Is media too gay or not gay enough?

How many gay people are actually in the media we consume? Too little? Too much? (Photo: LGBTQhistory.org)

*Warning: Stranger Things Season 4 spoilers ahead*

Stranger Things is Netflix’s undisputed crown jewel, so it’s not a surprise that its newly released Season 4 is performing well. The review scores are looking better than the previous season, but another reason it’s generating buzz is because of a heavily queer-coded main character. 

Speculation about Will’s sexuality sparked as early as Season 1, but with so many hints in Season 4, and statements from the cast as well as executive producer Shawn Levy, Will being gay is looking more and more canon. This isn’t the first time Netflix has featured an LGBT character in the main cast. 

With the introduction of Robin, an explicitly lesbian character, in Stranger Things Season 3, as well as the release of originals that heavily feature LGBT characters like Heartstopper, First Kill, and Sex Education, Netflix has the most LGBTQ+ characters out of all platforms and networks. As of February, they have 155 queer characters. HBO Max comes in at second, with 77 queer characters in their originals.

Streaming platforms in general have always been more progressive than traditional broadcast networks—although, new reports are showing that recently, these channels are starting to be less shy, too.

LGBT on TV

Over the years, we’ve seen a continuous increase in LGBTQ representation on television. In February this year, GLAAD released a report analyzing the diversity of primetime scripted series regulars on broadcast networks. Out of 775 series regular characters, 92, or about 11.9%, are LGBTQ. This number is up by 2.8% from the previous year, marking a new record high for broadcast television. 

Out of the 637 LGBTQ characters counted in GLAAD’s report, 185 are bisexual+, less than 42 are transgender, only two are asexual, and 17 are non-binary and not transgender. The rest are gay and lesbian. 

LGBTQ characters are now also regularly featured in children’s shows. Queer characters have always been in cartoons, but over the past decade, the number of explicitly gay characters in kids’ media has skyrocketed. In Rebecca Sugar’s Peabody-winning series Steven Universe alone, there are over 39 LGBTQ characters.

Rainbows aren't for everyone

But, because gay people can’t have nice things, it’s not all good news.

Just this month, the release of Pixar’s Lightyear sparked outrage after featuring two female characters kissing on screen. The scene was so controversial that it was banned in Malaysia, as well as Saudi Arabia and UAE. Originally, the scene was supposed to be cut from the film altogether, if it weren’t for protests from the animators who worked on the film.

This is far from the first time that Disney has actively censored same-sex affection in their films and shows. Disney has censored plenty of attempts of representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch has also spoken out about how the company has sent him “thousands” of censorship notes he received for the series.

Similarly, despite having the most queer characters, Netflix has come under fire multiple times for its trigger-happy cancelling of their LGBTQ shows, while continuously renewing its other originals. The CW was also criticized for doing the exact same thing, after canceling shows with LGBTQ representation and renewing their series without any regular characters who are queer.

There’s still a long, rainbow-colored road we need to trek before queer content can sit on the same table as straight content. But if there’s anything the LGBTQ community is good at, it’s persisting, despite all odds.