Table of Contents

Introduction 1. "Perverts" on the Potomac: Homosexuals Enter the News Arena 2. Stonewall Rebellion: Reporting on an Epic Event 3. The Boys in the Band: Homosexuality Comes to the Big Screen 4. Soap: A Gay Man Comes to TV Land 5. AIDS Enters the News: Reporting on the "Gay Plague" 6. AIDS Becomes Major News: "Now No One Is Safe" 7. Gays in the Military: The Debate over Lifting the Ban 8. Fleeting Images of Lesbians: Killing, Kissing, Being Chic 9. Philadelphia: "A Quantum Leap for Gays on Film" 10. A New Gay Man in Town: Hollywood Shifts to Positive Stereotypes 11. Ellen: Coming Out, On Screen and Off 12. Will & Grace: The Biggest Gay Hit in TV History 13. Queer as Folk: "An Unvarnished Treatment of Gay Life" 14. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The "Fab Five" as Gay Reality Special section: Gay Visibility Vs. Lesbian Visibility 15. The L Word: Lesbians Move into the Spotlight 16. Same-Sex Marriage: A Journalistic Love Fest 17. Brokeback Mountain: "A Breakthrough Gay Romance" Conclusion: From "Perverts" to "Fab Five": Progress in Three Stages . . .and Waiting for a Fourth

About the Author

Rodger Streitmatter is a Professor and Senior Associate Dean in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C. He is author of six previous books, including Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American History, Voices of Revolution: The Dissident Press in America, and Sex Sells! The Media's Journey from Repression to Obsession. He holds a Ph.D. in American History.