Hi Honey, I'm Homo!: Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture

by Matt Baume

Overview

Lambda Literary Award Winner for LGBTQ+ Nonfiction

2024 Stonewall Book Honor Award Winner—Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Book Award

Featured on NPR's Books We Love 2023

One of Vulture's Best Comedy Books of 2023


"This book is a triumph and everyone should read it."
—Dan Savage, journalist and author, on the "Savage Lovecast"

"Hi Honey, I’m Homo is a heartbreaking historical document, but ultimately one that will leave the reader feeling proud of how something as maligned and disposable as the network sitcom used comedy to bring about such profound and important social progress."
—Vulture

"[A] well-curated compendium of prime time broadcasting . . . Baume is a companionable guide."
—Shelf Awareness


Behind the scenes of the most popular sitcoms of the 20th century, a revolution was brewing.

For decades, amidst the bright lights, studio-audience laughs, and absurdly large apartment sets, the real-life story of American LGBTQ+ liberation unfolded in plain sight in front of millions of viewers, most of whom were laughing too hard to mind.

From flamboyant relatives on Bewitched to closely-guarded secrets on All in the Family, from network-censor fights over Soap to behind-the-scenes activism on the set of The Golden Girls, from Ellen’s culture clash and Will & Grace’s mixed reception to Modern Family’s primetime power-couple, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! is the story not only of how subversive queer comedy transformed the American sitcom, from its inception through today, but how our favorite sitcoms transformed, and continue to transform, America.

Accessible, entertaining, and informative, Hi Honey, I’m Homo! features commentary and interviews from celebrities, behind-the-scenes creators, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781637743010
Publisher:	BenBella Books, Inc.
Publication date:	05/23/2023
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	91,724
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Matt Baume is a writer, podcaster, and video-maker based in Seattle whose work focuses on queer culture, geeks, and all things strange and wonderful. He is the creator of the queer interview show The Sewers of Paris, the YouTube pop culture series Culture Cruise, and the LGBTQ news shows Weekly Debrief and Marriage News Watch. He’s co creator of the comedy podcast and live show Queens of Adventure, featuring drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. His book, Defining Marriage, chronicles the personal stories of people who fought for marriage equality over the last forty years. He was nominated for a GLAAD award for journalism, and his work has been recognized by the New York Times as “thoughtful and thorough … informative and funny,” and he was highlighted by Forbes magazine. After he appeared as a pop culture critic in the Showgirls documentary You Don’t Nomi, Forbes called his observations on the film “potentially intriguing.” You can find his reporting via outlets that include Rolling Stone, Vice Magazine, Slate, The Advocate, The Stranger, and NPR.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"[Hi Honey, I'm Homo! is] about how something as rigid and formulaic as the American sitcom can still find room to speak to queerness—sometimes in very coded ways." 
—NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour

"Hi Honey, I'm Homo! is a delightful book . . . If you're looking for something good to read, something that will educate you about queer media history, this is the book you've been waiting for." 
—Bay Area Reporter

"Every chapter serves up a slice of queer history with a rich scoop of fascinating, juicy asides and shocking behind-the-scenes insights—like having dishy late-night cheesecake with a witty, wise friend.”
—Anthony Oliveira, PhD, author, film programmer, and pop culture critic
 
“Matt Baume takes us on a highly entertaining tour of queer representation in television comedy, from the be-bad-with-metaphor and you’ll-miss-it winks of Bewitched to the out-and-proud-ish center stage of Will & Grace. Baume brings his trademark mix of childlike enthusiasm and intellectual rigor to a medium he clearly loves. He calls out cowardice and appeasement where he sees it, but is also careful to place each show inside its moment in queer history.”
—Richard Day, TV writer and producer on Arrested Development, Spin City, The Drew Carey Show, Ellen, and more
 
“Queer visibility didn't just happen overnight. It is and continues to be a series of wins and setbacks, which Matt chronicles with each painstaking step it took to move equality forward . . . The tremendous amount of curated minutia reads like Matt's love letter to the television pioneers of queer culture.”
—Deven Green, award-winning comedic chanteuse

"Baume takes readers on a fun but deeply sourced trip through the activism—and messy stumbles—that led television to finally embrace queer and trans characters."
—Powell's Blog
 
"It is truly a delightful read and will probably inspire your watch list as well." 
—KING5 Seattle