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.
credit to buzzfeed
Speaking of LGBT characters in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, let's talk about Bi-con 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
Your gifs make the blog exceptional.
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