Who’s in Who’s Out: Queer Visibility and the Maintenance of Racial Hierarchies
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Arthur Scarritt, Boise State University; and Dr. Michael Kreiter, Boise State University
Presentation Date
7-15-2026
Abstract
Queer representation has been a beacon of hope for queer individuals as the queer community strives for social acceptance. The simple idea of inclusive representation for a marginalized group seems harmless. This type of activism focuses on disrupting heterosexist prejudice by placing the queer community on the foreground of mainstream audiences. The basis of these ads is to input queer individuals into the space of heteronormativity; this is done to highlight the similarities of the queer community to the straight audiences and induce tolerability for the queer lifestyle. Ultimately the outcomes of queer-oriented marketing differ from the original intentions of it; Queer representation does not equate to social acceptance but rather concludes in tolerance. The splintering effects of queer-oriented marketing has shown to reserve which subgroup of the queer community is afforded acceptance rather than the tolerability which queer-oriented marketing often concludes in. This subgroup refers to white queer individuals. Essentially, tailoring the overall queer perspective to include much of the white queer perspective and exclude the perspective and experiences of queer POC. In this sense, these tailored perspectives actively seek to familiarize mainstream audiences with an illusion of the queer community rather than truthfully representing the diversity of the queer community.
Who’s in Who’s Out: Queer Visibility and the Maintenance of Racial Hierarchies
Queer representation has been a beacon of hope for queer individuals as the queer community strives for social acceptance. The simple idea of inclusive representation for a marginalized group seems harmless. This type of activism focuses on disrupting heterosexist prejudice by placing the queer community on the foreground of mainstream audiences. The basis of these ads is to input queer individuals into the space of heteronormativity; this is done to highlight the similarities of the queer community to the straight audiences and induce tolerability for the queer lifestyle. Ultimately the outcomes of queer-oriented marketing differ from the original intentions of it; Queer representation does not equate to social acceptance but rather concludes in tolerance. The splintering effects of queer-oriented marketing has shown to reserve which subgroup of the queer community is afforded acceptance rather than the tolerability which queer-oriented marketing often concludes in. This subgroup refers to white queer individuals. Essentially, tailoring the overall queer perspective to include much of the white queer perspective and exclude the perspective and experiences of queer POC. In this sense, these tailored perspectives actively seek to familiarize mainstream audiences with an illusion of the queer community rather than truthfully representing the diversity of the queer community.