The potential of alternative media ecologies in countering gender and sexuality-based discrimination: A queer utopian perspective on LGBTQIA+ community news in Ireland.

The article examines the potential of alternative media ecologies, specifically the community-led Gay Community News (GCN) Magazine in Ireland, to counter gender- and sexuality-based discrimination through transformative and radical representations of LGBTQIA+ identities. Using a queer utopian theoretical framework based on José Esteban Muñoz's concepts of disidentification and queer futurity, combined with corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS) and corpus-assisted multimodal discourse analysis (CAMDA), the study analyzes linguistic and visual data from GCN Magazine (2017–2021). Findings reveal that while GCN foregrounds mainstream LGBTQIA+ identities such as gay, lesbian, and trans, more minoritized identities like intersex and non-binary are less frequent and framed within limited discourse domains, notably healthcare and activism. The magazine also emphasizes activism and intergroup solidarity, addressing broader social injustices beyond LGBTQIA+ issues, though visual representation remains predominantly white and cisgender. Overall, the study argues that GCN Magazine exemplifies both limiting and transformative practices, offering a nuanced, community-driven platform that challenges mainstream media norms and fosters inclusive visions of LGBTQIA+ futures in Ireland.