The Need for Better LGBTQ+ Representation in Popular Media

Written by Shae Rufe

I have been struggling to find a proper closing on my thoughts for this month’s Pride. Obviously, Pride goes beyond just the month of June. For many it is something we live every day. Looking through the LGBTQ+ side of media, I was disheartened to see how far we haven’t come. There are very little Asexual or Intersexed characters. Very little representation of Queer or Pansexuals or Poly characters. Yes, there are more in Literature than anywhere else, and that is amazing. Literature is a broad and wonderful spectrum within Media that has given birth to some wonderful film and television adaptations. However, when it comes to having more exposure to various types of sexualities beyond the heteronormative, there is still such a huge lacking within visual media. We find ourselves at a point in history where things have to change. There is no reason why we cannot have a Trans woman of color on the big screen. Or two men sharing a romantic kiss at the end of a RomCom.

The truth is, there have been and always will be LGBTQAI+ people around. We just got tired of hiding in closets and being shamed for being who we are. So, I thought I would include some statistics and talk about a very touchy subject on here. Warning for Suicide Triggers and Violent Crime Trigger warning. I’m not going to be going into too much graphic detail. I think hard facts are important when looking at things like this, especially with more sensitive subjects. As it turns out LGBTQAI+ Youth are 40% more likely to contemplate of consider suicide. LGBTQAI+ youth are twice as likely to have attempted suicide over heterosexual youth, especially under the age of 25. In fact, gay men are 79% more likely to attempt and succeed at suicide than women, closely followed by Transgender people. 28% of people forced into conversation therapy attempted suicide as a way out from it. And the likelihood of success goes up even further when violence is introduced. 40-47% of gay and bisexual men will experience domestic or sexual violence while 19%-29% of lesbian and bisexual women. 47% of Transgender people have experience violence against them. And 54% of Transgender people have experience domestic violence from a partner.

I’m not going to go into more intimate details or more crimes. The numbers speak for themselves. I am personally a victim of violence and attempted suicide for my sexuality. I’m not ashamed of either experiences, because I have gotten to grow and see the world change and watch as our fight for equality gains more traction. I say this not to garner followership, sympathy, or anything of the sort. I say this because I am a person. I am more than my experiences, and I know that somewhere out there someone is hopefully reading this and feeling just a little less alone.

That is the purpose of proper representation in media, to not feel alone. I was born in the mid 80s and proudly tout myself as a 90s kid. Well, sadly, there wasn’t a lot of acceptance then. LGBTQAI+ people were typically over exaggerated, harmful, stereotypes that were more caricature than reality. They were the butts of jokes or something to scoff at. In many cases, they did way more harm than good. They often lusted after the straight lead and were not too subtle about the whole thing. It was something to be ashamed of, being LGBTQAI+. Television, Film, Comics, Games, so much more, they have the power to actually change all of that. The problem is change is often too slow.

Now, there has been some amazing headway. Cartoons such as Steven Universe and it’s Non-Binary creator Rebecca Sugar never would have been acceptable back then. Yet, today, kids can experience Ruby and Sapphire, two female presenting woman, kiss and watch their wedding and not have it be an oddity. It’s the perfect statement of Love being just Love. Because, at the very end of the day, Love is Love and the gender identity of whom you love is never wrong. The future of media needs to be more inclusive. America Chavez, a lesbian woman of color and superhero, deserves her own movie on the big screen. Disney Park’s offer ‘Gay Days’ where they celebrate Pride beyond just June and host an array of rainbow everything, however they have yet to give an LGBTQAI+ individual a lead role in any movie. The few things they have done have been either a background character that gets a same sex dance scene or a same sex kiss at the end of a movie for less than a second on screen.

If we do not start giving proper representation within media and showcasing that being LGBTQAI+ is normal, we will not see those suicide rates drop. No, it is not solely on media, however representation and a sense of normalcy are the first steps.

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