Programming Queerness? PSM Remits, Metarepresentational Discourse, and LGBTQ+ Portrayals

Abstract

In research on LGBTQ+ representations in Western European mediascapes, public service media (PSMs) have been identified as key actors in instigating and shaping domestic depictions of sexual and gender differences. However, while public expectations of PSMs—stipulated in remits—are often referred to in studies, their implications for LGBTQ+ representation have not been systematically explored. With a critical discourse analysis of the former and present remits (N = 6) of the PSMs of Flanders (VRT), the Netherlands (NPO), and Ireland (RTÉ), this study demonstrates how these documents discourage producing queer-themed (fiction) content in favor of programming with “universal appeal.” Simultaneously, it highlights how their pluralism delegitimizes “harmful” portrayals and requires PSMs to actively engage with changing representational norms. This is further entrenched by the expectation for PSMs to consult “relevant stakeholders” when representing minoritized groups. Hence, this article critically maps the “metarepresentational discourses” that LGBTQ+ portrayals in PSM programming emerge from.