Brace Fellow Presentation Series Begins with ‘Queersighted: Portrayals of Gays and Lesbians in the Mass Media’

Taylor Clarke '10 examines depictions of gay characters on primetime TV on October 19

October 16, 2009 -- The Brace Center for Gender Studies announces the 13th year of presentations by Brace Student Fellows. Each of the fellows has spent the summer doing research and writing on a topic related to gender. For the first time in the series’ history, each presentation will be cosponsored with a campus organization. All presentations are in the School Room, third floor of Abbot Hall, and open to members of the Phillips Academy community only.

Senior Taylor Clarke’s opening presentation will take place this coming Monday, Oct. 19, with dinner at 5 p.m. and the presentation starting at 5:40 p.m. Taylor’s talked is titled “Queersighted: Portrayals of Gays and Lesbians in the Mass Media.”

According to Taylor, “in September 2008, USA Today published an article titled ‘Study: Series TV showing more gays, lesbians,’ which praised the 16 regular gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters that would appear on primetime series that fall—a number which had doubled from 2007. But what do these characters look like? If television is showing more gays and lesbians, how have these portrayals changed as queer life enters mainstream American culture?”

The schedule for the entire series is as follows:

• Monday, October 19:
  “Queersighted: Portrayals of Gays and Lesbians in the Mass Media”
  Cosponsored with the Gay Straight Alliance
  5–6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 28: Mari Miyachi ’10
  “Hired for Life: Translating the Historic Problems of the Modern Japanese ‘Company Man’
  Cosponsored with Asian Society
  5:30–7 p.m.
• Tuesday, January 12: Ellen Blindauer ’10
  "Stand by Your Man: Media Reaction and Public Perception of Cases of Adultery in High-Profile Politicians"
  Cosponsored with Women’s Forum
  5–6:30 p.m.
• Monday, January 18: Juliet Liu ’10
  "Chinatown’s Working Women: The Forging of a New Social Identity"
  Presented as a workshop as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration
  Time to be announced
• Wednesday, January 27: Meredith Rahman ’10
  “Muslim Women in Politics: A Paradox or a Reality">
  Cosponsored with Muslim Student Union
  5–6:30 p.m.

All presentations will be in the School Room, on the third floor of Abbot Hall; all evening presentations will be preceded by dinner