From “Pinkwashing” to “Forced Inclusion”: Adolescents’ Discourses on LGBTIQ+ Representation

Abstract Adolescents’ perspectives are often overlooked in media research due to adult-centric biases. However, teenagers’ opinions are crucial in social debates and it is important to understand their relationship with media, including LGBTIQ+ acceptance. This study addresses the question: How do teenage audiences (14–18) engage with LGBTIQ+ issues in the transmedia audiovisual ecosystem? Short-term ethnography was conducted with 59 teenagers from Barcelona’s metropolitan area, representing diverse identities. The fieldwork included workshops, media content creation, focus groups, co-viewing, and in-depth interviews (n = 41). Data were qualitatively analyzed using ATLAS.ti software. The findings contribute to the progress in LGBTIQ+ media research by presenting a conceptual map of adolescents’ discourses on LGBTIQ+ media, highlighting the fluidity between pro- and anti-LGBTIQ+ arguments, high media literacy rates, and trends in anti-LGBTIQ+ stances (e.g., viewing LGBTIQ+ identities as a media trend or masking reactionary ideas with aesthetic arguments). These results are valuable for media practitioners creating youth-oriented content, and educators addressing LGBTIQ+ debates in classrooms.