#wow have things changed in 10 years. at least television show wisr

[mejomonster]

I know the current bi rep in shows overall isn't perfect, but woe does it mean a lot to me just how much more common it us to nowadays find lots of mainstream watched shows that have explicitly bi characters in them

When I was growing up there was rarely lgbt representation in shows unless they were specifically made for lgbt audiences (buffy is the only one I can think of, or a couple eps in ds9, xena was subtext but the close, then there was queer as folk and the l word that mainstream wasn't watching)

And now? I can check out a show a family member recommends, and there's a good chance there's a bi character like me. Not always, but a decent amount of time. How to Get Away With Murder. The 100. Pretty Little Liars. Person of Interest. Orphan Black. Black Sails. (And I can find cdramas with bo characters like Bureau of Transformers like Two Souls in One like Bromance, can find Thai dramas like 3 Will Be Free, Japanese dramas like Kieta Hatsukoi). Can find video games like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Assasins Creed, Life is Strange, The Last of Us 2. A lot of these aren't perfect by any means and some I like or dislike more than others.

But when I was growing up? People told me flat out that bisexuals didnt exist. Authority figures, peers, told me how I felt wasn't valid and I needed to "pick." Told be bisexual just meant I wanted to sleep with everything that moved (which yes fucked up to say to a person and fucked up to say to a 15 year old kid). And I had so little way of knowing any better, of examples of myself to counteract what I was being told and expected to do. My school GSA also didn't think bisexuality was a 'thing,' but instead a 'phase' or for attention or people who haven't made up their mind (and god do those beliefs make me angry). It took years of being surrounded by this and occasionally thank God meeting another bisexual person who felt like I did and understood, of finding online lgbt resources that recognized bisexuality, it took finding more community.

And now its just. I'm so glad if I was a show I can see someone like me. I'm so glad no one in my family can say "bisexuality isn't real" because it's not something to believe anymore - I can point out a celebrity who's popular who's bisexual, I can mention a show a movie a game they've seen and bring up what bisexuality is in case they want to play pretend that they cant understand what it is. But growing up people genuinely got away with saying it wasn't real, claiming you were in a phase or being a freak, and you couldn't find another person like you at your age who wasn't being fed the same bullshit to hate themselves and wonder why people were calling their feelings fake, you couldn't find a piece of popular media and go THATS what I'm like goddamn it.

God it isn't perfect by any means but representation does matter and I'm so glad to see the increases that have happened over the last couple decades. (In the movie industry in some ways its gotten worse mind you, Disney being one particular fucker). But just like... if I'd been 15 and seen Annalise Keating on TV I might have known bisexuality is real and I can grow up and have an established life and there's bisexuals who know their sexuality and live their lives. If id seen The 100 I might have realized you can love multiple genders and not have to 'pick' like all the fucking adults in my life claiming. I remember so fondly But I'm a Cheerleader growing up cause it's was a rare movie I saw where a girl who loves a girls feelings were treated as REAL and they got a happy ending. Just seeing lgbt people at all as explicitly accepting of their sexuality and acknowledged and having a happy ending was notable. I remember even Jennifer's Body stood out back then because even not being the main point, and being a horror, it was nice to see another bi teen girl like I was in anything. There's still so much more Id like improved on and more diversity shown and more stories in general explored. But it's nice to see bi people at all in common things now, on channels other than specifically for lgbt audiences, it's nice to see enough now that I know a person watching regular media is more likely to at least vaguely know lgbt people Exist. (Whereas when I was growing up, if you weren't watching lgbt channel stuff or japanese bl anime you were unlikely to see lgbt people mentioned at all as a thing that even might exist - even shows that barely do much now like Teen Wolf having a minor gay character where it's explicitly acknowledged is more than mainstream media was likely to show when I was growing up). I'm just. I'm glad there's a bit more visibility.

#rant #bi #i just. got a bit overhwelmed #i remember growing up my own family telling me my sexuality wasnt real #and now THEY regularly watch stuff with open bisexuals #now their kids do. now i dont have to keep it a fucking secret if i do #wow have things changed in 10 years. at least television show wisr