"e;That doesn't make him gay"e;

How do television viewers decide that characters are gay? Why is one viewer convinced by a scene where two men smile at each other, whereas another responds to a scene where they share a bed with "e;I don't see how that makes them gay"e;? This book examines scenes, situations, and structures that permit characters to be read as LGBT, including two same-sex characters as a romantic couple in the dark comedy/crime drama The Righteous Gemstones and other contemporary television series, contrasted with social media posts that embrace, ignore, or deny their identity. Some surprising strategies emerge, such as "e;if a man speaks to a woman, he is always straight,"e; and "e;they can't be a romantic couple if another character ever refers to them as 'friends.'"e; This thoroughly researched work investigates the practices of viewers identifying "e;gayness"e; on television, drawing conclusions about both media and audience.