{"product_id":"the-generic-closet-black-gayness-and-the-black-cast-sitcom-9780253054593","title":"The Generic Closet: Black Gayness and the Black-Cast Sitcom","description":"\u003cp\u003eEven after a rise in gay and Black representation and production on TV in the 1990s, the sitcom became a \"generic closet,\" restricting Black gay characters with narrative tropes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing from 20 interviews with credited episode writers, key show-runners, and Black gay men, \u003ci\u003e The Generic Closet \u003c\/i\u003esituates Black-cast sitcoms as a unique genre that uses Black gay characters in service of the series' heterosexual main cast. Alfred L. Martin, Jr., argues that the Black community is considered to be antigay due to misrepresentation by shows that aired during the family viewing hour and that were written for the imagined, \"traditional\" Black family. Martin considers audience reception, industrial production practices, and authorship to unpack the claim that Black gay characters are written into Black-cast sitcoms such as \u003ci\u003eMoesha\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGood News\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLet's Stay Together\u003c\/i\u003e in order to closet Black gayness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy exploring how systems of power produce ideologies about Black gayness, \u003ci\u003eThe Generic Closet\u003c\/i\u003e deconstructs the concept of a monolithic Black audience and investigates whether this generic closet still exists.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlfred L. Martin Jr. is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Indiana University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50646929604882,"sku":"9780253054593","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_1f63b780-60f9-44c8-8a7c-7f6883f383da.jpg?v=1733190364","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-generic-closet-black-gayness-and-the-black-cast-sitcom-9780253054593","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}