So You Think You Can Kill Us - Queers in Visual Media

2019 had been a lot of things for me. But mostly, it was BUSY. Work. Graduate School. Friends. Family. Author Events. One book published (*coughs* sorry *coughs*) in February 2019. Life had been all consuming, especially after my 104 year-old grandpa, whom I helped care for, took a turn for the worse over the summer. 

(I'll miss the old grumpy-gramp. We were a lot alike. We fought for sure. But he was also one of my biggest supporters.) 

One of my outlets when I couldn't form two sentences together was all the queer visual media coming out of Thailand, Taiwan and a couple other places. It was nice see positive queer representation in TV/Movies with a Happy Ending. Something we don't often get in the visual media here because there is still a mentality of "Kill Your Queers"/"Bury Your Gays" in TV and movies in the States—or make the story depressing as hell, then KILL YOUR QUEERS.

Where there issues that rubbed me the wrong way in terms of representation in the media I was watching? Yes. But there are also cultural differences to consider. 

Are those same issues here in the States? Also yes. *looks at American culture, our conversations, and sighs* 

Did I stop watching? Fuck no. 

I needed happy because life was so darn complicated. The one-two combo of work and graduate school wore me and my health way down. I needed something not complicated. 

So, Thai and Taiwanese Queer TV series with Happy Endings it was. Problematic natures and all.

After a particularly disappointing Fall/Winter Season last year, and a particularly horrific ending to one series, I had FEELINGS. LOTS OF FEELINGS. And things to say. I normally avoid saying anything in public about any of these series because... well, the fans. People do not like having others "judge" - I am critiquing, though honestly, yeah, judging, too - what they like. Some groups of fans can be more energetic than others, so... I keep to myself. Normally. This post is coming weeks after those FEELINGS blubbered over and thumped my friends because I was so fucking mad. I have cooled off and finally decided to get it all of my chest. *waits for firestorm* But I was furious.

Fucking furious.

​I quickly identified why I was so mad. The trope used was something I was so used to seeing and I hated it. Absolutely hated SEEING it.

Before I get to the main entree, though, I have a few quibbles to work through that I might as well get off my chest. Go broke or go home, na? No matter what, I know my post is going to upset some people regardless of my intent. While this is about my feelings of what's happening, I can see it being taken personally. Try not to, but no worries if you do.

A lot of Boy's Love visual content has been coming out of certain Asian countries over the last few years, especially Thailand (home away from home) and Taiwan. There is other queer stuff showing up, but mostly, it's BL so that's what I am concentrating on for this post.

Woot! Live Action BL! Yay, right?

I noticed because a queer like me, well, would. Japan had put out some BL anime, even a few movies of their BL way back when, but the live action stuff had a certain ... quality to it. The last few years, Thailand and Taiwan started putting their own stuff out as BL has become more popular there. You have a younger generation influenced, mostly, by what they saw from Japan and a crop of fan fic turned pro writers blossomed. Not unlike what we saw here in the States 20-25 years ago. 

Whole new stories were consumed online. Authors had offers to publish and then offers to make those stories into TV series because they were popular. Squadrons of boys/young men got paired off and marketed (a whole other post and feelings). More visual media with gay (*sighs over the bi-erasure and GFY*) protagonists were made.

At first, it was the Asian markets getting the visual content, then it started coming through Netflix to the States and YouTube (some legal, some not so legal channels) and very few of the books getting translated (legally anyway - different issue, again). More people noticed the TV content. A larger world audience started paying attention.

You might be asking WHERE is ALL of this content? Some of the series are on Netflix. Some are on official YouTube Channels (some subtitled, some not). Some are on VIKI (an app), and some have been tweeted with international links via LINE TV. I will only ever supply legal options because illegal sharing of content kills genre. As a queer, I have a vested interest to see that not happen. (I have a whole post about Yaoi and how it almost died in the States fifteen years ago, so yes, I take it seriously.)

The market? Mostly younger women, but it was not necessarily just them watching.

The clamoring brought better budgets to certain companies producing the visual content. The production quality steadily improved. Some of the actors and choices made in the stories improved.

But most especially, we queers were getting Happy Endings.

Awesome, yeah?

With the good, also came the same issues story-wise we struggle with in the States in terms of gay/queer romance:

Bi-erasure
Trans representation
Strict "Roles"
Gay For You
Racism
Ablism
Magic Dick Trope (Not Joking)
Abusive/Toxic Relationships Romanticized
Rape the Love Interest (*coughs* where ppl like to call it dubious consent, sighs)
Lack of Intimacy (Intimacy does not equal sex ppl!)
Obsession/Possession Issues
Where are the lesbians? 
and more...

The TV series we got coming out? Had various combos of these issues.

Now, you can say, "BUT IT'S FICTION, let me have my escape." 

*siiiiiiggghhhhsssss*

I know it's fiction. Trust me. I do.

I have absolutely no qualms over complex, imperfect characters who try to make good choices but make bad ones too. In fact, I love those characters because they make the story more interesting. The perfect character that does everything right, always makes the right choice, and has had ten years of therapy to properly communicate with everyone is not only boring, but fucking annoying, too. It's an issue I have with YA and NA storytelling - that everyone must always "do the right thing" even the morally dubious or anti-hero type  characters.

*squints* 

I made a lot of dumb choices growing up. Mistakes are part of us. Learning from those, growing, improving when you know better, is good fucking story.

However, marginalized populations that are getting written and produced for profit - because that's what's happening here in BL TV mania - influence how people think about the characters they see and the characters' choices. It also influences, whether the intent is there or not, how people think about certain norms involving those vulnerable populations. Having conversations around those norms is not only important to the people consuming the content but it is also important to the marginalized people actually living their lives and directly affected by the assumptions made.

Books have been having these conversations. Enough of them where there are queer characters all over the spectrum because we are not necessarily the default bad guy anymore. *looks over at coded visual media and sighs* We don't automatically have Sad Endings in books anymore. Our lives are not Tragic. Our sexuality and gender aren't what MAKES the story. We are more than the labels. We are complex, rich characters who happen to be queer and this story is about us. Books, and the authors creating them, are having those conversations. Do you know how good that feels?

That's not to say we don't have problematic shit come up. It does no matter the genre. *dutifully ignores all the trash fires burning sky high right now*

Some of these problematic elements appear that appear in our books also then end up in the BL dramas being made. Conversations about how these elements are indeed influenced by the culture creating the story happen, not a lot in the West because we can be self-centered like that, but they are. That does not give a free dismal to elements portrayed in the media that's coming out. Yes, different cultures are at different points in the conversations, and you have to understand the values and cultural  roots will affect how change happens in that culture. 

Each culture has to address their concerns the best way they know how. *looks at America's dumpster fire* We're not the best at knowing what to do or how to handle every issue. I'm not even sure we know what do for ourselves right now. It's all kinda on fire. Saying a problematic element must be solved X way because that's how we do it is not always translatable culturally.

At the same time, certain problematic stuff is problematic regardless of culture:

Rape
Abusive/Toxic Relationships
Fetishizing Minorities
Abuse of Power
and so on...

So let's look at some of the series that have come out. I can't cover them all, but the highlights are good, na? Plus, this is how a queer who has been schooled and educated in the States perceives them:

Love Sick (Netflix) - high school, fake relationship trope, ensemble cast

This was one of the first big Thai shows that helped kick off the rest in terms of queer representation. The first season is on Netflix and it's actually an ensemble cast where the main characters end up in a same-sex relationship. The second season and the Special are not on Netflix, however.

Problematic Elements:
Femmes are the butt of jokes, though you have some people stick up for them
Gay For You, the "only for him" idea
Bi-erasure, see above
Potty humor related to being gay, how someone farts & goes to the bathroom
The "it's not cheating if he's a guy and I'm a guy" idea
Evil Girlfriend or Bitchy Girls, see above for why it's tiring 
Lack of intimacy (remember, intimacy does not equal sex), you could tell they weren't comfortable touching

What it did well:
The struggle of self-acceptance
Teens making bad choices 
Did not kill off it's queers
Acting was from newbies so they did okay, just okay
Did have a plot other than the romance 
Production quality (better than some)
Normal kids
Season Two gave a Happy Ending

None of the problematic aren't any different than what Yaoi or gay romance has been through. There have been other articles about why these concepts still exist ad nauseam, so I don't feel like getting into here.  The main point is that it wasn't a perfect series. It had a lot of young kids playing roles, which means touching people you don't know could be highly uncomfortable for the kids. Thai culture is such that touching random people you don't know is uncomfortable even if you are affectionate with your friends/family. Touching means a certain amount of familiarity.

Fans of the show have been clamoring for a third season. And it has been announced and backtracked many times. *shrugs*

Side Note: There are a lot of other high school aged BL TV series out there, I am not a big consumer of them because, well, they're in high school. But also, not a ton of them are acquired legally here in the States at the moment.

Sotus (Netflix) - college, enemies to lovers trope, ensemble cast

The first season is on Netflix. Season two and the special is not. This is another Thai show that helped spurn the current production of BL series. Plus this had the first really big couple pairing that got built up by fan bases. This series revolves around an incoming freshman who is not particularly happy with the school's hazing system (note, I said school). Yes, Thailand has hazing. It is still legal there. Yes, it is a problem in some universities. Yes, there has been a call to address the issue. Yes, it has gotten somewhat better. Mainly from public pressure. 

Problematic Elements:
Femmes are the butt of jokes
Gay For You, the "only for him" idea
Bi-erasure, see above
Lack of intimacy (remember, intimacy does not equal sex), you could tell they weren't comfortable touching in the first season, they got better (especially by the Special)
Not the best plot/pacing
Bullying via Hazing (As seen by someone who grew up where hazing is illegal and went through schools that had massive anti-bullying campaigns)

What it did well:
The struggle of self-acceptance, kinda
Did not kill off it's queers
Blink and you'll miss her lesbian
Acting was from newbies so they did okay and they improved over the seasons
Production quality
Normal people
Good Female Characters
Season One gave a Happy For Now, Season Two and the Special gave us a Happy Ending

Now something to understand here is that Thais will try to talk their problems out and see the issue from another person's POV. Violence and lying are two big no-nos based on their culture. Fighting, and a person quick to temper, is  frowned upon. Someone will almost always intervene anyone trying to fight if they are friends. It is also why people who use violence are portrayed the way they are in these series. That can lead people *cough* the States *coughs* where white lies/lies are an every day thing and fists come out more often than not, to be confused as to why certain behaviors are a big deal while others are not, or to be confused as to why Thais have the reactions they do to the lying. 

Lying is a HUGE no. It is a much bigger deal in Thailand than it is seen here in the States, which is why it often gets the reaction it does. The default is that people are being honest with you, not the other way round.

Side note: It would be awesome to see a college series where engineering majors aren't the default. *looks at all the ones that are now, siiiiggghhhsss*

Bad Romance/Together With Me Series (LINE TV) - college, Friends to Lovers, ensemble cast

This is a three season series that can be watched via LINE TV if you have access. It started with Bad Romance where the supporting same-sex couple was already together in the first season. Now, this has happened with multiple series in Thailand where the first a het romance first season, then the queers had a large enough fan base they got another series but the chronological order is off.

Chronologically:

Together With Me (2nd season)
Bad Romance (1st season)
Together With Me: The Next Chapter (3rd season) - most everyone has graduated and are working

Problematic Elements:
Femmes are the butt of jokes (Seeing a theme here?)
Gay For You, the "only for him" idea
Bi-erasure, TV series (see above) - in the book one of the characters was bi, the other straight and in the TV series the may the straight book character gay and the bi character straight ... I have no answers for those choices.
Not the best plot
Strict "Roles"
Rape/Assault, sighs - in the TV series it's a supporting couple where the much younger boyfriend is gang raped in Together With Me, but in the Together With Me: The Next Chapter, they have him get back together with the man who set it up. It's a long fucking conversation because what happened was rape.  The book is a whole other story.
The "it's not cheating if he's a guy and I'm a guy" idea - Together With Me Season
Evil Girlfriend or Bitchy Girls, see above for why it's tiring 
Continuity between seasons (sometimes you can't help it)
Abusive/Toxic Relationship Romanticized
Fetishizing darker skin
BR did have the crazy/obsessive queer character that tried to kill people

What it did well:
Multiple characters were actually gay and not "Gay For You." It was nice to see some of the characters already self-assured in their sexuality.
Did not kill off it's queers
Acting improved over the seasons, had good cast chemistry from the get-go
Production quality
Normal people
​Supportive Friends 
Strong Female Characters
Conflict with unaccepting family
Cheating - the MF couple in Together With Me: The Next Chapter
Season One and Two gave a Happy For Now, Season Three gave us a Happy Ending

Now, I have no issue with problematic elements. People are people and do dumb shit. Sometimes you can have an awesome conversation around those dumb choices and talk about why they are a problem, why they cause harm, etc. Showing negative choices is also something that can be as beneficial as showing positive choices. The issue here is that is NOT what is happening most of the time, especially in these TV productions of the stories. *looks at the rape involving Farm and how that whole storyline went* Sighs. 

The Kiss Series (Netflix/GMMTV Official YouTube Channel) - college/working professionals, enemies/friends to lovers, ensemble cast

Similar to the BR/TWM series, this is a three season series and a Special that started in the middle with the het couples but then went back. They are, once again, mostly engineering majors. There are some working stiffs (*throws confetti*) The second season mixed it up a bit, though. That was nice. Season one is on Netflix. Seasons one through three are on GMMTV's Official YouTube with English (and others) subtitles. There are mostly het couples here. Now, this series produced one of the most favorite/shipped same-sex couples, and honestly, it influenced stuff. 

Kiss Me Again happened before Together With Me and upped certain levels in terms of intimacy (Not Sex) shown on TV. The same-sex couple actually kissed, and it felt intimate, creating waves. Then Together With Me upped the ante with intimacy and sex. It's been interesting watching what has happened since. :/ Yes, sarcasm is involved. 

Chronologically:

Kiss Me Again (2nd Season, same-sex couple main cast)
The Kiss (1st Season, supporting same-sex couple)
Special - Our Skyy, Episode Four (I think)
Dark Blue Kiss (3rd Season, two same-sex couples, one supporting het couple, and a maybe lesbian/bisexual woman) - also, when to place this chronologically confused a lot of people, so there might be some actual overlap with season two but who the fuck knows.

Problematic Elements:
Gay For You, the "only for him" idea
Bi-erasure, see above
Strict "Roles" (Season 1 and 2)
Not the best plot (Season 3, I'm looking at you, JFK what was that?)
The "it's not cheating if he's a guy and I'm a guy" idea - Season 2
Evil Girlfriend or Bitchy Girls, see above for why it's tiring 
Continuity between seasons (sometimes you can't help it, certain actors were not available)
Obsessive/Possessive - Abusive/Toxic Relationship Romanticized
Intimacy (not a problem for season 1 or 2 - and again, intimacy does not equal sex)

What it did well:
Multiple characters were actually gay and not "Gay For You." It was nice to see some of the characters already self-assured in their sexuality.
Did not kill off it's queers
Not Strict "roles" for one couple (Season 3)
Acting improved over the seasons, had good cast chemistry from the get-go
Production quality, hell of a lot better than most
Normal people
​Supportive Friends 
Strong Female Characters
Pete's Dad - Love him
​Intimacy (Looking at you Season 3 - and no, I'm not talking sex, I'm talking intimacy)
Season One and Two gave a Happy For Now, Season Three gave us a Happy Ending

Lying also becomes a big issue in this series and I saw a lot of Western viewers just not get how bad it is to lie. They couldn't wrap their heads around the reaction and why it was so bad. This is a cultural issue. I'm not saying Thailand needs to stop doing what they're doing. It's part of who they are. It's up to the people joining the culture to work to understand it. Though it is something people might want to be aware of. Western viewers thought Kao's rejection of money and lying to cover everything up was actually reasonable - he should be his own man and make his money. What they didn't see is how much the rejection of Pete's offer of money (in a Buddhist culture, those with more help those with less - it's more complicated but that's the basics) was sincere and not offensive and why the Kao lie was worse. It would not have been looked down upon for Kao to take Pete up on his offer, at least not viewed the way Westerners saw it. Was it ideal? No. But Pete was in a position to offer help. 

I'm not even going to get into giving a high school antagonist instead of an older successful businessmen antagonist to create a misunderstanding and a love triangle was such a bad idea. Sighs. I just... won't. And the "You can't hang out with other guys?" FMR.

*Looks at the fighting* Yeah. It was there. Normalized because boys. *Sighs* Abusive relationships are not just between het couples people. *Sighs Again*

And for the last one, because damn this has gotten long, the 

Love By Chance Series (Studio Wabi Sabi Official YouTube Channel/LINE TV) - College, mostly engineering students (not all), friends/enemies to lovers and all sorts, ensemble casts

This series got a lot of attention. One, the acting. Two, the production quality (especially from an indie studio - they anted up production quality - thanks). Three, the story. It also got a lot of attention because of fighting behind the scenes and the not so professional behavior by certain people (not the actors). A third/second season (it's complicated) almost didn't happen then an announcement came out of nowhere in December 2019 that no one was expecting.

Chronologically:

TharnType: The Series (Season 2 but not done by Studio Wabi Sabi) (LINE TV international direct links)
Love By Chance (Season 1) (Studio Wabi Sabi Official YouTube)
2 Wish: Love By Chance Season 2 (Season 3 - like I said, it's complicated) - coming 2020 (I think)

Problematic Elements:
Gay For You, the "only for him" idea
Bi-erasure, see above
Strict "Roles"
Rape/Assault - the handling of it in TharnType - was there effort, did they change editing, yes? Was it still there - yes. Was the handling realistic... sighs. Depends on the couple. They did try to have a conversation of how rape could happen to men and affect them? Yes.
Magic Dick Trope (TharnType - I loathe this trope with a vehemence only known to mole rats and it feds into the issue below)
Sexually abused Victim Representation - inconsistent handling between characters, the representation with Type and how he would react was so far off base
The "it's not cheating if he's a guy and I'm a guy" idea 
Continuity between seasons (sometimes you can't help it, certain actors are not available, it's REALLY complicated in this case)
Assault - between a couple (TharnType), Type punched Tharn many times. *sighs* Tharn raped Type - also a long conversation about the kiss scene in episode one, the holding down in the bed scene, shower scene and how Tharn continued to touch Type when he was told to back off so... issues. Though Tharn was presented in such a way after that kiss scene in episode one where stuff happened consensually - again, issues. 
Obsessive/Possessive - Abusive/Toxic Relationship Romanticized - TharnType season, the step-brothers in ALL the seasons
Pacing/Plot issues (TharnType) - a lot of this had a lot to do with the editing choices. TharnType was the first attempt for the producer (also author of the books), but there were pacing issues that caused confusion and so a YouTuber started explaining what happened in each of the episodes to people because so much was not explained/shown. If you have to rely on your book readers to explain it to an audience who hadn't read the book, then there are problems in the story-telling of your visual content. I know the author can produce quality pacing because she worked on season one (Love by Chance) with Studio Wabi Sabi. And something I noted is that the independent work of her suffered pacing/toxic stuff while the independent work Studio Wabi Sabi (Until We Meet Again) suffered cast chemistry/depth/plot. Together, the two made a kick ass series (season one). Their strengths must've complimented each other's weaknesses.

What it did well:
​Femmes were not the butt of all jokes
Trans representation - TharnType
Multiple characters were actually gay and not "Gay For You." It was nice to see some of the characters already self-assured in their sexuality.
Did not kill off it's queers
Bisexuality was brought up as an option (yay?)
Both seasons thus far had good cast chemistry from the get-go
Production quality, hell of a lot better than most
Normal people
​Supportive Friends - Ae's Wingman, awesomeness 
Supportive Family 
Strong Female Characters/Good Female Characters 
Season One gave a Happy For Now for the Main Couple, Season Two has not ended as of this posting (and once again it gets complicated because Studio Wabi Sabi is now doing Season Three/Two and for other reasons, ugh.)

Now, this is where stuff starts to get complicated for this series. Season Three/Two is going back to the original cast of Season One and not using the cast from TharnType (Season Two) that does have overlapping characters. People loved certain characters from certain seasons. How it's all going to shake out is yet to be seen. What I do think is the TharnType cast are SOL. The author/producer has promised the TharnType characters other work (who knows).

They missed the boat on introducing a demisexual in Season One - though whether that identity has made it's way to Thailand - it hasn't, not that I know of, not with people outside my friends and family. Ae certainly clocked as demisexual to international (western) viewers because of how his attraction worked. They didn't go for bisexual, which could've worked to, but they didn't quite pull a Gay For You with his character. He just hadn't figured it out yet? Sorta. *shrugs*

The idea of consent in TharnType is a very, very long conversation. Some of it was done well (Tar), some was not (Type). It also has to do with the conversation around rape and assault in Thailand. Most people don't understand that assault victims do not, in fact, fight back but can undergo what's called Tonic Immobility. Yes, that's a link you see. But basically, it's temporary paralysis due to the situation. So all those times in BL where "because they didn't fight back was proof enough they wanted it", is a no-go. Rape victims can't always fight back, especially in Type's case, which makes it all the more brain numbing. Another issue rape victims have (and can cause sexual dysfunction and PTSD) is some can and do experience an orgasm - that doesn't mean they wanted the orgasm, or that they liked what happened.  But how? A decent link explains it here. But basically, the neural pathways that cause orgasm are also the same neural pathways that are firing when undergoing stressful and fearful situations - like rape. Sooooooooo many people don't understand this and see orgasming as consent or that the person being assaulted really wanted it. 

That's just not true. 

What is true, is that if it happens during a rape, it can cause a hell of a lot of confusion to the victim because this is not something explained in sex ed all that often. A lot of shame can get involved as well as cause forms of post-traumatic stress disorder. But what I want people to understand is this: Rape Victims cannot always fight back because Tonic Paralysis is a thing, and Rape Victims can experience orgasm, but that sure as hell does not mean they wanted what happened to them. 

So yeah, chest unloaded. There are more series and more issues, but I think the ideas and basic overview of what is out there has been cultivated with what we have.

Also, there is one more thing I want people to understand. You can like stories with problematic elements. There is some fantastic story out there with all sorts problems - racism, bigotry, sexism - all sorts of problems. The key is: are you acknowledging those issues and having conversations around them? Are you talking about the whys and hows and what kind of damage/pain these things can cause? If you can, more power to ya. The problem becomes when people don't differentiate and set these ideals - toxic or otherwise - as standards and "the norm."

Now for the main course - there are major spoilers here, just saying - You Think You Can Kill Us:

One particular series - HIStory3: Make Our Days Count (all the HIStory series are found on VIKI) - killed off one of their main protagonists in the last episode. The reasoning? Because the writer wanted to explore this theme and the idea of moving on after the death of a loved one, and she didn't want to do something cliche like amnesia or a person who looks exactly the same to show for the love interest to also fall in love with. Killing off one of the guys was something new and unexplored.

Me, a queer person: ....... Excuse me, what? Fuck right off there.

How about we list a few of the recent visual media (yes, I know some of these are based off books) that already used this TROPE:

Umbrella Academy 
IT, Chapter Two
Bird Box
Game of Thrones
Supernatural
Voltron: Legendary Defender
The 100
Orange is the New Black
American Horror Story (Lots of them)
The Walking Dead
Brokeback Mountain
Rent
Bridegroom
Boys Don't Cry
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The Magicians
The Dragon Prince
The Handmaid's Tale 
Pretty Little Liars 
My Hero Academia 
Jennifer's Body
​This Is Us
A Single Man

That's 24 TV/movies right there. I could go on, on and on, really. These are just the ones I can think of at the moment, but main the point being is that the "Kill Your Queers" aka "Bury Your Gays" trope - and if it's a trope that means it's totally a thing that has been done and explored - is alive and well, thank you very fucking much.

Now, the reason people did not expect this to happen in MODC, though there had been foreshadowing, was because the makers of this particular web series had promised viewers happy endings since the first season series aired. This cast had chemistry and the pacing was good. HIStory season 3 - Trapped and MODC had thus far hit all three things you want in a series more or less - cast chemistry, story, pacing. Are there quibbles? Of course, but I'm not getting into those now. What I am addressing is the end of MODC. Happing Endings for all of these series was something the producers talked about. Making sure there were Happy Endings for the gay/bi characters.

Make Our Days Count most definitely did not have a Happy Ending.

In giving a Sad Ending, they betrayed the bond and trust they built with their audience about Happy Endings. It was betrayed because they said they wouldn't Bury Their Gays.

Now, I can 100% say my feelings had a lot to do with the media form. And yes, it's important that I identified that particular issue.

You see, if it had been a book, I would've gone along with the ending. I would've been okay with that ending in a book. Just not on TV or in a movie.

Why?

Because I see all kinds of queer representation in books. Are there corners of "Kill Your Queers"/"Bury Your Gays"? Sure. Is it as prevalent as it used to be? Not at all. There is representation across genres of all kinds. Fantasy. Sci Fi. Romance. Paranormal. Historical. And LOTS AND LOTS of Happy Endings. 

When I read a book I don't need queers to get a happy ending or to not be the villain any more because there is enough out there for it to not bother me when I see/read it. 

The same cannot be said for TV/Movies. KILL YOUR QUEERS/BURY YOUR GAYS happen ALL THE TIME. ALL THE FUCKING TIME. 

So, yeah, I was pissed. Still am. Not as much, though. A little less, anyway.

Because getting the characters to a happy place, to have them touch happiness, and then rip it away, is all too familiar. It is also where a lot of queers are currently standing with the way the current government in the States is going. 

We were allowed marriage, but there were so many other fights for us still. And that ruling for same sex marriage, the normalization that had started after decades of advocation? Could be ripped away. Those Happy Endings we got are tenuous at best. Not everyone can understand it, but most everyone can feel it. There is an erosion of our rights as queers, of people of color, as disabled, as women, happening in the courts right now. And it hurts. That the Happy we got could be ripped under our feet and be just out of reach — again. The threat of loss is very, very real. It's terrifying. Being given reassurance where we can SEE it is almost required so we know that the are others who will continue to stand up against the injustices of the world with us.  

That's why the ending of MODC stung so fucking hard. 

Between the fact the trust the audience had was utterly betrayed, the fact the trope of KILL YOUR QUEERS/BURY YOUR GAYS is alive and well in visual media, and that recent political agendas have been threatening the happiness of queers, it was the last thing people wanted to SEE, especially when they had been told they wouldn't have to.

For me, it was the final slap that just wrecked me.

You want to do this in a book - hell, I have killed off characters - fine and dandy. 

TV? Movies? Where so many more people are reached and influenced because it's so easily consumable? Where what people SEE does influence what they think and feel about queers like me?

Fuck right off. 

I am not here the the KILL YOUR QUEERS trope in visual media. Not even a little. There hasn't been nearly enough Happy Endings to make up for all the hundreds,  thousands, of sad ones. Some plot choices/devices have yet to be used enough for them to be cliche for us queers.

So you think you can kill us? 

People do. Every day. Every fucking day. Just for who we are. It's an ending that has been explored for millennias, all throughout literature and visual media. The Sad Ending IS the predictable ending. The one us queers have seen most of our lives. The Happy ones had only just begun.

Let us be happy somewhere more visible.

Let us see it can happen.

Because we often don't.

Because we need, want, deserve, a Happy Ending.

It's not cliche. Not in the movies. Not on TV.

Not by a long shot.


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PS. I wrote this coming off jet-lag from Japan and really fucking late. I should b asleep if I ever want to adjust back to the right time zone. Typos, misspellings, tense issues (Sorry, Angel), etc., most likely happened, and will most likely be addressed as I go back and read my post when I am more cognizant.