Queering mainstream media: Matsuko Deluxe as modern-day kuroko

One cannot discuss the social conditions facing sexual minorities without taking into consideration the idea of visibility. As implied in the discourse of 'coming out of the closet', gaining public visibility has been one of the major political objectives of queer activism and of relevant equal rights campaigning. While the Japanese mainstream media have been instrumental in assisting sexual minorities with becoming more visible in society, they have simultaneously exploited queer representations. In situations by which sexual minorities gain public visibility, Leo Bersani aptly reminds us that '(o)nce we agreed to be seen, we also agreed to being policed' (1995, p. 12).