Wendy Peters’s research while affiliated with Nipissing University and other places

In 2010–2011, teen TV series set in high schools depicted as many non-straight teen characters in one year as in the preceding decade. Through a discursive textual analysis of closeted, post-closet and recently out teens on five scripted American and Canadian television series from this season, I argue that the closet is consistently framed as a vulnerable, dangerous and violent space in contrast to the safety and acceptance that accompanies coming out and being out in high school. Further, these teen series explicitly present homophobia as an issue of significance in teen lives, while ascribing its existence to individuals. Many versions of this pattern reflect a media trend identified by David Bergman in which homophobia is shown to exist only in the minds of people who are gay. Importantly, these series often assign responsibility for the mobilization of homophobia to non-straight teens. I highlight four tropes concerning the closet that figure prominently: the homophobic and closeted bully; the blackmail of a closeted character; the sidelining of closeted characters; and the ease of coming out in high school. This focus on closeted, post-closet and recently out teens enables a comparison of how non-straight youth are represented in highly differentiated terms.