From my readings into fan fiction I came across evidence of a deeply troubling topic that has upset many a fandom out there (and one I have long witnessed): the dead lesbian syndrome. A disturbing trend gracing our screens is that queer female characters are more likely to die on television that other types of sexualities. To quote Buffy, these two seem to be continual “un-mixy things”. This trend has been around for decades, and is so common that it has recently sparked a study done by Caroline Framke (who hails from Vox), Josh Rosenblat, Javier Zarracina, and Sarah Frostenson that examined every 2015-2016-season character deaths on primetime television. With the results in, it’s not good. The study found that 10% of deaths on television were that of queer women. Considering the straight representation of females, and the over-representation of males, this is an alarmingly high figure (figures sourced from Calvario, 2016). The trope of lesbian characters dying on primetime television, dubbed on social media as “bury your gays” is all too familiar, especially for queer women (Alexander, 2016). For me, it started with the death of Xena in 2000, continued with the death of Tara (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) in 2002 and just keeps going. Video: Tara's death (From Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode: Seeing Red, 2002). Video: Xena's death (from Xena: Warrior Princess episode: A Friend in Need II, 2000). Video: Here are the show writers tearing our hearts out just a little bit more with this evil 'teaser'. Just. No. (Reference: Xena: Warrior Princess). WHY THIS MATTERS Imaginary deaths matter, especially for queer women. The death of a queer character has a different emotional weight, because there are so few examples to draw from. The problem is that they are killed of far more frequently than straight characters. What I fear is that this image of queer women on television reinforces a stereotype that they can’t be happy, sustain relationships, engage in open dialog about their sexuality, or that they are not out to kill themselves or get in the line of fire to die by another’s’ hand. Let’s also think about the impact this trend is having on young people. To continually see this as commonplace for people just realising their sexualities brings insecurity, fear, anxiety – all the same negative viewpoints they have heard from homophobic types, and just grinds them down more. This forum response from mbarriault sums up what we all felt when Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer was killed off: “Tara wasn’t killed to reduce the number of gay characters on the show, she was killed because Joss Whedon is an evil mastermind with the desire and ability to reach into the chest of millions simultaneously and pull out their broken hearts.” (March 8, 2016, http://www.polygon.com/2016/3/8/11179844/the-100-cw-lexa-trevor-project) It’s almost like you fear for them having any kind of happiness, let alone sustained romantic interest for fear of a stray bullet by the end of the episode. It happened to Xena straight after the show openly showed a female-female kiss, it happened to Willow’s girlfriend Tara literally the morning after their reconciliation, and it just keeps happening (*cough* Lexa *cough*). Frighteningly, it seems that if their relationship is obscured, they somehow have a much better chance of survival (e.g. the entire series of Xena: Warrior Princess until of course, the last episode). Video: Lexa's death, from The 100, season 3, episode 7. (March, 2016). LEXA’S DEATH The death of Lexa from The 100, however, has been described as the “proverbial shot heard round the world” (Piccoli, 2016). The death of this character has instigated many to question the necessity to kill off these types of characters, and the seemingly negative treatment of queer characters on TV in general. To be frank, when the 100’s show writer killed off Lexa, one of the lead and openly lesbian characters of the show, I was outraged, but not surprised anymore as this had just become so frequent. This time, however, the fandom did not take it lying down – they expressed their outrage, loudly. The outpouring of love for this character channelled rage and hatred for the show’s writer, Jason Rothenberg. A movement has also been started to boycott the show entirely, which can be found in the comments section under any “Lexa” or “The 100” YouTube video out there, it’s that prolific. Fans even raised funds on behalf of the Trevor Project, which is an American organisation that is dedicated to supporting LBGTQIA youth because of the effect the death had on fans (Alexander, 2016). #LexaDeservedBetter - this hashtag trended WORLDWIDE after the death of this character was aired on television (March, 2016). At the 2016 Comicon at Copenhagen a fan wore a #LexaDeservedBetter T-shirt to ask Alycia Debnam Carey about the death of the character. The actress herself (Alycia Debnam Carey) acknowledged that this character death has “shone a spotlight onto an issue that obviously exists and obviously affected a lot of people and that is really important to acknowledge.” Video: 2016 ComiCon at Copenhagen, panel featuring Alycia Debnam Carey. IS THERE HOPE - #TheLexaPledge The LGBT Fans Deserve Better pledge – which has since been dubbed #TheLexaPledge, was created by Noelle Carbone and Michelle Mama, both writers, producers and directors in their own right. It contains seven tenets that writers and producers agree to when creating a script, and aims to reduce the number of unnecessary queer deaths on screen. What I am hoping is that some sense can be taken from this characters’ death. With the outpouring of love shown for this character, I am hoping more TV executives start to pay attention to the fact queer representation is a good thing, that no, they don’t need to ‘turn straight’ (“bait-and-switch lesbians”), and no, they definitely don’t need to die just to advance a plotline because you can’t be bothered to come up with something original. WILL SOCIAL MEDIA FINALLY CURB THIS TREND? If the death of Lexa caused uproar over the Internet, I can’t help thinking what the death of Xena would have provoked had social media (internet forums, blogging sites) been at the strength it is today. The role of social media may indeed finally be able to curb this trend, because if the public isn’t watching, there is no fan base. If there is no fan base, there is no show. P.S. You want proof fans are outraged? - just watch the video below. It's not the only one, it won't be the last one. REFERENCES:
Alexander, J. (2016, March 8). The 100 fans organise LGBTQ fundraiser in defiance of controversial episode. Retrieved from http://www.polygon.com/2016/3/8/11179844/the-100-cw-lexa-trevor-project Calvario, L. (2016, June 1). More queer women are being killed off on television series than ever before – study. Retrieved from http://www.indiewire.com/2016/06/lesbian-characters-die-tv-the-100-the-vampire-diaries-the-walking-dead-1201683169/ Cox, C. (2016, April 26). [UPDATED] #TheLexaPledge could change the future of lesbian and bisexual representation on TV. Retrieved from http://www.themarysue.com/the-lexa-pledge/ Piccoli, D. (2016, August 1). 13 of the most earth-shattering moments in queer fandom. Retrieved form http://www.afterellen.com/tv/497235-13-earth-shattering-moments-queer-fandom Ryan, M. (2016, March 14). What TV can learn from ‘The 100’ mess. Retrieved form http://variety.com/2016/tv/opinion/the-100-lexa-jason-rothenberg-1201729110/
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Liz SimsI am currently completing a Masters in Inclusive Education. I work as a teacher aide specialising in Music and Media Studies. ArchivesCategories |