Análisis de ficción seriada con componente LGTB+estudio de las representaciones e interpretaciones de casos españoles y estadounidenses durante la década 2011-2020

Résumé

This research analyses the representation of the LGTB+ collective (lesbian, gay, trans, bisexual and other diverse gender or sexual identities, such as asexual, gender fluid or queer) in serialised fiction in the decade 2011-2020 produced in Spain and the United States both on TV networks (Tele5, ABC, Fox, etc.) and distribution platforms (Amazon, Hulu, Disney+, etc.). The aim is, on the one hand, to find out what the representation in this serialised fiction is like, including the types of LGTB+ characters presented, the narratives or discourses present and, on the other hand, to analyse the reception of the audience by LGTB+ and cisheterosexual people and to be able to verify similarities and differences between the interpretations of both groups. The research presents several hypotheses, among them, that this contemporary fiction creates a deformed identity construction about the LGTB+ collective, including elements that promote symbolic inequality, as is the case of stereotypes, and that LGTB+ participants in the focus groups have a more critical view of this fiction than cisheterosexual participants. The sample consists of 14 case studies, 7 American (Euphoria, Looking, Orange is the New Black, Pose, Sense8, Shameless and Transparent) and 7 Spanish (El Ministerio del Tiempo, Élite, Malaka, Merlí: Sapere Aude, Veneno, Vis a Vis and Vivir sin permiso). To do this, the research implements a methodological triangulation based on three instruments: first, a content analysis in which variables such as age, physical complexion or socioeconomic level of the characters are analysed. Secondly, a critical discourse analysis (CDA) in which on the one hand, the macro discourses present are studied and, on the other hand, a micro level in which the agentivisation, the focus of the characters, the modes of representation present or the existence of a conceptual polarisation are verified. Thirdly, four focus groups, two of them with LGBT+ participants and the other two with cisheterosexual participants to test their perceptions on these fictions. The results show, among others: the continuation of recurring stereotypes from other eras; that the role of the characters is usually negative, comical or inconsequential, generally secondary; that there is an under-representation of certain realities of the collective, such as asexuality; that LGTB+ characters are usually associated either with homonormativity, with the aim of being well integrated with the rest of the characters, or with marginal and criminal environments; and that the LGTB+ participants in the focus groups claim to be able to identify with both LGTB+ and cisheterosexual characters, unlike some of the cisheterosexual participants, who express difficulty in identifying with LGTB+ characters. The conclusions of the study infer that, despite the quantitative increase in serialised fiction featuring characters and plots from the collective in the last decade, this construction continues to be widely distorted, and that LGBT+ participants tend to be more critical of this representation than their heterosexual counterparts.