LGBTIQ+ Representations in Netflix Feature Films: Inclusion or Assimilation?

Abstract

This study analyzes Netflix streaming platform’s LGBTIQ+ thematic films, and some others related to them, in the Spanish state. It stems from the idea that the mass audiovisual medium is a device that creates and transforms social realities influenced by cisheteropatriarchy, ableism, racism, and the western gaze. Thus, it is crucial to examine the complexities of representation and the paradigms that have boosted the growth of representation of the LGBTIQ+ communities in the contemporary narratives and discourses. Netflix brought a revolution in which traditional forms of consumption and entertainment of conventional cinema in the film industry have been questioned. It is essential to understand these new forms of production to see how LGBTIQ+ experiences are being narrated in popular contexts. To do so, a quantitative analysis has been conducted to analyze the characters of the 22 films that have been identified on the platform and that Netflix has exclusively produced or distributed. For this, aspects such as gender, race/ethnicity, orientation and gender expression, among other factors, are repaired, as well as the role that those characters play in the plot of the film, to identify trends that can standardize those identities. All this has the purpose of exploring which codes and discourses prevail in the representations of LGBTIQ+ people. As it can be seen, LGBTIQ+ representations continue to be small and there is a tendency to homogenize the identities they show, using those identities as proof of their diversity