Joss Whedon鈥檚 鈥淏uffy the Vampire Slayer鈥� sees the untimely death of supporting protagonist Tara Maclay by bullet wound, shortly after the lesbian character reconciles with her love interest, Willow Rosenberg. Similarly, in the popular fantasy-drama show 鈥淕ame of Thrones,鈥� fan favorite and openly bisexual character Oberyn Martell suffered a gruesome and unexpected end after his skull was crushed by the bare hands of a lesser skilled opponent.
Premature deaths of LGBTQ+ characters aren鈥檛 isolated incidents. Fans have observed that shows with LGBTQ+ representation tend to rely on harmful tropes and unvaried or inaccurate characterization.
Junior Olivia Souter said this pattern originates from the Hays Code, self-enforced industry guidelines that restricted what content could be shown onscreen between 1930 and 1968. While adherence was not legally required, studios that violated the code could face consequences such as boycotts and loss of their production seal.
鈥淥ne of those (rules) was that your characters must be straight,鈥� Souter said. 鈥淚f there are any kisses on screen, they have to be between a man and (a woman).鈥�
In a cinematic world where 鈥済ood鈥� always triumphed, characters who presented against the straight, white, cisgender ideal were condemned for even existing. Queer characters were often subjected to brutal, gruesome deaths, especially in horror movies such as the 鈥淪cream鈥� franchise, 鈥淔inal Destination鈥� and 鈥淭he Children鈥檚 Hour.鈥�
鈥淵ou might say, 鈥榃hy is the queer character the one that dies first and dies the most brutally?鈥欌�� Souter said. 鈥淏ut if you鈥檙e outside of the (LGBTQ+) community, and you don鈥檛 know the implications of that, you鈥檙e just like, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 a horror movie, everyone has brutal deaths.鈥欌��
The main purpose of these deaths was shock value, so these characters and their stories didn鈥檛 lead to meaningful representation, according to Souter.
鈥淧eople have to die in television,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just kind of the way it works. But it鈥檚 this way of giving queer fans just a tiny little bit of what their relationship could be, and then immediately taking it away in such a brutal way.鈥�
One of these tropes, 鈥淏ury Your Gays鈥� 鈥� in which queer characters are subjected to tragic, untimely deaths in an attempt to evoke an emotional audience response 鈥� disproportionately affected lesbian characters, hurting the LGBTQ+ community.
鈥淨ueer fans are tired of seeing their characters die,鈥� Souter said. 鈥淏ecause if that鈥檚 all the media is showing, then you鈥檒l believe all you鈥檙e good for is dying for someone else鈥檚 story.鈥�
Even though television shows, movies and books are moving away from these arcs, other problems have begun to arise, such as stereotypes about how LGBTQ+ characters should act, dress and behave based on their identity. Queer men are often associated with flamboyance and femininity, while queer women are portrayed as masculine or tomboyish.
According to junior Phoebe Mota-Judges, being exposed to a narrow range of perspectives limits one鈥檚 self-expression and can skew people鈥檚 relationship with their identity.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always bothered me, when how someone looks and dresses is equated to their sexuality,鈥� Mota-Judges said. 鈥淏ecause even though there can be influence, there is no right and wrong way to 鈥榣ook gay.鈥欌��
Junior Noah Murase has observed similar problems with how the media utilizes cookie-cutter plotlines for LGBTQ+ characters to avoid losing audience traction.
鈥淭wo people can say they鈥檙e bisexual and both be bisexual, but have completely different interpretations that are both completely valid,鈥� he said. 鈥淏eing queer is a unique experience to every person.鈥�
Souter encourages creators and audiences to educate themselves on harmful queer tropes and avoid holding LGBTQ+ protagonists to different standards than their heterosexual counterparts.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e just two people who are in love, or they鈥檙e just a person who鈥檚 trying to figure themselves out,鈥� Souter said. 鈥淚f you treat it like it鈥檚 this big thing that requires a joke at every turn, and they can鈥檛 hold a conversation without talking about (being queer), that鈥檚 not going to go the way it should.鈥�
Similarly, Mota-Judges hopes that the media industry makes more space for diverse identities and experiences.
鈥淚t would be nice to see more diverse representation getting celebrated and accepted 鈥� not just stories that are about struggle,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey could be science fiction, going on crazy adventures, solving murder mysteries.鈥�
For Souter, heartfelt, dynamic stories that don鈥檛 rely on stereotypical and harmful characterizations of queer characters can have a lasting impact.
鈥淩epresentation is really, really important, especially in media that鈥檚 aimed at kids, teenagers and young adults,鈥� Souter said. 鈥淏ecause being able to see someone onscreen who looks like you, acts like you, has similar disabilities or loves the same way that you do is really, really powerful.鈥�
