‘Layered, nuanced stories are missing in TV representation’: Why we need more LGBT variation on-screen-Stella Akinwumi-Entertainment – Metro

LGBTQ+ representation has come a long way (Picture: ABC/Netflix/Channel 4)

We’ve been treated to groundbreaking LGBTQ+ shows over the past few years, each of which has helped pave the way for positive queer representation, and it’s certainly been beautiful to see.

Depictions of queer and trans people have been present in the TV and film format for years, but due to intense prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community at various points in time, the fight for onscreen representation has been an uphill battle.

While the early 2000s introduced us to the sitcom Will & Grace, which centred on the lives of two gay men, and Russell T Davies’ Queer as Folk, another series that focused solely on the lives of LGBTQ+ people – many continue to be amazed at how far we’ve progressed.

In 2021, everyone was talking about Davies’ Channel 4 masterpiece It’s A Sin, which stars Olly Alexander and Neil Patrick Harris and follows the lives of a group of young men who together endure the horror of the HIV/Aids epidemic of the 80s, as well as the pain of rejection and the prejudices that their peers faced throughout the decade.

However, while LGBTQ+ representation has reached all-time highs in some facets of the media with shows like Modern Family and Orange Is The New Black, filmmaker and director Kevin Morosky believes there is more to be done, and has called for future TV shows to create space for ‘truly intersectional’ characters.

‘With It’s A Sin, don’t get me wrong, it’s about a particular moment in time, but I think it’s a little dangerous when the narrative comes from a negative place,’ he told Metro.co.uk.

Queer As Folk originally ran for 10 episodes between 1999 and 2000 (Picture: Channel 4) Filmmaker Kevin believes there should be more variation in LGBTQ+ stories (Picture: Kevin Morosky)

Morosky – who retold his experience of heartbreak through short, poetic vignettes in his self-published novel Notes – expressed there were ‘other ways’ of telling stories like this ‘that give more power to the character.’

‘I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me on this,’ he added.

‘I didn’t think that show was super progressive, of course; it was a story that needed to be told. But I think it’s a story that’s been told again and again. I didn’t enjoy it in a sense of… I get very worried when the narrative in queer LGBTQ+ stories is centered around trauma.

‘I didn’t enjoy it, to be honest. That’s not a comment on the work at all, but more so about what I do and don’t want to consume.’

2021 was the start of a new chapter for LGBT TV following the release of It’s A Sin (Picture: Channel 4)

In 2021, It’s A Sin picked up a National Television Award for best new drama and even broke a Channel 4 record after it was hailed as its ‘most-binged new series ever’ with the first episode becoming the streaming service’s most popular drama launch on record.

Speaking about the critically-acclaimed show, Davies told Collider: ‘It’s an honour to do, but I remember there’s people who’ve been working in HIV for 40 years, but don’t get to be on television.

‘So I try to do my bit, but it’s extraordinary really. I’ve launched some big shows in my time — Queer as Folk, Doctor Who. They were massive. I never expected this to be so massive, but it’s quite humbling.’

Following the release of Netflix’s Heartstopper, the series has been celebrated by millions of fans totally enamoured by the blossoming love story between school boys Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) and Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) based on the magical graphic novels by Alice Oseman.

Nick and Charlie’s friendship blossoms into romance (Picture: Netflix)

While discussing the joyous hit, Morosky expressed how moved he was by the coming-of-age romantic comedy. 

‘I cannot express to you how enjoyable it was to just read a positive story,’ he said.

‘I know it has a lot of ups and downs and things that they have to face, but there are overwhelmingly good moments of them falling in love, and it’s just lovely.

‘Your heart isn’t in your hands half the time.’

TV is doing a better job of highlighting the queer experience. However shows like Glee, Friends and Gossip Girl have been accused of slipping into stereotypical territory, in contrast to Euphoria and Netflix’s Sex Education, which have showcased LGBTQ+ identity sparking big impact on and off-screen.

And while things are moving in the right direction, Morosky believes modern programmes should include multifaceted characters.

‘A great example for me is How To Get Away with Murder, if you look at Annalise Keating [Viola Davis], yes that show is wild, but it presents so many different sides to her, her alcoholism, sexuality, and that’s what made that show so addictive.

‘She’s a fully-fledged human being and when you have that representation in film and TV, it has an effect and there’s a responsibility there because people stop living with a stereotype.

Viola Davis starred as Annalise Keating – a bisexual law lecturer (Picture: ABC) Zendaya-led drama Euphoria has been praised for pushing queer representation boundaries (Picture: HBO)

‘When you start to introduce nuances it adds more depth to the character, and that’s what’s missing in some LGBT stories.’

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He continued: ‘I think although all stories are important and need to be shown. I also want to see layered nuanced stories and characters. Like Annalise Keating, she’s an onion, layer after layer. Truly intersectional, with space for shadiness and joy.

‘TV, film and art affect the way we move through reality.’

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