Projecting a queer republic: mainstreaming queer identities on Irish documentary film.

TUESDAY Report (TV program); ACCESS Community Television (TV program)

Previous work on the Irish documentary has suggested that an innate conservatism in Irish society and broadcasting stifled any political potential on the medium. This article argues that such assertions are not entirely true, especially in light of gay and lesbian documentaries. The focus of this article is on two documentaries produced by Ireland's public service broadcaster RTÉ: Tuesday Report (1977) and Access Community Television (1984). It argues that mainstreaming approaches were a central representational strategy in these two documentaries that represented Irish gays and lesbians. This mode of representation was crucial as the documentary form in Irish broadcasting attempted to normalise social attitudes towards queer identities. The programmes reveal the cultural specificities of queer Irish documentaries, particularly relating to their mode of address. Both addressed the Irish family - one of the main power bases of Irish society during this period - to speak back and reconfigure conceptualisations of the traditional, normative family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studies in Documentary Film is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)