There Is Power in Representation, but It Has to Be Authentic

By Zoe Schulz, myGwork

For those that have always seen themselves portrayed on screen, understanding the fuss about representation can be cumbersome. However, for those that spent their childhoods longing for a protagonist that looked like them, sounded like them or loved like them, the gravity of this issue is indisputable. The characters we see, whether on the big screen, on Netflix or within pages of our books, influence our perception of the world around us and when these characters consistently leave out a portion of people, the consequences are dire. The media has the power to change global perceptions, empower marginalised young people and help the public realise LGBTQ+ people are a lot more common than they think. Yet, for the first century of film making, there was hardly a whisper of same-sex love. Today, things are changing but not without backlash and controversy. There is at times a sense that we should be grateful for the representation that we have, yet it would be doing future generations of LGBTQ+ people a disservice if we don't continue to be critical and ensure that when we ask for representation it truly embodies inclusion of everyone.

Historically, the portrayal of LGBTQ+ people in the media has been few and far between, and in the cases that queer characters do pop up, they’re rife with damaging stereotypes. The first-ever on-screen depiction of same-sex love occurred in 1895 in a silent film by Edison Short, The Gay Brother, which featured two men dancing together. For the decades that came after, the media very rarely mentioned homosexuality unless for comedic bang or as a sickness and perversion. It wasn’t until 100 years after The Gay Brother was filmed that we saw the first-ever character come out on screen when Ellen De-Generous made history in 1997. Her self-titled sitcom, Ellen, was the first prime time television to have an openly gay character, and despite Ellen's current controversies, was a monumental moment for LGBTQ+ people. Two weeks before the television moment Ellen featured on Time magazine with the words “Yep, I’m Gay” and she explained to Opera at the time “I decided this was not going to be something that I was going to live the rest of my life being ashamed of.” It was not, however, without backlash, with many sponsors, including fast-food chain Wendy’s, pulling advertising. Following this, and in between problematic caricatures of LGBTQ+ people appearing on screen, there have been moments where authentic queer characters prevailed, such as Will and Grace (1998), which activists today still think of as instrumental in the fight for equal marriage laws and Queer Eye for The Straight Guy (2003). Then, in 2004 The L Word premiered and went on to have six seasons, becoming the first show to feature gay, lesbian and trans characters whilst simultaneously becoming a place of solace for queer women to feel seen and have their relationships normalised. Fast-forward to earlier this year, The L Word is back and more inclusive than ever, all-new Queer Eye have had 5 seasons and Young Adult literature has more LGBTQ+ characters than ever. Yet, just months ago the BBC was still inundated with complaints following the first same-sex kiss on Children’s television, something that has been commonplace for opposite sexes on the same shows for decades, and it seems for every LGBTQ+ character we are given, a storm of backlash comes alongside it.

The moment Ellen’s character came out on primetime television, 1997

Although we have undeniably seen change and progress when it comes to seeing authentic LGBTQ+ characters on our screen, the topic of representation remains as hot as ever. However, this is for good reason, because when marginalised groups are misrepresented or underrepresented the consequences are severe. One major factor in the argument for more inclusive representation is that the more marginalised groups are shown, the more normalised their identities and existence become to the general public, this, in turn, acts as a tool of creating a more accepting society. Psychologist Jennifer O’Brien explains “When people are able to see something represented, they are better able to understand and grasp who those people are, and this creates an important shift in the social consciousness to include people from a range of different backgrounds.” A huge part of our knowledge about people and the world around us comes from the media, this is especially important for people who might not know or meet any LGBTQ+ people, as their only perceptions of them come from what they learn and see in the media. This means that when authentic LGBTQ+ characters are included, they have the power to create allies in people who may never have otherwise empathised or related to LGBTQ+ people. However, when the only time someone sees an LGBTQ+ character it is an offensive stereotype, this negatively changes the viewers' worldview (often subconsciously) of queer people.

The first time a same sex couple kissed on children’s television show CBBC, 2020

For trans characters, the damage that these negative tropes have is glaringly obvious. Statistics from GLAAD show that trans characters appear on screen as victims 40% of the time, killers or villains 21% of the time and the most common employment for these characters is sex work. They have also found that 84% of people don’t personally know someone who is trans, that means most of the information and understanding that people have about what it is to be trans comes from the media, this can even include trans peoples internalised perceptions of themselves. This problematic history of trans representation is laid out very clearly in Laverne Cox’s recent Netflix documentary, Disclosure, in which she states “I think for a very long time, the ways in which trans people have been represented on screen have suggested that we're not real, have suggested that we're mentally ill, that we won't exist. And yet here I am. Yet here we are, and we've always been here. I never thought I'd live in a world where trans people would be celebrated. On or off the screen.” With violence against trans people at an all-time high, the media has a responsibility to turn this around, as it could quite literally create a shift in perception of what it means to be trans and empower allies around the world. On top of this, authentic representation can help young LGBTQ+ people in accepting themselves, especially for those that may be isolated without access to a queer community.

Alongside an increase in LGBTQ+ characters, has come the controversial argument that these characters should only be played by LGBTQ+ actors. On one side of the fence sits the argument that actors are meant to act; they shouldn’t need to be LGBTQ+ to effectively portray an LGBTQ+ experience. Cate Blanchett, who played a lesbian in the movie Carol, defends actors being able to play these characters explaining “I will fight to the death for the right to suspend disbelief and play roles beyond my experience.” However, the argument against non-LGBTQ+ actors playing these roles isn’t because they can’t act experiences outside their own, but that these are opportunities that should be given to LGBTQ+ actors and by taking these roles they are taking away opportunities from queer people that won’t otherwise be given a chance to break into the industry. In the past 20 years only 25 actors have been Oscar nominated for playing LGBTQ+ roles, among them are household names such as Heath Ledger, Charlize Theron and Timothée Chalamet, however not one single one was openly queer. Despite progress, Hollywood is still abundant in anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes and queer talent are offered much less opportunities than their cis and straight counterparts. Gay actor, Rupert Everott even went as far as to say that he “would not advise any actor necessarily, if he was really thinking of his career, to come out,” as he believes his career dried up after the public found out his sexuality in 2009. Many people therefore argue that until LGBTQ+ people are given the same opportunities that the roles that tell their lived experiences should at least be reserved for them.

Carol, which starred Cate Blanchett as Carol Aird and Rooney Mara as Therese Belivet (2015)

It is also about authentic storytelling and allowing queer people to tell their own stories. For so long LGBTQ+ people were told their stories were not fit for Hollywood, so to now have this turned around and have straight cis people make money out of the experiences of marginalised people, seems exploitative. Peppermint, who was the first openly transgender woman to be given a major role on Broadway argues that “right now, gay, trans and queer people need to participate in the telling of their own stories. Hollywood has a terrible history of creating movies and making money off the experiences of marginalised people, without letting them have any input in the process. A lot of the time, Hollywood makes these stories about queer, trans and minority folks and they get it wrong: there’s offensive material, tragic storylines, one-dimensional, stereotypical characters with little depth.” We know the damage that can happen when Hollywood gets LGBTQ+ characters and storylines wrong, one way of avoiding this is having queer people in the room when they’re being created.

Despite the controversy and heated debates, there are currently more LGBTQ+ characters featured on television and film than ever before. We now have TV shows such as Pose, that not only feature Black trans voices but centre them. With creators such as Janet Mock and Ryan Murphey showing that not only can you be LGBTQ+ and successfully direct and produce, but that your lived experience can bring even more value to what you create. Masterpieces such as Sex Education, The Bisexual and Tales of The City, have proven that LGBTQ+ people can authentically tell their stories and it can still be engaging and relevant to a wider audience. Yet, even with progress, it’s important we stay critical and are pushing for representation that includes everyone. The LGBTQ+ community is not monolithic, so if we are to fight for representation of LGBTQ+ people, we must also fight for the same for disabled people, people of colour, women and all marginalised groups. There is still so much to change before our society is one where everyone truly has equality and acceptance and allowing people to tell their own stories will be a part of creating this. Janet Mock put this perfectly when she said “I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act. It is an act that can be met with hostility, exclusion, and violence. It can also lead to love, understanding, transcendence, and community.”

Janet Mock directs on the set of Netflix's series Hollywood