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Gay Visibility in the Irish Media, 1974-2008

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Gay Visibility in the Irish Media, 1974-2008 Queering in the Years: Gay Visibility in the Irish Media, 1974-2008 Páraic Kerrigan A major thesis submitted for the qualification of Doctor of Philosophy in Media Studies Maynooth University Department of Media Studies October 2018 Supervisors: Professor Maria Pramaggiore and Dr. Stephanie Rains Head of Department: Dr. Kylie Jarrett Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………...….v Acknowledgments………………………………………………………….....……..vi List of Illustrations………………………………………………………………..………....ix List of Appendices………………………………………………………………..…………xi List of Abbreviations and Acronyms…………………………………………………………………………...xii Introduction: Did They Really Notice Us?...............................................................1 Queer Media and Irish Studies…………………………………………………….5 Que(e)rying Irish Media Visibility……..………………………………………...12 Methodological Approach……………………………..…………………………14 Structural Approach………………………..…………………………………….18 Chapter One: ‘Lavender Flying Columns’ and ‘Guerrilla Activism’: The Politics of Gay Visibility Introduction……………………………………………………..………………..22 Visibility as Social Recognition……………………..…………………………...23 Theorising Queer Visibility………………………..……………………………..25 Visibility and Irish Media History…………………………………...…………...31 Discourses of Queer Irish Visibility…………………………………..………….35 Transnational Queer Visibility…………………………………………..……….43 Conclusion…………..……………………………………………………………45 Chapter Two: Respectably Gay?: Queer Visibility on Broadcast Television (1975-1980) Introduction…………………….…………………………………………………..46 Mainstreaming and the Confessional………………………………..…………...48 Coming-Out of the Closet on Last House (1975)…………..…………...………..53 Documenting the Confessional: Tuesday Report (1977)……..………..………...62 Locating the Homodomestic on Week In (1980)……………..…………………..75 ii Lesbian Invisibility………………………………..……………………………...84 Conclusion……………………………..…………………………………………87 Chapter Three: Fifty Shades of Gay – Queer Visibility on The Late Late Show (1980-1989) Introduction……………………………………..………………………………..89 Lesbians: The Lavender Women of Irish Television ……..…………………..…97 The Curious Case of the Lesbian Nuns……………………..……..……………106 Debating Homosexuality on The Late Late Show……..……..…………..……..115 Conclusion…………………………..…………………………………………..125 Chapter Four: AIDS and the Disruption of Queer Visibility (1983-1994) Introduction…………………………………….………………...……………..127 Hegemonic News Media and Media Institutions ……..…..……………………131 Alternative Media Economies: OUT Magazine …………..………..…………..143 Queer Alliances and Community Documentary Activism ……..……..…..……154 Conclusion……………………………………………..………………………..163 Chapter Five: Coitus Interruptus – Queer Visibility on the Sitcom and Soap Opera (1995-1998) Introduction…………………………………………...………………………...165 Developing an Irish Sitcom and Soap Opera ……..……………………....……167 Representing Queerness on the Irish Sitcom …………..…………...…………..171 “Where the Guys are so Pretty” – Gay Visibility in Fair City ……..……......….184 Conclusion…………………………………..…………………………………..194 Chapter Six: Queer Visibility, Television Drama and the Celtic Tiger (1999- 2007) Introduction……………………..……………….……………………………...196 Cosmopolitanism and the ‘International Gay’ in The Clinic…..……..…..….…203 Haunting the Tiger from the Edge in Proof..…………………………………...211 Conclusion…………………..…………………………………………………..217 Conclusion: Coming-Out, Being Seen, Making History Pantigate and Queer Visibility…………………………..……………………...219 Future Research……………………………..…………………………………..224 iii Bibliography………………………………………………...…………………….229 Appendices…………………………………………………..……………………248 iv Abstract This dissertation examines the queer visibility and discourses surrounding that visibility as they have unfolded on Irish television, film and alternative activist media between 1974 and 2008. The thesis argues that LGBT activists originally deployed media visibility for the liberatory potential of advancing LGBT rights. However, mainstream media institutions exploited queer identities for economic purposes; that, coupled with the eruption of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, disrupted the mainstreaming goals of queer visibility. This resulted in queer visibility becoming caught up in a shifting power dynamic, or as this thesis terms it, a tug-of-war, between Ireland’s LGBT community and media institutions. As this thesis will argue, the development of queer Irish media visibility was informed by local activism, legal changes, viral epidemics, international media influences along with the development of Ireland’s media landscape. The thesis traverses time periods, media forms and Queer and Media Studies theoretical frameworks to provide an overview of the dynamic of queer Irish visibility, pursuing connections across current affairs programming, documentary, chat shows, soap opera, television drama, film, magazines and broader print media. The methodology of this thesis is predominantly archival research, textual analysis and semi-structured interviews, a mixed-methods approach that uncovers the relationship between the proliferation of queer visibility and alternative queer media and the processes by which such media are produced. Using these forms and practices, the thesis will explore how varying Irish gay civil rights groups influenced the types of queer media images that manifested on screen and within their alternative media economies; how the changing social, cultural, economic and legal context of the historical period saw the transition of queer visibility from current affairs to narrativised, fictionalised representations and illuminate how queer Irish visibility transformed from localised activism to aspirational attempts of participating in a global media economy. v Acknowledgments The actual process of undertaking Ph.D. research and writing a dissertation becomes such a heavy workload and burden, that by the time you get ready to submit the ‘document’, the acknowledgements almost become an afterthought and something to tick off a checklist. This may be down to the fact that it will be the only part of the whole thesis that will not be subject to endless scrutiny and correction (one would hope). Of course, although the process of writing a Ph.D. can be isolating, getting it across the finish line can only happen with the goodwill, generosity and patience of many people. I would firstly like to acknowledge my supervisors. Having walked into her office, bright eyed and bushy tailed as an undergraduate student when I had first displayed interest in pursuing a doctoral degree, Dr. Stephanie Rains has been an erstwhile and calming presence throughout this process. From her first act of supervision – a research essay during my MA in 2014 – Stephanie’s advice, encouragement and guidance have been instrumental in helping me improve as a scholar. Professor Maria Pramaggiore’s supervision has been similarly instrumental in transforming a collection of scattered insights into a coherent argument. Her feedback sandwiches have been instrumental in transforming this thesis. What is more, her insights and efforts to extend my intellectual thought process from a gay to a queer framework has been exponentially beneficial. What is more, I will always be thankful for her friendship, kind support, good sense of fun and morale-boosting, particularly during the more turbulent moments of the past four years. This project would not have taken shape had it not been for the generosity of many in the Irish LGBT community, who contributed and shared their time, resources and knowledge. In particular, I would like to thank Bill Hughes and Edmund Lynch, for the provision of programmes and materials from their personal archives. Furthermore, Tonie Walsh deserves my sincerest gratitude. His good humour and vast knowledge of queer Irish history, along with what became his friendship, played a crucial role in sculpting and shaping this project. My thanks must go to the Department of Media Studies, particularly Dr. Kylie Jarrett and Anne Byrne, for all of their support over the past number of years. This thesis has vi improved tenfold, thanks to the various individuals who devoted time to proofreading and for their contributions and thoughts: Dr. Alison Farrell in the Maynooth University Writing Centre and Dr. Anne O’Brien in the Department of Media Studies. Their thoughtful comments and suggestions were invaluable in preparing this thesis for submission. I would also like to acknowledge the support and comradeship of my Ph.D cohort: Dr. Thomas Connolly, Gregory Jackson, Meredith Dabek, Kira Hussing, Matthew Fogarty, Sarah O’Brien, Daniel Watson and Conor Dowling. In particular, I would like to thank Michael Cleary-Gaffney for the unwavering friendship and support over these past four years, from providing me an affordable roof over my head during a rental crisis, to the many ‘emergency coffees’ and ‘lunches’, to the much needed gossip breaks when we really should have been discussing more pressing academic matters. Brenda O’Connell has similarly shared this precarious, uncertain path by fostering me as her Ph.D son and always reminding me to not lose sight of ‘having a life’ and ‘having a laugh’. Dean Phelan has also been a steadfast friend throughout the past number of years, and a great support both academically and personally. The stresses of the final stages of completing a Ph.D can never be underestimated. How lucky was I to have Barry Lynch come into my life during this time. His unfaltering support, encouragement, love and above all else, friendship, really helped me to see the woods from the trees and get this finished and I will always
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