ABSTRACT
In this chapter, queer straightness is explored through the analysis of American sitcoms The New Normal and Rules of Engagement: firstly through how the homosexual male characters in The New Normal are made more accessible by aspiring to heteronormative family ideals and secondly through how the lesbian surrogate in Rules of Engagement is made more feminine, and therefore more heterosexual, through pregnancy. The concept of queer straightness will also underpin a discussion of how the depiction of same-sex partnerships and the creation of family through surrogacy both challenge and reproduce hetero-norms.
