Twenty years ago, in 1987, the popular television star Ellen DeGeneres came out on the cover of Time magazine. In the following two decades, there has been an increasing amount of Queer representation in popular media and culture, both in real-life media stars and popular television and film characters.

There has also been an increase in Queer representation among fandoms, many of which have been historically conservative and heteronormative. In this talk we will discuss some examples of Queer representation in popular media and whether we should see these representations as liberatory or regressive. Pop culture we'll look at include: Supergirl, Renly and Loras in Game of Thrones and the Doctor's new companion, Bill Pott, in Dr. Who. We'll also explore how we might view media representations as a barometer for attitudes regarding Queer identity in general.