GLAAD’s annual “Where We Are on TV” report was released this week, and was a bit bleak. We’re losing characters across scripted broadcast programming, and of all 468 LGBTQ characters counted across broadcast, cable and streaming networks, 36% won’t be returning due to cancellations, the miniseries/anthology format, or a character dying or otherwise exiting the show. We’ve talked a lot around here about how much these cancellations are f*cking our community, and recently listed more than 52 shows with lesbian and bisexual characters cancelled after one season.
But you wouldn’t know how desperately our community needs more LGBTQ+ characters on television from doing what I do every month, which is google all kinds of combinations of new show names and networks to figure out if they’re going to be showcasing LGBTQ characters. This is something I have to do to write the monthly streaming guide. And while those searches often turn out useful information, they also deliver, inevitably, a Reddit thread or Quora thread of people complaining about there being too many LGBTQ characters on television, or worrying that their favorite comic book is going to be “woke-ified” in its transition to television. Sometimes I copy and save my very favorite lines from these complaints to laugh at them and today seemed like a good moment to share them with the group.
The following excerpts have been ripped mercilessly out of context from comments on Quora, Reddit and other message boards about LGBTQ+ representation on television from homophobes who claim to not be homophobic.
1. “I’m not homofobic or anything like that but I’m sorry that isn’t the reality most people aren’t gay”
2. “I’m sick of the LGBTQIAZLWPD what the fuck ever. If you wanna scissor your girlfriend or puff each other’s peter… go do it. But, stop trying to shove the mess in my face.”
3. “When LGBTQ people talk about love, I cringe because they are always whining, complaining, and getting offended by everyone, every sentence, and every single normal shit.”
4. “At this point it feels like Apple is basically saying all Japanese women are homosexual which seems pretty darn racist to be honest.”
5. “As a straight man myself, I support gay rights and want people to be happy. But in real life, people keep their sex lives behind closed doors. So being forced to see men make out and have love scenes regularly now on TV makes me physically uncomfortable.”
6. “Tomorrow bestiality would start creeping into media, because apparently these hay-wired creative people would go overboard with their love for their pets.”
7. “I was watching a show the other day for the first time, I thought the plot was really cool, within the first two minutes a boy took another boy into his bedroom and they started kissing. Why?”
8. “enough we get it we are all equals thank you.”
9. “I’ve visited and stayed at the Disney World resort six or seven times; it seems they’ve taken a more drastic stance in the last few years as I don’t remember their push for gay this and gay that being so upfront and unceasingly…annoying.”
10. “Forcing Gay characters into all Netflix content makes me want to CANCEL IT! I should be able to EASILY FILTER GAY CONTENT!”
11. “There’s a gay person in every show now. That’s not even realistic. I rarely see someone who you can see is gay in my daily life. It’s ridiculous.”
12. “The media/Glam industry has so many Gay people at the top, they almost control the industry. So they go overboard and blow trumpets on everyone. This over representation sometimes backfires. Hence we have Gay pride parades, forced gay characters in every series.”
13. “Every show. EVERY single show has the SAME lesbian character and for some reason they think it’s cute to show long drawn out gratuitous kissing scenes. I don’t think I’ve seen a heterosexual love scene in a movie or television show in like 9 years!”
14. “I don’t care what you losers have to say, keep blowing each other.”
15. “I watched Killing Eve to the end on NF. But truth be told, if I had known nearly every female was going to be bi or lesbian, I would not have bothered.”
16. “9-1-1 has at least 13 lgbtq+ characters. I’m not taking a side in this. But by the numbers. That’s severe over representation. I am all for representation some of my favorite people are lgbt+. But just making characters that started out straight into queer characters for the sake of representation is disingenuous and hurts the cause.”
17. “I think the show-runners are actually exploiting lgbtq people. Like every scene I watch on these new shows that involves a gay person, the gay person is always dying to turn a corner and kiss their lover. I would be offended, and feel it’s insulting.”
18. “Please don’t reject God. Submit to Jesus Christ and be FREE!
19. “I know gay people exist, I don’t need to be reminded every time I watch tv… Anyone thinking this makes me homophobic, I feel the same way about vegans and gluten intolerance. Just shut up already and leave the rest of us alone.”
20. “By breaking in our houses through TVs and forcing our brains to see gay people all the times, MANY PEOPLE BECAME GAY”
21. “I just want murder and mayhem not activism. If I want social commentary, there are plenty of avenues.”
22. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Being gay is NOT a personality.”
Boy, do I WISH we had the kind of over-the-top, ubiquitous representation. These people say that we do. Also, according to them if we’re all going to be equals, we should cancel all street love scenes on TV! How would they like that one? Makes me so mad!
for real!!!! most of what they describe as their personal hell is my personal fantasy
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Being gay is NOT a personality.”
excuse me this is a personal attack
They just haven’t seen what some of us are capable of.
exactly!
Props to the guy who watched all of Killing Eve and then was like “if I had known this gay show was gay, which is absolutely clear from episode one…bb, I wouldn’t have bothered!”
Pal, you bothered for THIRTY TWO WHOLE HOURS.
But I am weirdly into “go overboard and blow trumpets on everyone” as gay culture?
like was this guy really watching it for like the stuff about M15 and The Twelve that the rest of us zoned out on entirely bc we were there for the characters and specifically their GaYnEss
Which in itself is just Fiona Shaw being a top.gov in my humble, gay opinion!
Haha eat it, number 19: I’m both gay and gluten intolerant.
(Also “puffing their Peter” is an excellent euphemism I hadn’t heard before but instantly understood. It is a little masculine though.)
The most out-there comment along these lines which I’ve ever seen was “There’s no reason to include a gay character unless your show is about molesting children”. I mean it might have been trolling, but still, OMG wut
I probably shouldn’t be cracking up at these posts, but it’s hard not to.
#1 It’s basically saying that it’s not true that most people aren’t gay, so the joke is on you, homophobe creeper.
#5 Physically ill? Maybe you need to do some self reflection about why. Also, since when do straight people (especially on media) keep sexual stuff “behind closed doors”?
#11 Seriously? Oh, never mind. I can’t even.
#13 Yeah we definitely are suffering from a lack of hetero sex scenes. It’s like a national emergency.
#19 I can’t even.
#20 That’s right; it’s contagious. Lock up your wives and hide your daughters.
oh you are definitely supposed to be cracking up at these posts, i feel like these loons have no idea how funny they are!!
I have seen such comments many times, sometimes I wonder if they are humans or robots who accept and believe whatever they are told. Because a person who does not think and does not have emotions is not a person.
When they understand that a movie, series, game or animation has a queer character, they behave as if it is a weak work with all the characters being gay, like the animation Lightyear.
Of course, I agree that Lightyear was not a quality animation, but at least it was better than The Super Mario Bros :)
And if it is an action work and the queer character is a woman, they call it anti-male, like The Last of Us part II.
The interesting thing is, if you ask those people about the story of the work, you will find that most of them have not seen that work.
However, it’s hard to see a work you hate (because of queer characters).
Unfortunately, the number of canceled queer works, especially queer women, is really high, I hope queers try to support better.
Services like Netflix, Paramount or Disney are just looking for an excuse to immediately cancel those works, even sometimes they delete that work like the Willow.
By supporting these works, we are not only repaying the kindness of those who worked hard to make these works for us, but sometimes that work is also a gift to future generations.
For example, I watched She-Ra and the Princesses of Power a few years ago, and I’m really grateful to everyone who made it.
But because of the people who supported and watched it, I was able to see that wonderful animation, those lovable characters, that masterpiece final episode and that unique final kiss which is the best kiss I’ve ever seen.
If this animation was canceled, I would never be able to see any of them, I can only say thank you for not letting the animation be canceled.
Omg, imagine being able to ” EASILY FILTER GAY CONTENT!” to the degree that “I don’t think I’ve seen a heterosexual love scene in a movie or television show in like 9 years!”…that is the goal, #s 10 and 13, not a problem!
yes like… actually that is an ideal world that you are describing !!
Yeah you should get onto #13, clearly they are better at finding queer content than any of us are!
The comment about accepting Jesus is by far the funniest if you’re at all familiar with medieval Christian art. Basically, it used to be very common to depict Jesus as effeminate as a way of showing his divinity … up to and including depicting the wound in his side he received on the cross as a VAGINA! Seriously, you can look it up. It’s a whole thing.
Also, there is some serious scholarly speculation that Jesus was gay or bi, thanks to the constant mentions in one of the Gospels of “the disciple Jesus loved”.