Why Is Same Sex Romance and Representation Always Labeled ‘Queer’ or ‘LGBTQIA+’ in Entertainment?
By Dani
“People don’t understand that we can’t ever find what we’re looking for when everything is called “queer” or “LGBTQIA+.” We want our representation to be specific and straightforward, not buried by letters or insulted by slurs.”
Media and entertainment— whether it be shows, movies, books, or even video games –are central to modern culture and commonality, and sometimes everyone wants to find media in which we connect with characters who can relate to us.
For many homosexuals and bisexuals in homosexual relationships, we’d like to see relationships like ours depicted in media. This desire to seek out relatable content or representation leads to Google searches trying to find entertainment with characters who are like us and feature stories that we can relate to our own experiences as gay individuals.
Unfortunately, with increasing frequency in recent years, the gay community cannot find the relatable content we seek.
For example, I am a gay guy and a gamer, and I wanted to find out what games were available with homosexual character options. Sadly when I search “games with gay characters” or “games for gay guys,” I never get results that even have the word gay or homosexual in them, let alone that are specifically for gay men.
Instead, when I type in “games for gay men” and hit search, I’m immediately bombarded with titles such as “Queer Games” and “LGBTQIA+ Games.”
Sometimes I click on these sites to see if there are even games for gay men on the list. There are some, but the majority of games listed are those with pronoun options and are “gender inclusive.” Rarely on these lists will you find games for gay men or even lesbian women.
“..the gay community needs same-sex representation in entertainment that is labeled as same-sex or gay and able to be found. Not hidden amongst droves of gender-identity ideology representation.”
Honestly, I’m offended that the word ‘queer’ is even being used to describe same-sex romance, individuals, and culture in any form of entertainment. There’s nothing strange or odd about it, so simply don’t use it. Also, why does that long acronym need to be used when it isn’t necessary or applicable?
If I’m searching about gay men specifically, I should get results only about gay men. If a lesbian searches for lesbian content, she should get results only about lesbians. At the very least, searching should produce results of actual same-sex-related content, whether that be gay men, lesbians, or bisexual men or women.
Again, keep in mind that it’s not just video games but books, movies, and shows. These recommendation lists rarely ever have content with same-sex romance or individuals represented, which is disappointing since we live in an era of “representation.”
People don’t understand that we can’t ever find what we’re looking for when everything is called “queer” or “LGBTQIA+.” We want our representation to be specific and straightforward, not buried by letters or insulted by slurs.
We should be able to find entertainment without having to dig through articles that feature and prioritize gender ideology and force it to be paired with same-sex representation.
Our representation gets lost in it.
“Honestly, I’m offended that the word ‘queer’ is even being used to describe same-sex romance, individuals, and culture in any form of entertainment. There’s nothing strange or odd about it, so simply don’t use it.”
If representation is truly important, it needs to represent the specific underrepresented or minority community. That representation must also be easy to find and specific to the searcher.
Meaning the gay community needs same-sex representation in entertainment that is labeled as same-sex or gay and able to be found. Not hidden amongst droves of gender-identity ideology representation (which in no way represents same-sex attraction or romance) and everything else deemed strange or odd, aka “queer,” and thrown into the “LGBTQIA” bucket.
Yes, 100%!!! Thank you for writing this.