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1981

Queer Histories of the Unmade

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Queer lives continue to be erased from historiography, whether in school curricula, institutions of public memory or the writing of academic and popular histories. The routine explaining away of queer sexualities and romantic relationships has become so cliché it has reached meme status ("they were just good friends"), as historians have often gone to great lengths to unmake queer identities. In the case of Abraham Lincoln, many of his biographers have negated the mere idea of a romantic relationship to Joshua Speed despite evidence to the contrary, proving that queerness is perceived incompatible with the project of nation building. Popular media such as television arguably play a central role in such narratives of public memory, and here, too, systemic queerphobia runs rampant. This has led to a slew of unmade television shows, episodes, or the interruption of character arcs in the history of US television. This chapter thus engages with the double meaning of the unmade and unmaking of queer lives in public memory, using a case study from US television to do so.

Keywords: Archives ; LGBTQ+ media ; Queer history ; Star Trek ; Television history ; Unmade television

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References

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  2. Assmann, Aleida (2016), Formen des Vergessens, Göttingen: Wallstein.
  3. Bellah, Robert N. (1967), ‘Civil religion in America’, Daedalus, 96:1, pp. 1–21.
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  4. Blank, Hanne (2012), Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality, Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
  5. Chitwood, Adam (2017), ‘Taika Waititi cut a “Thor: Ragnarok” scene that made Valkyrie’s bisexuality explicit’, Collider, 1 November, https://collider.com/thor-ragnarok-valkyrie-bisexual-scene-cut-taika-waititi. Accessed 27 July 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Cvetkovich, Ann (2003), An Archive of Feelings: Trauma, Sexuality and Lesbian Public Cultures, Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
  7. Designing Women (1986–93), USA: CBS.
  8. Drew, Brian (2014), ‘Exclusive: David Gerrold talks frankly about TNG conflicts with Roddenberry & Berman + JJ-Trek & more’, 12 September, TrekMovie, https://trekmovie.com/2014/09/12/exclusive-david-gerrold-talks-frankly-about-tng-conflicts-with-roddenberry-berman-jj-trek-more. Accessed 13 January 2023.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Drushel, Bruce (2013), ‘A utopia denied: Star Trek and its queer fans’, in B. Drushel (ed.), Fan Phenomena: Star Trek, Bristol: Intellect, pp. 30–41.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Elias, Christopher M. (2021), Gossip Men: J. Edgar Hoover, Joe McCarthy, Roy Cohn and the Politics of Insinuation, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  11. Enterprise (2001–05), USA: UPN.
  12. Erman, John (dir.) (1985), An Early Frost, USA: NBC Productions.
  13. Golden Girls (1985–92), USA: NBC.
  14. Haynes, Todd (dir.) (2015), Carol, UK/USA: StudioCanal.
  15. Highsmith, Patricia (1952), The Price of Salt, New York: Must Have Books.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Kohnen, Melanie E. S. (2016), Queer Representation, Visibility and Race in American Film & Television: Screening the Closet, New York: Routledge.
  17. Lang, Brent and Littleton, Cynthia (2022), ‘Mayhem in the Magic Kingdom: Disney “Don’t Say Gay” walkout underlines Bob Chapek’s leadership crisis’, Variety, 23 March, https://variety.com/2022/biz/features/disney-ceo-bob-chapek-dont-say-gay-1235212073. Accessed 28 March 2022.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. MacLane, Angus (dir.) (2022), Lightyear, USA: Pixar Animation Studios.
  19. The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959–63), USA: CBS.
  20. Marhoefer, Laurie (2015), Sex and the Weimar Republic, Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
  21. Morris, Charles E. III (2004), ‘My old Kentucky homo: Lincoln and the politics of queer public memory’, in K. R. Phillips (ed.), Framing Public Memory, Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, pp. 89–114.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Romano, Aja (2020), ‘Supernatural’s bonkers series finale marked the end of an era of fandom’, Vox, 20 November, https://www.vox.com/culture/21578512/supernatural-series-finale-recap-review-what-happened-dean-destiel-memes. Accessed 13 January 2023.
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     [Google Scholar]
  25. Star Trek: Discovery (2017–present), USA: CBS All Access.
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  27. Supernatural (2005–20), USA: The CW.
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