The coming out of teen homosexuals

This chapter explores the intricate process of coming out and constructing a gay identity through the lens of Chinese subtitles of the popular LGBTQ+ TV series Heartstopper . By employing Marc Démont’s modes of translating queer literary texts, it highlights how the Chinese subtitles navigate and convey the complexities of the coming-out process to Chinese audiences. The analysis underscores the non-linear nature of coming out, emphasising continuous self-reflection and disclosure. Through the adoption of ‘queering’ translation techniques, the subtitles explicitly convey the nuanced connotations of queer elements from the source language, thereby effectively illuminating mental health issues, stereotypes, and struggles with self-identity faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, and demonstrating the subtitles’ role in fostering greater visibility and representation of LGBTQ+ communities. This chapter fills a critical gap by examining how fansubbing groups navigate cultural and linguistic barriers to introduce and normalise queer content in China, shifting focus from traditional issues like censorship, queer terminologies, and global-local knowledge dichotomies, and offering fresh insights into the role of translation in shaping queer visibility and discourse. Ultimately, it advocates for the importance of inclusive media representations in promoting mental health and wellbeing among sexual minorities, highlighting the transformative potential of empathetic and explicit translations in bridging cultural and societal gaps.