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heyyy i just finished schitt’s creek the other day and as a lgbtq teen i have some things i need to say and i think everyone needs to hear. i’ve been looking for the words and i think i finally have them so here we go:))
almost every single gay rep in the media is based off trauma and abuse, or used only because its’s lgbt and not because it should be normal at this point. as an lgbt teen i needed this. a lot. more than i knew
imagine you finally feel comfy in a label - or not a label - but there’s nothing on tv anywhere that suggests this is normal or okay. you don’t know anyone in your life who suggests this is normal or okay. and you start to think maybe it’s not.
every single person in the media who acts like you - they’re broken. or they’re over the top stereotyped and played by a straight person with some acting skills.
and it’s like every person you see who makes you think it might be okay - they’ve faced so many issues. things you know will happen to you simply because you love someone. things that end terribly for them simply for a bit of drama
there is NO ONE who acts like you want to
no one who gets away without being hurt beyond repair
no one who’s coming out story isn’t dramatic as hell and drawn out only to be pushed aside the next episode
no one who doesn’t get a stock standard “you’re still the same person and we love you always” or “you are disowned for acting like that and under our roof” storyline
no couple like yours who get to act like straight couples on tv. who get to cuddle in the background of scenes because that’s NORMAL
there are no couples who aren’t either going through hell and back for the drama or are so stereotypically gay it’s lowkey homophobic in its own way bc they’re reducing your community to just that
okay now imagine you find this show, and the main character is different. he comes out to his best friend with a WINE analogy and they don’t really talk about it after that.
his sexuality isnt a big deal. his family don’t care - they care about him a lot, but his sexuality couldn’t faze them. they’d beat up anyone who hurt him over it but they’d never do it themselves
but no one does. no one hurts him. his secularity is part of the story but it’s not highlighted. it’s not necessary. he and his boyfriend, fiancé, husband, they act exactly like his sister and her boyfriend do. because that’s how it should be
and they sit in the background of scenes, nuzzling heads and kissing, and your mum wonders why you’re crying. they kiss randomly on the way to work and it’s not fetishised. it’s quick and warm and familiar
they’re soft and open and healthy and they talk about it but not too much. it’s a part of their lives but not over complicated. they make him feel loved but not because of who he loves, because he’s a person
and even when it comes time for his boyfriend to tell his parents he’s gay, it’s a big deal but it’s not overdone. It’s something that would actually happen, it’s natural and awkward and perfect
they plan their marriage the way a straight couple would. but they don’t make it seem like they’re trying to. it seems natural. it seems like every other show is hyping it up too much
Because they are. it should feel normal. it should not make you cry when there are two men on screen wrapped around each other while the camera zooms in on an attractive but dramatic sister who’s have guy troubles
schitt’s creek did something by not doing anything. i have never felt so seen or so accepted simply by not having my community be a new phenomenon. dan levy and his cast made something that should seem normal seem normal, and it was warm, and funny, and perfect.
so thank you, @danjlevy. you probably get a lot of these. but it means the world to us. im sure you know. but thank you. thank you so much.
