Reveling in Uselessness: Queer and Trans Media, Consumptive Labour, and Cultural Capital by Joshua T. Morrison A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Film, Television, and Media) in the University of Michigan 2019 Doctoral Committee: Professor Caryl Flinn, Chair Associate Professor Daniel Herbert Professor Lisa Nakamura Professor Katherine Sender, Cornell University Josh Morrison
[email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6460-2105 © Josh Morrison 2019 For Grammie who taught me to be fabulous and nurtured my passions And, especially, for Grandpa and the virtues he instilled: curiosity patience persistence (And, of course, for Liza) ii Acknowledgements At first, it seemed to me that the old idiom “it takes a village…” was very apt for a dissertation, but having reached the point of submission, I think a more accurate phrase would be that it takes a small army of people supporting you, helping you, listening to you, loving you, and giving you feedback to get from the beginning to the end of this process. I cannot possibly list everyone who has contributed to this project along the way, but know that if you aren’t listed, you are not forgotten, nor is your help, love, and support not appreciated. First, I must start by thanking my mentor, supervisor, friend, and colleague Dr. Caryl Flinn: from recruiting me to the University of Arizona, to helping me get to Michigan, to the uncountable hours she’s put into feedback, professionalization, teaching, writing letters, seeing me through my very best and worst moments, and the millions of other tasks a supervisor takes on, she has been the finest of examples to me.