
Every time a lesbian or bisexual character is killed off, statements from television writers, producers, and showrunners can be summarized as a collection of ‘excuses’ justifying why their own stories do not fit the tropes and citing creative freedom.
What these writers, producers, and showrunners fail to realize is that their stories are the trope. The problem is not that LGBT characters are killed because of their sexuality within the story, but the disproportionately high number of lesbian and bisexual characters killed off, compared to the low rate of representation. LGBT characters are almost invariably written as expendable side characters that are introduced only to later be killed in senseless and shocking ways. What would truly be creative is subverting the tropes and breaking this damaging cycle, for example by letting LGBT characters live and have a happy ending for once.
Even though not all the people listed contributed to the “Bury Your Gays” trope, the statements, which may be found below, perfectly illustrate this lack of creativity through their remarkable similarities. That’s where the pledge comes in. It does not limit creativity; it encourages it. The pledge is a promise to defy the conventional, to avoid tired cliches, to promote LGBT representation through creative storytelling and increased awareness of the tropes and issues. Sign the Lexa Pledge, and show your commitment to breaking out of the mold that the media has been in for decades, because LGBT Fans, and all fans, Deserve Better.
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!