Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
Dream Wired
No Result
View All Result
Home TV

With Representation Declining Industry-Wide, Is TV Failing Its LGBTQ+ Viewers?

rmtsa by rmtsa
May 16, 2024
in TV
0
With Representation Declining Industry-Wide, Is TV Failing Its LGBTQ+ Viewers?
74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


You might also like

What Happened Between Clayton Echard, Rachel Recchia on Perfect Match?

Love Island USA’s Kenny Rodriguez Addresses Rumors, Shares Messages to JaNa Craig on Secret IG Account as She Begs Fans

Season 2, Episode 12 — Death


During the aptly named Golden Age of Television, it seemed that representation on television for the LGBTQ+ community was improving.


More network shows started to embrace not just token gay characters, but well-written storylines centered around LGBTQ+ leads.


Even for relatively progressive shows, it took a long time to get there.

Lead Photo: LGBTQ and Representation - 9-1-1


Grey’s Anatomy, for example, showcased gay and transgender characters in its earliest seasons by weaving them into the series’ medical cases.


But it wasn’t until Season 4, when Callie Torres realized she was bisexual, that a main character on the show was recognized as LGBTQ+.


Don’t get me wrong, we rarely saw perfect gay relationships on the screen. Glee gave us Kurt, Blaine, Santana, and Brittany.


Modern Family had Cam and Mitchell. Grey’s Anatomy’s Callie and Arizona made history on network television.


Most of these shows ended as the years went on.

Nico Returns - Grey's Anatomy Season 20 Episode 3


Grey’s Anatomy has persisted, but it didn’t have a significant gay male couple until Season 15, when Levi was introduced to Nico in an elevator.


In many shows, gay and trans characters are tokenized if they’re allowed to exist at all.


If we’re lucky, a character’s queerness isn’t treated like a commodity.


Still, even when it’s done with minimal problems (like 9-1-1 has demonstrated with Henrietta and Karen), the LGBTQ+ of it all often hides in the shadows until it’s convenient to the show’s ratings.


That’s not to say that there aren’t currently any excellent gay characters on TV.


In fact, the opposite is true. Take Doctor Who, for instance: Ncuti Gatwa (previously of Sex Education fame) is playing the show’s first queer version of the titular character.

Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa Smiling


But generally, where there’s queer representation, tragedy, and disappointment are sure to follow.


The “bury your gays” trope has managed to persevere despite causing veritable outrage every time it’s employed.


The tokenization of LGBTQ+ characters remains a barrier to meaningful representation, as does the lack of racial diversity among the queer characters that do make it to the small screen.


So, where does that leave members of the community who yearn to be represented on their favorite TV shows?


Often, the only option is to try to find ways to relate to poorly written characters.

Deciding Parenthood - Station 19 Season 7 Episode 5


Do real-life gay men actually feel seen when watching Cam and Mitchell on Modern Family?


We’re talking about a couple that was so generically written that they never even shared a kiss until Season 2.


Probably not, but how many other family-friendly sitcoms between 2009 and 2020 even bothered including a married gay couple in their ranks?


Representation isn’t just important for the gay community to see themselves in their favorite shows.


Studies have shown that LGBTQ+ representation on television has a real-world impact.


As more gay and trans characters get quality screen time, acceptance for the community goes up.

Catching a Flight - Modern Family


After news broke of the cancellation of yet another show widely praised for its quality representation of women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people, fans have mobilized in an attempt to save their favorite shows from meeting early ends.


Both NCIS: Hawaii and Station 19 have amassed loyal followings over the years.


The shows share quite a few details in common: they’re led by women characters, have racially diverse casts, and each has a popular queer female power couple.


Sadly (and unsurprisingly), both shows are slated for a series finale this month.


Petitions to save both shows have gained considerable online traction, primarily driven by fans clinging to the representation the series offers.


However, there’s been no indication that either will be saved.


It’s unfortunate for everyone, but especially the LGBTQ+ fans who struggle to see themselves.

Women in Black - The 100 Season 2 Episode 14


It’s rare that a gay or trans television character gets to have a happy life, free from trauma related to their identity, which makes it hard for queer people to imagine a happy life for themselves.


There’s some good news: streaming platforms like Hulu and Netflix have created original series that positively depict LGBTQ+ characters living normal lives.


These shows, like Heartstopper, Ginny & Georgia, and Love, Victor, generally depict LGBTQ+ teens, though, which isn’t always thrilling for queer adults.


Plus, is it fair that people in this community can only find representation behind a paywall?

Kissing Boyfriends - Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 8


The industry is failing viewers from all sorts of communities, from people of color to women to gay and trans people.


The answer isn’t as simple as just writing new LGBTQ+ characters and shows, though.


Accurate representation in the industry starts at the top and on the inside.


Specifically, without queer voices in the writer’s room, there is very little chance you’re going to write a gay character that resonates with audiences successfully.


For far too long, gay and trans stereotypes have persisted because characters have been written by people who think they’re qualified to speak for marginalized groups.

Max as Lady Blair - Ginny & Georgia Season 2 Episode 8


If shows want to improve their representation efforts, they must hire LGBTQ+ showrunners, directors, and writers.


Networks need to hear and buy pitches by queer creators.


It’s not hard to figure out that the only way to include the LGBTQ+ community is to actually include them.


As the old saying goes, “Nothing about us without us.”

Edit Delete

Haley Whitmire White is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow her on X.



Source link

Tags: DecliningFailingIndustryWideLGBTQRepresentationviewers
Share30Tweet19
rmtsa

rmtsa

Recommended For You

What Happened Between Clayton Echard, Rachel Recchia on Perfect Match?

by rmtsa
August 2, 2025
0
What Happened Between Clayton Echard, Rachel Recchia on Perfect Match?

Clayton Echard and Rachel Recchia’s experience on Perfect Match turned out to be just as dramatic as their shared Bachelor Nation journey. This post has spoilers for the...

Read more

Love Island USA’s Kenny Rodriguez Addresses Rumors, Shares Messages to JaNa Craig on Secret IG Account as She Begs Fans

by rmtsa
August 2, 2025
0
Love Island USA’s Kenny Rodriguez Addresses Rumors, Shares Messages to JaNa Craig on Secret IG Account as She Begs Fans

1 Credit: Barry King/Alamy Kenny Rodriguez is speaking out amid the ongoing rumors surrounding his split from JaNa Craig. After JaNa lashed out against him, claiming he was...

Read more

Season 2, Episode 12 — Death

by rmtsa
August 2, 2025
0
Season 2, Episode 12 — Death

'The Sandman' Series Finale Recap: Season 2, Episode 12 -- Death ad Source link

Read more

‘Sex and the City’: Miranda and Steve’s Relationship Timeline

by rmtsa
August 2, 2025
0
‘Sex and the City’: Miranda and Steve’s Relationship Timeline

Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon) and Steve Brady’s (David Eigenberg) romance had its fair share of ups and downs before they found their way back to one another in...

Read more

RHOC’s Katie Ginella on Who Really Heard Shannon Recording & If She Regrets It, Plus Offers Update With Heather & Alexis

by rmtsa
August 2, 2025
0
RHOC’s Katie Ginella on Who Really Heard Shannon Recording & If She Regrets It, Plus Offers Update With Heather & Alexis

13 Credit: Instagram Katie Ginella appeared on Thursday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live, where she was questioned about the controversial recording she took amid an alleged meltdown...

Read more
Next Post
GloRilla’s Team Verifying Info For Student Promised K

GloRilla’s Team Verifying Info For Student Promised $5K

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Browse by Category

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized

CATEGORIES

  • Celebrity
  • Comics
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV
  • Uncategorized
No Result
View All Result

Recent News

  • Spider-Man 4 Video Reveals Tom Holland’s Stylish Brand New Day Look
  • Tom Holland Debuts New Spider-Man Suit in First ‘Brand New Day’ Teaser
  • What Happened Between Clayton Echard, Rachel Recchia on Perfect Match?

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Celebrity
  • DramaAlert
  • Gossip
  • Movie
  • TV
  • Music
  • Comics
  • Shop

Copyright © 2023 DramaWired.
DramaWired is a content aggregator and not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In