When Queer is Normalised: Recognising Representations of Homonormativity in Indian Audiovisual Brand Campaigns

Abstract Since the 2010s, LGBTQ+ representation in Indian audiovisual advertising has grown significantly. However, it is crucial to evaluate whether these campaigns exhibit the homonormative patterns previously identified by scholars in Western media. This paper examines how advertisers use homonormative strategies to make LGBTQ+ people acceptable to mainstream audiences while promoting their products. The analysis reveals that these campaigns downplay queer differences and emphasise heteronormative experiences to make LGBTQ+ identities seem ‘normal’. Advertisers employ several common strategies: portraying the familiar plight of wives within relationships, highlighting the transformative power of monogamous love and marriage, incorporating queer individuals into patriarchal rituals, and showcasing patriotism and individual accomplishments as markers of respectable citizenship. By centring these themes, such portrayals inevitably exclude the nonhomonormative identities and diverse experiences of gender and sexual minorities. Therefore, for advertising to achieve genuine inclusion, it must move beyond this normative framework and embrace more authentic and diverse representations of LGBTQ+ lives.