Queer by numbers, or what is happening to popular discourses of LGBTQ+ media representation?

This article examines recent popular discourse around LGBTQ+ media representation and argues that the discourse’s attitudes and assumptions reflect both an expanded understanding of gender and sexual diversity and a narrowed understanding of how media representation functions. First, a sample of recent popular journalism from three online publications targeted at LGBTQ+ readers ( Attitude, Out and Têtu ) is analysed. Findings show how the publications assume representation should be measured according to a progress narrative and quantitatively, among other reductive attitudes. Second, the article contextualizes these findings by outlining sociotechnical and economic conditions of the current media landscape, dominated by mega-franchises, streaming platforms and social media platforms, and argues that together these media forms are guided by twin imperatives – the proliferation of minor variations and the promise of consumer empowerment – which in turn help to condition viewers’ expectations for LGBTQ+ representation.