The 2016-2017 season follows after the deadliest year for lesbian and bisexual female characters on TV. In 2015-2016, from June 1, 2015, through May 31, 2016, 33 lesbian and bisexual women were killed off on shows available to US audiences (not counting international shows that don’t air in the US). In total, queer women accounted for 10% of all deaths on TV, a number highly disproportionate with the rate of representation.
Below you’ll find a list of the 19 lesbian and bisexual women killed off between June 1st, 2016 and May 31st 2017.
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5 Comments on "All dead lesbian and bisexual women on TV: 2016-2017"
Looks like Bill Potts from Doctor Who is gonna join the list, unless it’s retconned in next week’s Doctor Who episode (they *might* undo her death, but as it stands now, it appears she’s been killed and her body converted into a walking cyborg zombie with a few vestiges of her old memories.) Stay tuned for next weekend to confirm.
I wish I could be surprised; it was my main fear when the character was announced as the first gay Doctor Who companion (there’s been a pan guest character and a few recurring lesbian guest characters, but not a lead).
Please add Annie Kaplan, Guest Character on the Blacklist, shot in S04E17
Yikes. I added her, thanks for the heads up. The 2 part finale is titled Mr Kaplan which is not very reassuring either.
I found the killing off of Helen in Masters of Sex disturbing enough that I just cancelled my Showtime subscription. It really didn’t add a damn thing to the plot and just felt mean and superfluous. I do wonder what kind of deep and unconscious homophobia is making this trope of gay death keep happening. Very disturbing!!
I felt the loss of Poussey as if she were a member of my own family. I rarely get that involved in TV. Losing her from the show made me angry. I have to admit though I didn’t connect it with the old theme of killing off queers. This does seem to be a deeply unconscious thing in our world psyche.Thanks for bringing it out. That’s the only to understand the unconscious is to bring it into awareness.