An Analysis of Gender Identity Expression and Transnational Communication of Queer Images in the Streaming Media Era from a Feminist Perspective

Abstract

This paper studies gender identity expression and transnational communication of queer images in the streaming media era from a feminist perspective. Instead of providing new empirical data, the paper places queer representation on streaming platforms within feminist and queer theoretical discussions of gender performativity, orientation and visibility, as well as in media industry analyses of streaming distribution and inclusion policies. According to Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity, Sara Ahmed's queer phenomenology, Eve Ng's research on gaystreaming and mainstreaming, Andre Cavalcante's studies of transgender audience experiences, and recent research by Netflix and global streaming culture, this paper investigates how queer series and films present gender identity and how these representations spread across borders. It believes that streaming platforms have created new forms of queer visibility and transnational circulation, but they have also reproduced homonormative and neoliberal logics; therefore, feminist perspectives are needed to examine both the transformative potential and the limitations of streaming-era queer images. Therefore, it can be concluded that the effect of streaming media on the expression of queer gender identity and transnational communication is neither uniformly progressive nor uniform.