Netflix
The panorama for lesbian-adjacent tv is a bit unusual proper now. For each status collection like Yellowjackets, there's a canceled tacky romp like First Kill. A extra satisfying steadiness between critical dramas and easy-to-watch responsible pleasures hasn’t notably been achieved but, even when lesbian illustration has elevated on each cable and streaming lately.
GLAAD’s The place We Are on TV report for the 2021-2022 season reviews that lesbian characters make up 40 % of LGBTQ+ characters on exhibits at the moment broadcasting. Nevertheless, whether or not these characters are written to be extra than simply strolling stereotypes is dependent upon who you ask. Severely, consider the lesbian characters you see on TV at the moment, then take into consideration if they're given any storylines in addition to these involving their sexuality. Are you able to consider any that don’t?
That brings us to Netflix’s not too long ago launched collection, The Sandman. Adapting the Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg comics of the identical identify, it largely tells the story of Dream (Tom Sturridge), a strong being trying to revive his full powers after a prolonged absence. When it arrived on Netflix on Aug. 5, it was met with largely optimistic evaluations primarily based on its faithfulness to its supply materials.
The present truly does a reasonably good job at together with LGBTQ+ characters which can be greater than their identities—Mason Alexander Park’s iteration of Need has the prospect to be a nonbinary awakening for some viewers. That is partly as a result of your entire idea of The Sandman is one that can not be circumvented into strict binaries or societal norms. Whereas it may not be a win for everybody who watches it, you may’t deny that it succeeds in showcasing LGBTQ+ identities that aren’t there for shallow illustration factors.
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And there may not be a personality that defies what makes for good LGBTQ+ inclusion higher than Daisy Head’s Judy. She makes her look within the episode “24/7,” which is straight tailored from the “24 Hours” story from the primary Sandman quantity, titled “Preludes & Nocturnes.” Whereas she is explicitly a lesbian in each the shaggy dog story and the episode, she has a storyline within the former that I assumed can be fully written out of the variation as a consequence of its controversial nature. Lo and behold, it was preserved virtually to a T within the collection, a transfer that was one of the best one to make in our present media local weather.
With the intention to get an concept of why this determination was one of the best one, let’s recap Judy’s journey all through “24/7.” She arrives at a diner in a distressed state, not in contrast to the opposite attendants of the restaurant. It seems the patrons of the diner have been all put beneath a curse by John Dee (David Thewlis), which progresses because the episode goes on.
As she describes to the waitress, she and her unseen girlfriend, Donna, had gotten into a reasonably nasty battle the evening earlier than. Judy hasn’t been in a position to get again in contact with Donna since that battle, regardless of her quite a few makes an attempt to take action. When she receives a name from a mutual good friend, she hopes that can discover a lead in her search, solely to be instructed that the good friend hasn’t heard from Donna. The alternate is awkward. It's clear to the viewers that one thing appears up with the good friend, however Judy both can’t decide it up or ignores it altogether.
The true story behind Judy’s battle together with her girlfriend is steadily revealed. She finally confesses that she often will get jealous and paranoid over what Donna does. When requested whether or not these emotions have any foundation in actuality, Judy admits that they don’t, realizing deep down that her girlfriend would by no means truly be untrue regardless of her paranoia.
This shady and irrational habits crops the seeds of the final word secret that Judy was hiding. After participating in a hefty makeout session with diner waitress Bette (Emma Duncan), she reveals that she had hit Donna within the face throughout their battle the earlier evening, main the latter to stroll out on her. It’s not clear what the extent of the violence was, nor if Judy truly is remorseful for what she did. Nevertheless, anybody taking note of the hints dispersed all through the episode relating to her true nature ought to understand that Judy is jealous, controlling, and now that she hit Donna, abusive.
Evidently, she isn’t a stellar instance of optimistic lesbian illustration on tv. Given how the primary season of The Sandman premiered on Netflix straight after the streamer cancelled the teen-centered romance First Kill, which had a lesbian couple as its central protagonists, it's possible that some viewers would possibly view this juxtaposition in an unfavorable gentle. In spite of everything, why is a burgeoning and comparatively wholesome romance between two younger girls not adequate for the streamer, however it’s completely okay for a lesbian character to be abusive? With out the right context, it may seem to be the platform is trying to demonize lesbians by exhibiting them in a worse gentle relatively than a optimistic one.
Whereas it's true that Netflix and different streaming platforms usually fail with their LGBTQ+ illustration, this instance doesn’t precisely maintain up. The reality is that illustration on tv by itself isn't sufficient to correctly replicate actual life. Simply because there are lesbian characters on a sure present doesn’t imply their characterization is in any means consultant of precise relationships off display screen. This may be utilized to any LGBTQ+ identification, as effectively—what number of queer folks would truly be prepared to have interaction in an a capella P!nk rendition as proven in They/Them?
Sadly, home bodily and sexual violence is one thing that girls with sexual attraction to different girls aren't inherently proof against. In accordance with the Nationwide Intimate Associate and Sexual Violence Survey from 2010, round 43 % of girls that establish as lesbians had skilled “rape, bodily violence, and/or stalking by an intimate associate throughout their lifetime.” Spanning into the overall sapphic neighborhood, round 61 % of bisexual girls reported the identical reply.
Whereas this knowledge might be thought of outdated, newer research again up its claims. One performed by LGBTQ+-centric assist group Community/LA Purple in 2019 stated that round 62 % of lesbian members reached out for assist “once they felt unsafe of their relationship(s).” One other report, this time created by the Los Angeles LGBT Middle, posits that conventional/heterosexual-centered strategies of home violence intervention are ineffective when performed in LGBTQ+ relationships. This is because of a lot of causes, with the potential for outing chief amongst them.
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These statistics shouldn't be used to border lesbian relationships as harmful. Quite the opposite, as you will need to acknowledge an uncomfortable fact that exists in all relationships, whether or not between a straight couple or a homosexual couple: There may be the prospect that somebody within the relationship may abuse their energy. By ignoring the truth that some lesbians expertise abuse by the hands of their companions, we're pretending that the sheer risk of such experiences is unattainable just because the connection is between two girls.
I'd be remiss to not acknowledge the significance of escapism in artwork. In fact, many viewers are searching for the identical kinds of tacky romances and unrealistic tales that straight couples focus on on a regular basis. We do want extra of these kinds of tales, whether or not by way of films, tv, or different types of artwork. It's a disgrace that tv exhibits aren’t offering substantial sufficient LGBTQ+ illustration to correctly inform these tales. Then again, it's unfair to jot down off a uncommon acknowledgment of how some LGBTQ+ folks can find yourself abusing their companions as a result of it isn’t a part of one in all these extra optimistic tales.
That is exactly why The Sandman preserving the subplot of Judy’s secret abuse is so vital. Once we ask for higher lesbian illustration in media, we ought to be asking for extra advanced and practical depictions of those relationships. This implies not shying away from probably troublesome relationships or unlikeable characters, even when that unlikeability reaches its extremes.
In fact, this doesn’t imply anticipating all lesbian characters transferring ahead to be assholes, however when a horrible character who's horrible to her lover is explicitly labeled as a lesbian, it shouldn’t mechanically be thought of dangerous illustration. Once we acknowledge the truth that poisonous and typically abusive relationships can happen no matter sexual orientation, we're presenting a extra genuine and nuanced have a look at LGBTQ+ romance, one thing we want now greater than ever.