From the Margins to the Mainstream: Explicating and Validating Queer Readings Among Sexual Minority Youth.

Scholars posit that media texts are polysemic (i.e., open to multiple interpretations) with popular media representing a social institution within Western cultures that spreads dominant societal values, norms, and expectations. Due to their marginalized position within society, sexual minority individuals (i.e., LGBQ+) are frequently underrepresented by mainstream media messages. One way in which marginalized individuals can challenge the dominant, heteronormative discourse is through subversive in which individuals interpret messages against heteronormative ideals (i.e., queer readings). Across two studies, a reliable and valid measure of the uses and gratifications of queer readings was explicated; revealing a four-factor, 20-item scale. Results contribute to the entertainment media and fan studies literatures by providing an understanding of the utility of queer readings in the experiences and development of sexual minority individuals, as well as presents numerous future avenues for inquiry.