 2019 edition incorporates corrections, material cut from the 2000 edition, and more than 80 photographs.