This was a super fascinating read! I didn’t know a lot about television history going into it, and I felt like the author did a really great job of breaking it all down. It was super interesting to learn about all of the ways that queer characters were presented on tv throughout the years and to see how far we’ve actually come (without ignoring how far we still have to go).

The audiobook was well produced and narrated by the author, which I always love.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in pop culture and queer history!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

Wow! This book was the perfect read for Pride Month, but it would be an amazing read for any month. Hi Honey, I'm Homo! explores when queer folx were first alluded to on sitcom television and how these spots evolved into living fully openly ala Cam and Mitch on Modern Family.

It was extremely interesting to hear about some of these older shows that I have heard of but never watched. Having queer people on TV actually came around much earlier than I would have thought, even if it were only an episode here or there. There were also many shows that I watched that used other ideas such as magic or *ahem* dinosaurs as a metaphor for homosexuality and I just did not understand that at the time. But looking back? It makes a lot of sense.

In 2023, LGBTQIA+ individuals are under attack yet again. I think it's important for people to hear about how much work it was just to get them on TV, let alone to have actual rights in real life, so we can try to avoid repeating history.

I really enjoyed this, it showcases how American TV brought up important LGBTQIAP+ topics in real life. It also serves as a great reminder of the things that we, as a community, have overcome and that our fight is still ongoing.

What an entertaining and educational read! The author of this book was recently a guest on the Savage Lovecast and made me want to pick up the book and I'm glad I did.

This book tracks the movement for LGBTQ+ rights alongside the onscreen and behind the scenes trajectory of queer representation in American sitcoms.

This was a quick and easy listen (narrated by the author) with powerful and moving moments (I teared up a number of times.) It certainly helped that I was at least familiar with most of the TV shows the book covers but I think you could appreciate the book even with a bit less cultural consciousness of sitcoms from the 1970s to early 2000s. In fact, I think you could pick up this book and pick and choose chapters if you wanted to focus more on the shows you were more familiar with or interested in. There is a tiny bit of repetition across the chapters to allow for the appropriate context and it makes each chapter accessible on its own.

Despite the fascinating content, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad and discouraged while listening. It it a valid representation of how rights, respect and representation of queer folks has always been two steps forward, one step back. While it's certainly positive to be reminded of how far public attitudes have come, it's frustrating (but important) to be reminded that history repeats itself and there are some people out there who are relentless in their targeting of queer lives and rights. It's also a powerful reminder that we have to continue to put in the activism and advocacy work to protect those lives and right.

Note: The focus was on pretty much exclusively white shows and I would have been interested to have more diversity in the examples (or an acknowledgement of that lack of diversity.)

Rarely is there such a timely, melodic, and astute critique of television that rings as true as this collection does. We are in a cultural moment that seeks to erase queer histories, seeking to make “gay” something no longer allowed in polite society. “Hi Honey, I’m Homo!” reminds us that even when we couldn’t be open on TV, we were still there: behind the scenes and in front of the screens. Fundamentally, the message that rings through is that we have always been here and we always will be.

As a younger millennial, a majority of the shows detailed in the collection were before my time (and all aired before I came out publicly for the first time in 2016) and I deeply appreciated the cultural/economic/industry context that Baumé so effortlessly weaves in.

I’m infatuated with this collection and I could listen to the audiobook narrator for hours. The section about “Cheers!” even allowed me to have a deeply important conversation with my GenX mother about queerness and depictions on TV.

I’m so thankful for books like these and authors like Baumé that remind us so enjoyably that queer people belong and how we’ve fought for our rights beyond the political sphere.

Hi Honey, I’m Homo! by Matt Baume

Non-fiction | LGBT | Pop Culture | History | Audiobook

•Matt Baume breaks down the development LBGTQ+ representation upon American sitcoms. From the early days on Bewitched, to sitcoms with more flamboyant characters such as Morden Family, America growth in acceptance and inclusion is evident.
•This entertaining and informative book was a delight to listen to. I enjoyed the structure and the pace of this book. It was easy to understand the narrator (the author himself). I can tell Matt put in a lot of work researching, interviewing and developing this book so praise is well deserved.

Feels: informative and enlightening

★★★★ 4/5

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

I would like to express my gratitude for the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this book, generously provided by the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

"Hi Honey, I'm Homo!" by Matt Baume offers a captivating exploration of LGBTQ+ representation in American sitcoms throughout the decades. Baume delves into the intriguing behind-the-scenes stories, shedding light on the struggles and triumphs of queer characters in popular television shows. While the book provides a wealth of information and insightful analysis, it falls short in terms of engagement and storytelling.

Baume's knowledge and passion for the subject matter are evident, and his exploration of iconic sitcoms such as Bewitched, All in the Family, Soap, The Golden Girls, Ellen, and Modern Family is commendable. The book serves as a valuable resource for those interested in the history and evolution of LGBTQ+ visibility in mainstream media.

One of the book's strengths lies in Baume's extensive research, evident through the numerous anecdotes and details about the challenges faced by queer characters and the impact of their portrayal on audiences.
However, despite the fascinating subject matter, "Hi Honey, I'm Homo!" lacks the engaging narrative or personal touch that would have made it truly compelling. The book often feels like a collection of facts and anecdotes rather than a cohesive story. While it covers a wide range of sitcoms, there is a missed opportunity to delve deeper into certain shows or characters that could have brought more emotional depth to the narrative. Additionally, the book's pacing can be uneven, with some sections feeling rushed while others are overly detailed. This inconsistency might make it challenging for some listeners to maintain interest throughout the entire audiobook.

*ALC Review, thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley*

Just finished this book this morning and I am excited to share my thoughts! While in its nature this is a very American-centered discussion around queerness in media, I was able to learn a lot about the topic and came away feeling like I had a deep and real understanding of how queer people have been portrayed in American sitcoms especially. There was clearly so much research done in the making of this book and you could feel the passion and respect for the subject. I enjoyed how it explored the fight for marriage equality alongside and intertwined with the expanded views of queer people in popular media. Definitely go into this knowing it is going to be a very focused look at a very specific topic and I think you will get along with it just fine!

I am not a sitcom devotee but I am obsessed with how culture is shaped by media (and vice versa) so I picked this up on a whim. Needless to say, I absolutely loved it.

Baume gives such a humorous and accessible history of queer representation in sitcoms that I finished the audiobook in twenty four hours.

Now, for a literary inducing binge of Modern Family.

Well researched, informative and entertaining. It made me think and look at popular show characters in a new way.
I appreciated the narratore and learned a lot.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance audiobook of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This was an excellent book to read (listen to) during Pride month. I learned a lot about how queer folk came to be depicted on television from the 1960s til the present—or even whether they had appeared at all. From Bewitched possibly using witches as a metaphor for all marginalized groups to Will and Grace with an openly gay lead, it’s been quite a roller coaster.

The All in the Family chapter was the most personal for me. My father co-wrote the theme song, and I remember being able to stay up and watch the first episode with my family. Obviously, at the time I had no idea how groundbreaking the show was, so it was really awesome to learn about how Archie had come to accept a drag queen as family, and his reaction when he found out that one of his friends was in fact gay. The way Edith responded when she found out that a deceased relative had left behind a lesbian partner reminded me of the reaction of local church members when our church became open and affirming—it was about recognizing that family is family.

The book was quite educational! The take away was that if people did not actually have gay people in their lives to learn from/learn to accept, then seeing gay characters on television was the next best thing—or possibly even better, since through television, people could see whole stories play out, i.e. characters to whom they related learning that gay people are just people like them.

And now I need to go binge Will and Grace.

This was a great in depth look at a plethora of different shows and the queer representation or coding across many years. I hadn’t watched all of the shows but thought the way things were described and discussed about was thorough and extremely interesting.

I really enjoyed the author doing the narration and definitely wanna check out his YouTube for more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an alc.

Enjoyable and informative. I learned so much about the history of LGBTQ+ representation in media as well as all the actual stuff happening within the legal system. This was such a cohesive way to present it all and make it so impactful.

This in-depth, tell-all book is an eye-opening and thought-provoking traverse on the history of LGBTQ+ representation in American television. Not only does Matt Baume talk about how queers back then were written and fleshed out on-screen, but he also touches on what it was like for them off-screen. This book piqued my interest because I am one of those people who enjoy and love today's acceptance and portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters across multiple media, and while I am aware of how the times have changed and how society has loosened up some of its shackles on mankind, I didn't question much the story of how queer liberation got to this point. Matt Baume has taken me on a trip from then to now, and it has been entertainingly educational.

I would love to watch this as a documentary. I will probably listen to this audiobook a few times more, and I'm gonna be checking out Matt Baume's YouTube channel.

This was very well researched and written. I definitely learned a lot and now I have some new shows I want to watch! Thanks NetGallery

I am not a huge nonfiction reader. I have enjoyed nonfiction in the past but it is not my go to. I am so glad I listened to Hi Honey, I’m Homo. It was a well researched and planned book about the the profession of gay characters on televisions.

We start out in the 1960’s talking about shows like Bewitched being one of the first to test the waters with a gay character without confirming their sexuality.

By the time we have been brought throughout history we are in 2022 and while gays may be a little more accepted than in the 60’s there is still a long way to go with equality of relationships in both the world and in the media space.

Something I found interesting is when they were casting the roll of Chandler they left his sexuality open to the actor. Whoever got the part was going to determine if Chandler was actually gay or straight. When Matthew Perry got the roll it was set he was to be straight but would play the line. “Write is gay and play it straight.” There are serval jokes and comments about Chandler being gay throughout the show.

From here we go into commentary about shows such as Will & Grace, Ellen, Glee and finish with Modern Family. This was a show I absolutely loved because of all the different family dynamics that we were introduced to. This made it different from anything televised. We got to see a gay couple happily married and adopt a child. We got to see them get married and live a happy and chaotic life together that heterosexual couples could also relate to.

Overall it was a very interesting read and I’m glad I took the opportunity to do so.

I loved every thing about this book. As someone who loves history and documentaries, but cannot focus on actually watching something, this audiobook is PERFECT. I learned so much fascinating information that I didn't know about beforehand.

Matt Baume dives into the history of being queer on TV. He talks about gay characters appearing in TV shows from the 1970-present and what that looked like on set and how it was perceived by the public. The struggles from the writers to the actor on screen. From popular shows like Golden Girls and Friends to more obscure shows, there are few are far between open gay characters in television from broadcast companies banning shows with topics of being queer.

Releasing this book during Pride Month is the perfect time because there is so much important information included that honestly sounds exactly like what we are now dealing with in 2023 as we were in the 70s. I encourage everyone to give this a listen or read regardless of your sexual orientation. There is something to take away from this book in every chapter.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I was initially drawn to this book due to the title. It definitely caught my attention! I felt this would be a great read this month since it is Pride Month. I’m so glad that I did. It was interesting to learn about LGBTQ+ media. I had no idea that there was a family viewing hour. This book was very entertaining and enlightening. I also enjoyed that the author was also the narrator. I also learned about his YouTube channel that I’ll also be checking out.

5⭐️Very interesting & well-written🏳️‍🌈#hihoneyimhomo by @mattbaume #readbytheauthor #myfavetvshows #neverknewbutnowdo #weregoingbackwards #bewitched #soap #modernfamily #ellen #myeyespreferaudiobooks🎧 thanks #NetGalley & #dreamscapemedia

I know that judging a book by its cover is typically frowned upon, but I have to admit the cover and title are what initially caught my attention when scrolling for a book to read. Since I like seeing LGBTQ+ rep in the movies and TV shows I watch, I felt this was a perfect book to read for Pride Month.

Hi Honey, I'm Homo reflects on a variety of tv shows from Bewitched in the 60s through to Modern Family in the 2000s and how they affected media representation of LGBTQ+ storylines. The first TV shows I recall seeing with queer rep were Dawson's Creek and later Degrassi: The Next Generation, so I was excited to learn about the history of inclusion in sitcoms. I watched a few of the shows Baume references but did not pick up on a lot of the Queer content.

This is the perfect time for a book like this to come out. Across the country, LGBTQ+ books are being banned, and Baume makes the argument that exposure to lgbtq+ characters, even fictional characters, helps with empathy and understanding, which is very much needed right now when the community is under attack.