characters like me

[rm]

Dear New Fandom:

Hey, we all like an awesome new show! Awesome! It's nice to meet you.

Among a whole bunch of other things, I'm a queer person, and this means a few things. Let's talk about them for a little bit, okay?

1. It is not unreasonable for me to want to see a character whose experiences are similar to mine on shows that I like.

2. It is reasonable for me to judge how watchable I find a show based on whether I can relate to and/or believe in the characters and their world. While queerness isn't the only item that matters in this regard, it is a critical one.

3. When I say I want a queer character on a TV show, in a book, or in a film, that has nothing to do with wanting to write slash -- even if I am, in fact, a queer person who is also a slash reader and writer.

4. Being able to slash characters is not an acceptable or adequate replacement for actual, canonically queer characters.

5. Neither is "maybe the characters whose personal lives we don't know anything about are gay." Yes, they provide and opportunity for the show writers, but they aren't good enough in terms of representation as they stand now.

6. When I talk about wanting to see queer characters, please do not assume that automatically means men. Also do not assume I mean gay or lesbian over bisexual, or that I would not welcome a trans character. When I say queer, I mean queer in all its QUILTBAG-y diversity.

7. Wanting to see queer characters on TV isn't about titillation or political correctness for me.

8. So when I talk about this, don't, by the way, put words in my mouth. I've been queer a long time. I've also been a fan a long time. And I've also been ranting about media and entertainment for a long time, because that's what I do both for fun and while wearing some of my professional hats. Let the queer people speak for themselves.

So when you say things that make me feel the need to say these things? To me, it seems like you're having a hard time imagining all the possibilities for love, romance, and fucking out there, or what it's like to live in a world where your stories aren't on TV or the big screen most of the time beyond a wink, a nod, and, if you're lucky, some too-often oddly heteronormative fanfiction.

I know you love our awesome show. I love our awesome show too! I just wish it would have more of a place for me. So when you tell me I'm unreasonable for wanting our awesome show to be even more awesome? Well, I get sad and angry. And I wonder why you think that.

Why do you?

Best,

RM

Comments

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The show is really weak on racial diversity too, no matter how awesome Jai is.

[n-decisive.livejournal.com]

Agreed. No matter how awesome, or how hot.

Speaking of hot, is it just me, or do they tend to have a "look" for the women of the show? Annie's lovely, but not really my type and I'd love to see a more realistic expression of womanhood on the show.

The more I think about it, the whiter that show is. :(

[rm.livejournal.com]

The show is ridiculously white. There's not even much "white ethnic" (i.e., people with my coloring or curly hair). Everyone is so P&G. The idea that only people who are "all-American" looking can disguise themselves in many roles is sickening.

[karnythia.livejournal.com]

Yeah that was why I skipped it entirely.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

Most of the shows I watch now are on USA, largely because they are almost the only actiony shows that I don't find to be unwatchably misogynist (after how dodgy Dollhouse was, it's truly sad to miss seeing Joss Whedon shows), but they are mostly both fairly straight and really white.