LGBT+ Representation in Mainstream Media

Big Mouth is an animated comedy that follows young middle school students on their journeys through puberty. The second season has been expanded to represent more a diverse cast of people of multiple sexualities and ethnic jobs. While the show does well in representing the journey of discovering one’s sexualtiy, and demonstrating how every journey is different, there is still a limited representation of sexual and gender identities like transgender characters. The few sexual identities that are represented are still severely limited to portrayal through a heteronormative lens. For example Matthew is a flamboyantly gay student who is often portrayed as being snarky, catty, wearing tight fitting clothes, and is less masculine than the other male characters on the show. While the show features progressive ideas about sex and sexuality, there still remains a lot of work to be done in dismantling the symbolic annihilation of LGBT+ identities in television.

The Charmed reboot was launched in October 2018 and features a main cast of Latinx women. They are reimagined as being of Latin descent, and their names have even changed. Although this may appear to be a milestone, it’s very evident that the show has a smaller budget than other shows of its stature. This leads me to believe that the network is not really committed to this show, and provided a lower budget so that if this is a cause for lower ratings, it can be easily cancelled and they can leave with the satisfying feeling knowing that they “tried.” So far, I am unimpressed with the reboot, but am willing to stick it out to the second season (if it makes it) because I personally believe in the power of storytelling and sharing of narratives that counter the views and values of the dominant culture. Additionally, one of the main characters who identifies as LGBT, is depicted under the male gaze lens as being an angry, man hating feminist. So far, there has been little discussion on their Latinx identity and how it affects how they navigate the world and interact with other characters on the show. While it may seem progressive to simply ignore this aspect of the characters, it is actually a form of erasure of the Latinx identity because they would be missing the opportunity to incorporate aspects of Latinx life by exploring the role of religion and mysticism in their culture.