The "Hinted" Gay

Something I've been dying to talk about on here is the increasing popularity of the "Retrospective Gay" trope and the "Ambiguous Gay/Bi" trope.

To explain, the "Retrospective Gay" trope is when an author or show/movie writer says that a character in their story is gay, although it's never mentioned or even shown in the fiction. The most notorious example of this is Dumbledore, from J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series.

credit to https://movieweb.com/ian-mckellen-fantastic-beasts-2-dumbledore-gay/

JKR said in an interview that Dumbledore was gay, despite there being zero suggestion to this in the actual books or films. And by that, I don't mean stereotypical gay signs - Dumbledore not being flamboyant or feminine wasn't why fans were upset. They were upset because not bothering to write an actual gay character in your book who has relationships or never even mentions his identity is just a lazy attempt at scoring brownie points with LGBT fans. It's obvious why she did this - she wanted to make LGBT fans happy with scraps while still keeping her homophobic fans content, as they would never have to actually read that an important character is gay in the book. 

Dishonorable mentions of other "Retroactive Gays" are: Lando from Solo: A Star Wars Story, Valkyrie from Thor: Ragnorok, and Newt from Pacific Rim. 

The "Ambiguous Gay/Bi" trope includes any character in a TV show/movie/book etc. who comes off as gay, in whatever way that might be, but never actually comes out. Think of Ryan, from High School Musical. 

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I mean, for real, this entire scene was a metaphor for batting for the other team. 

They were literally playing baseball. 

This trope has the potential to turn into an actual LGBT character at any time, but that, in itself, lies the problem. There is always the hope that the character will eventually come out, or be confirmed as their suggestive sexuality, but the writers never go through with it.

Other examples of this include Eleanor Shellstrop from The Good Place,

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Schneider from One Day at a Time,

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And Jake Peralta from Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

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Both tropes are bad in the fact that they exploit how rarely represented LGBT people are for their own monetary benefit, but the latter of the two still always has the potential to turn around and make these suggested characters actually LGBT, which leaves some hope.

However, let's strive for more than just scraps.

Good-bi my pals,

Nelly 

Dear Gay People

Dear White People is a comedy-drama that focuses on issues surrounding modern race relations through the eyes of black college students. While I can go on for days about how amazing the show is at depicting the reality behind today's "post-racial" society, I'd rather tell you to watch it yourself, because it's really an experience you're going to want first-hand. But with that being said, I wanna talk about one of my favorite characters in the show, Lionel.

credit to Dear White People Netflix 

Lionel's arc begins in Chapter II, where we see him navigating his life as a socially awkward outcast. We see him enter a barbershop with only white barbers, who look at his afro with surprise and confusion. We then see him enter a black barbershop, where he tries to fit in, but gets rejected because of his scrawny, nerdy appearance. This really highlights Lionel's arc, as told by Lionel himself, in his article on the cover page of the school's newspaper - "while endless depictions of white men in particular exist, there aren't that many versions of us in the culture. Culture has a powerful way of telling people what they can and can't be. For people of color, the options are rather limited." This is further contextualized with the information that Lionel is attracted to men, and I don't say gay, because:

credit to https://tenor.com/view/dear-white-people-dear-white-people-gifs-de-ron-horton-lionel-higgins-labels-gif-8468698

When Lionel goes to a party on Pride Night, he's introduced to the "literary gays." His straight roommate, Troy, says: "So these are your people, huh?" to which Lionel responds: "They're gay, they're writers.. Maybe." Despite it being a party full of gay people, Lionel has difficulty feeling apart of any group. 

The intersection of Lionel's sexuality and race becomes more apparent when he's actively denied by other gay people because they're "not into black guys" or "only date white guys". This is justified as "having a type" although it's obvious racism. 

When they go to another party, Lionel tries out another group - the woke gays. While he enjoys their company, Lionel isn't into pop music or any of the in things they are, so he just feels awkward. 

credit to https://dearyoufromwe.blogspot.com/2018/05/on-dear-white-people-season-2.html

When he goes to the last party, however, he finds someone like him, also sitting alone at a table. They bond over the fact that they've both been racially objectified, and when Lionel leaves, he's reached on social media by the guy from before.

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They continue talking, and Lionel likes him a lot. They share a lot of interests! They're both nerdy, and awkward, and they don't adhere to one sort of "group." They start dating, and Lionel's confidence grows. We see Lionel grow into his own, not as a literary gay, or a woke gay, not even a nerdy gay, because the whole point of his arc is that these labels can be more constricting than comforting. Lionel doesn't put himself into a box, and it makes it easier for him to become closer with others.

Sometimes, as cliche as it is, you just need to be yourself.

Good-bi for now,

Nelly 

A Modern Precinct

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a police procedural TV sitcom that follows the detectives of the 99th precinct. It is also another favorite TV show of mine, because let's face it, if it's got LGBT characters and it's legitimately funny/well written, then I probably love it. And B99 fits that criteria.

When I first started watching it, I didn't know there was going to be any LGBT rep. Then a character  named Raymond Holt became the new captain of the precinct.

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He came out to the members of his precinct and is a proud, gay black man in a position of power in the NYPD. He describes his experience of being an out black cop in the 60's. 

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Captain Holt is an important character to the show and his sexuality and race has influenced his life, but what makes B99 so great is that Captain Holt is allowed to exist as a figure of authority and respect and express his sexuality openly. We have entire episodes with Holt's husband, Kevin. 

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Speaking of LGBT characters in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, let's talk about Bi-con Rosa Diaz! 

credit to https://gaylaughter.blogabode.com/category/rosa-diaz/

Rosa is another detective in the NYPD, who comes out to Charles Boyle (you guessed it, ANOTHER detective.) after he finds her talking on the phone to her girlfriend. She proceeds to come out to the entire precinct, who greet her with love and support. However, when she comes out to her parents, they react coldly, to the point of denying her sexuality.

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Rosa is incredibly hurt by their rejection and runs off. Jake (yup, another detective) comforts her and accompanies her on Family Game Night, where she tries to explain that her identity is real and undeniable to her parents. 

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A day later, her father goes to the precinct to talk to her, and explains that while her mother may

 take a longer time to accept this reality, he stands beside her.

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It was an incredibly emotional experience for me to see these episodes, as a bisexual person. I related to Rosa, who both hated her parents for not accepting her and wanted to ignore them for the rest of her life, while also seeking their love and support. It's difficult, being an LGBT person with parents who don't support them. To realize that their love ISN'T unconditional is very upsetting, and you see Rosa's emotional struggle throughout the episodes. At the end of the episode, Rosa opens her door to see everyone from the precinct there, holding board games, pizza and snacks. Captain Holt comforts her, and delivers one of the strongest quotes in the show.

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What Holt says is so important, and ties the entire episode together. It encourages LGBT people to be themselves, to be proud and strong, and shows a reality for many LGBT people. It's not guaranteed that your family will accept you or love you as your truest self, but you can choose your family. Many LGBT people create families within each other, with their closest friends, who love each other. And that's exactly what the 99th precinct is - a family. 

Good-bi for now,

Nelly

A Marriage of Gems

I'm back at it again with the Steven Universe! I have been dying to talk about them, so let's give it up for the power couple of century, Garnet! Now, if you don't watch the show, you might be wondering why I only said one name. That's because Garnet is the name of the fusion between Ruby and Sapphire. Garnet is more than a combination of people, she's a relationship, a conversation. Ruby and Sapphire prefer to exist as a fusion together. So, let's talk about them!

credit to https://gifer.com/en/BOlF

Garnet is revealed to be a fusion in episode 52 of the first season, when she is forcefully split up after being imprisoned. After Steven meets Ruby and Sapphire separately, they find each other again and we see that they're not only a couple, but they're Garnet!

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This was a huge, amazing surprise for viewers, because Ruby and Sapphire are two non-binary women! Everyone (who isn't homophobic) was delighted to see such a healthy and clear lesbian relationship. 

And their relationship is not mentioned once to never be spoken about again! Ruby and Sapphire are out of fusion many times, where we get to see them be cutesy and dorky together, like real couples.

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Their relationship goes through hurdles and problems, and they solve them and become stronger, just like any couple.

And the part I've been dying to talk about - their wedding! 

credit to https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1389276-steven-universe

After Ruby's proposal, there was an entire episode dedicated to focusing on love and that centered on their wedding, titled "Reunited." In it, we see Ruby and Sapphire nervously get ready for their ceremony. And when we see Ruby walking down the aisle...

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She's wearing a dress, whereas Sapphire is wearing a tux! The reason why this is so important is because in many countries, Ruby had been dubbed with a male voice actor or had lines changed to suggest she was a guy, to make their relationship heterosexual. Rebecca Sugar (the show writer) wasn't having any of that, and made Ruby wear a dress on her wedding day. 

credit to https://www.pinterest.ru/pin/461759768038581818/

Steven Universe made HISTORY by being the first cartoon ever to have a lesbian proposal and wedding! This strong, undeniable and loving type of representation is exactly the rep children need to see in their cartoons! And it warms my heart to be alive to experience this history.

For just one day, let's only think about love.

Good-bi for now,

Nelly

Gems of All Kinds

Steven Universe is an animated TV series following the Crystal Gems, a group of magical beings whose self-appointed duty is to protect Earth. Among them are Steven, a half-gem half-human, who learns that sometimes, love is the greatest power of all.

SU killed and resurrected me. I am absolutely in love with this show. Its songs, characters and LGBT rep is honestly unlike any other cartoon I've seen. I'm gonna have to do two posts on this show because there's just too much to talk about!

So, first off, the non-binary rep! All of the gems were confirmed to be non-binary (not counting Steven) by the show's writer, Rebecca Sugar, who is non-binary herself!

I love SU so much because it encourages kids to be their truest selves, and shows how different people can be! For ex. Stevonnie, the fusion (a.k.a combination) of Steven and his friend Connie is seen with a feminine body and facial hair, and goes by the pronouns she/her.

credit to http://giffing-su.tumblr.com/post/169374828442/stevonnie-stubble

This is something we don't see very often on TV, but is true to real life. There are many cisgender (people who identify with the gender they're born with) and transgender girls and NB people who have body/facial hair, yet we never see them represented, because they aren't what society deems "normal." SU isn't afraid to challenge that perception of femininity or defy gender expectations. Stevonnie is just a teenager (well, two!) who want to exist freely as one. What's so wrong with that?

There are also characters that go by less represented/multiple pronouns on the show! The main example of this being a new addition to the show, Rainbow Quartz 2.0, the fusion between Steven and Pearl!

credit to https://troominmoll.tumblr.com/post/182208170156/rainbow-quartz-20

He uses he/him and they/them pronouns! He is the only fusion to go by male pronouns so far! It genuinely knocked me off my seat when I found out he uses two pronouns, since I do myself! It's awesome that this is on a children's (and adults!) cartoon!

If you can't tell from the fact that 1. I'm writing ANOTHER post on this blog about this show and 2. I said so myself, I LOVE this show. And I hope that you guys check it out and love it too!

Good-bi for now,

Nelly 

Queerbaiting, My Dear Watson

I said I'd talk about terrible rep so here it is, folks! Buckle up, because I have a ton of feelings about the British drama Sherlock!

So, for those of you who don't know, the word "queerbaiting" basically means to "bait" queer (a.k.a LGBT) fans into believing that two same-sex people are going to get together, through subtle hints (such as romantic undertones like suggestive words or music or other characters in show hinting at it.) Queerbaiting is done to increase views while never delivering on the representation. Steven Moffat's (the main writer) specialty.

Sherlock as a show itself has so many plot holes (and general bad writing) that I'll just leave you to go watch Hbomberguy's excellent video essay on it:

Credit to Harris Bomberguy. Love you

Moving on to the juicy stuff, let's talk about the queerbaiting between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. 

credit to unknown on tumblr

credit to unknown on tumblr

Now, I don't have a major in cinematography, but even I can tell that these scenes are framed to seem romantic. Notice how in the first picture, Watson (right) needlessly looks down at Sherlock's lips. And this isn't a one-time thing. The show has included such hints at romantic interest in the literal script.

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The show gained a large fanbase interested in the possible romantic relationship between the two, however, the writers of the show and even the actors made sure to make it clear that that is absolutely absurd and laughable. Sherlock isn't gay, how silly! They even make others' assumptions of Watson being gay a consistent joke.

credit to https://outoftheclosetonyourtv.wordpress.com

credit to https://outoftheclosetonyourtv.wordpress.com

And when we consider the actual representation of LGBT people on this show? Let's see what we got. Hmm... Irene Adler, bisexual dominatrix woman, who is a villain on the show and who is an incredibly sexual character.. Needless to say, portraying a bisexual woman as solely interested in sex (and is a literal villain) paints bisexual women in a bad light. It's a literal stereotype for bisexual people to be promiscuous.

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And the other main character that's "gay"? Moriarty, a.k.a the overarching villain of the show. A psychopath obsessed with Sherlock. 

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Moriarty refers to Sherlock as "honey", acts very camp in all of his scenes and even kills himself in front of Sherlock just for fun. The show makes fun of the fans who even considered taking Moriarty's gay coding seriously by making a joke scene where it seems like Moriarty and Sherlock are about to kiss.

credit to https://gifer.com/en/CPEa

So the writers won't even consider making the two main characters a couple, laugh in the face of their LGBT fans and their only gay characters are jokes or stereotypes. How lovely. 

Needless to say, stay far away from this show.

Good-bi for now,

Nelly

Alien In a Top Hat

The Get Down is a Netflix original musical drama taking place in the South Bronx in the 70's and shows the rise of hip-hop through the lives of a group of teenagers who aspire to mark their place in the world through music. It's also, simply put, one of my favorite shows ever.
So I wanted to talk about the representation in this show, as it portrays sexuality in such a refreshing and beautiful way.

So, let's talk about Marcus Kipling, a.k.a Dizzee. He's the artist of the group and is known for doing graffiti art under the tag name of Rumi 411. But Rumi 411 isn't just a tag name to Dizzee. He's a character, an alien in a top hat, who wants to go to the opera but knows that even though he's in a suit and a top hat, he'll never fit in or be accepted. This is a metaphor for how Dizzee feels in society, as a bisexual black man.

credit to @Claarrraaaa on weheartit.com

Throughout the show, we see Dizzee discover his sexuality and more openly express it, as well as find love. This starts when Dizzee meets Thor, a fellow graffiti artist who genuinely likes him and his work. This is new to Dizzee, who's only ever been called weird. Thor later invites Dizzee to a club, where he sees a drag show and many different people who are loud and proud of who they are.

credit to http://themalfoymanor.co.vu/post/154294979294

From here, Dizzee and Thor share their first kiss. 

credit to http://themalfoymanor.co.vu/post/154294979294

And from there, they begin dating. The part I wanted to focus on though, is how non-sexualized their relationship is. Their scenes together focus on their love for each other, and is portrayed in intimate ways.

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Their scenes together are mainly isolated from the world, as they both aren't out to their families. This makes each scene feel safe and beautiful.

There's a tendency for shows to make LGBT people the butt of their jokes. It's really comforting to me as an LGBT viewer to see that this show's writers were delicate with each of their scenes, and the result was a beautiful relationship between two teenagers in love in the South Bronx in the 70's.

Love in chaos.

Good-bi for now,
Nelly