Moving beyond effeminate mannerisms and stereotypical characters that the LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual) community often finds itself shackled to, television shows has grown to be more inclusive and more empathetic towards our queer brethren. Lavanya Lakshminarayanan lists out her favourites
If you have a minute, here’s a fun thing to do. Ask your friends on social media about their favourite LGBTQIA characters across different media. We did, and were pleasantly surprised and deeply disappointed in equal measure by some of the names that were thrown about. While we found movies like Brokeback Mountain, Kapoor & Sons and Angry Indian Goddesses being pitched, we also find borderline stereotype — hugging films like Dostana and the numerous Bobby Darling-isk movies out there with dangerously non-representative portrayal of the community — for instance, cross dressing used as a pun. Meanwhile, we went a step ahead and put together our list of favourite TV shows with
13 Reasons Why
While Selena Gomez’s Netflix original series has taken the internet by storm with its questionable portrayal of suicide, their handling of homosexuality is praiseworthy. By normalising a dinner table conversation in a family with two gay dads and their daughter Courtney, they have managed to do what most shows don’t – make homosexuality regular. Courtney struggles with her gay inclinations, determined to not be judged by her peers.
Meanwhile, there is Ryan Shaver, the high school tabloid editor with effeminate body language — the sharp dressing and high sensitivity to emotion lives up to every stereotypical ‘gay’ label there is! Tony Padilla, who also happens to be Shaver’s ex, is our favourite. Our ‘unhelpful Yoda’ is catholic and Latino with a gorgeous boyfriend, Brad. Their conversations are devoid of all the unnecessary ‘hoohah’ that usually accompanies gay relationships. And there’s Hannah Baker, the girl in the crux of it all who unabashedly explores her sexuality proves why this series serves as a benchmark for the portrayal of LGBTQIA.
Supergirl
Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh), Supergirl Kara Danvers is another character that is seen dealing with her sexuality before coming out as gay
bold women
There is no dearth of queer characters in Shondaland. The hot-shot lawyer Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) from How to Get Away With Murder and the charming Dr Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) from Grey’s Anatomy — are both openly gay
Orphan Black
Of all the things this Canadian science-fiction managed to clone to perfection, their queer characters have to top the list. Jordan Gavaris who plays the exuberant Felix believes in moving beyond portraying just one section of normalised queers. Tatiana Maslany and Evelyne Brochu play Cosima and Delphine, lab co-workers and partners in real life, toning down the dramatic mannerisms to produce mellow characters whose romance goes on to become the life of the show. While the show exposes the pains of dealing with one’s sexual preferences and identity, it also highlights the importance of a regular stable relationship, even among the gay community.
True Blood
Popular series True Blood had quite a few gay characters. While Sophie-Anne Leclerq (Evan Rachel Wood) was bisexual, Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis) and Jesus Velasquez (Kevin Alejandro)
played everybody’s favourite gay couple
Modern Family
The gay couple in the show —Mitchell and Cameron have not exactly managed to evade the tags of flamboyance and femininity that’s a gay-man-stereotype, what with the high-pitched squealing, the occasional drama and the episode where they argue over who the mom is. However, the show also throws light on commitment and their trials and tribulations in raising their daughter Lily, besides dealing with their own insecurities. The show’s makers even included a kissing scene after much public demand, keeping the scene poignant and short, focussing on the bond between the two rather than making it an intimacy parade.
Scandal
Cyrus Beene, the former chief of staff to President Fitzgerald Grant III, played by Jeff Perry in Scandal is an openly gay character
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Alyson Hannigan’s (right) character Willow Rosenberg from Buffy The Vampire Slayer was the first ever TV charcter to come out as gay.
Orange is the new black
Ruby Rose isn’t the only good thing that the world woke up to with this comedy-drama. While several of the show’s characters explore their bisexual tendencies in prison, the high point of this show lies in its transgender inmate Sophia Burset, played by Laverne Cox. The simultaneous comfort and vulnerability of all these characters in dealing with their feelings and the reality they face outside the prison make this an endearing show.
The Indian scene
Within the saas-bahu vortex that Indian television across languages seems to be stuck in, there are a few LGBTQIA sagas that we can be proud of. One’s knowledge of such shows is probably restricted to Shakti – Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki, where Rubina Dilaik plays the intersex Soumya, tracing her journey through accepting her identity, marriage and the struggle to find acceptance from her in-laws. However, this is but the cherry on top. Back in 2010, Star Plus brought out Maryada…Lekin Kab Tak. This show was pathbreaking going beyond all accepted maryada and so-called moral limits by including a gay couple in the story. Set in a conservative Haryanvi family, the eldest son of the house is gay resulting in a rocky marriage. The show even featured a kiss on the forehead between two men, a bold move at a time when homosexuality was a feeble murmur on society’s discussion board.
Empire
Inspired by his own struggles with his sexuality and hostility from his family, Lee Daniels’Empire is not just a musical drama but also a social commentary. One of the leads, Jamal (Jussie Smollett), is constantly at loggerheads with his father over his relationship with a man, trying his hand at a relationship with a woman and subsequently losing his gay partner to his father’s homophobia. But what really stands out in the whole Empire experience is how the show exposed homophobia to audiences. The episode that saw Jamal and D-Major get intimate faced a severe Twitter backlash for being ‘too gay’. Quoted as saying his aim is to make hypocrites out of homophobes with his art, Jamal sure did end up hitting the right buttons.