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Bury Your Gays

Discussion in 'Entertainment and Technology' started by HedaGR, Aug 14, 2020.

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Have you ever abandoned a show because of the death of an LGBTQ character?

  1. Yes

  2. No

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  1. HedaGR

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    Hey guys i'm currently studying a lot about the Bury Your Gays trope. I'm focusing on it for my MA thesis so i would like to know what you think of it. For those who never heard of it this trope, it is connected to the presentation of deaths of LGBT characters where these characters are nominally able to be viewed as more expendable than their heteronormative counterparts. It's basically the disproportionate amount of deaths of LGBT characters in comparison to straight ones and usually their death is connected to their sexual orientation (eg. as a punishment) or it is happening in order to move forward a straight character's narrative arc.

    Were you aware of it in the first place?
    Has it ever affected you as a member of tv show's fandom?
    Do you think it reflects society?
    How do you think it affects teenagers and people in general?
    ..
    ..

    Feel free to expand your thinking i could use some fan feedback!
     
  2. BlueMonday

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    Were you aware of it in the first place?
    Yup, I frequent TV Tropes.
    Has it ever affected you as a member of tv show's fandom?
    I don't watch TV, so nope.
    Do you think it reflects society?
    Sometimes.
    How do you think it affects teenagers and people in general?
    I don't know about them, but it doesn't affect me, personally. Death is inevitable, whether you're straight, gay, bi, etc. So, I guess you could call it Truth in Television.
     
    #2 BlueMonday, Aug 14, 2020
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2020
  3. OGS

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    I have to say I've been avidly watching gay characters in media ever since Steve Carrington in Dynasty in 81 and I can't really think of an example of what you're talking about. I guess I just watch the wrong shows.
     
  4. HM03

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    I've heard of it and seen it in terms of POC, but honestly I hadn't heard of it in terms of LGBT. I don't watch a lot of TV, but honestly can't think of an example.
     
  5. HedaGR

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    It is actually a really disturbing phenomenon. It manifested in 2016 with the death of an lesbian character in the tv show The 100. It led to trends like #lexadeservedbetter and #lgbtfansdeservebetter that dominated media for more than 2 days. I suggest you guys look it up especially if you watch queer content
     
  6. Aspen

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    "Were you aware of it in the first place?"
    Very.

    "Has it ever affected you as a member of tv show's fandom?"
    Yes. I've quit shows for Burying Their Gays. I've refused to watch shows because someone told me they Bury Their Gays. I've quit shows for unrelated reasons only for them to later Bury Their Gays.

    "Do you think it reflects society?"
    No. I think it's more a reflection of the general demographic of writers/directors/producers/executives. If everyone involved in the production of a show is straight, then there's no one to say "Hey, maybe we should have more diversity" or "Hey, maybe we shouldn't kill this character." Introducing a minor queer character and then killing them off a season later also gives the illusion of diversity while avoiding the risk of upsetting your more conservative viewers (*cough*NCIS*cough*).

    "How do you think it affects teenagers and people in general?"
    It takes a mental toll when the only characters you have in media who are like you are the ones who die or end up unhappy and alone.


    I'm sorry if I'm misunderstanding, but Bury Your Gays has been an issue for decades before The 100. It comes from a time that anything that could be seen as "endorsing" homosexuality couldn't be published, and so the only published novels featuring queer characters were ones that ended with their death or, at the very least, a great deal of queer misery. The 100 fandom was not the first to recognize it as a problem, nor did that show invent the trope.
     
  7. Loves books

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    I had heard about it but hadn’t watched a show that had killed off a gay character. I think I heard about it happening in Chicago Fire before the 100. I was watching The 100 for the sole purpose of seeing Clarke and Lexa get together. Lexa died and I was done. I heard Wynnona Earp was deliberately playing the whole concept when a Lesbian character got shot in the chest but was wearing a bulletproof vest. It’s really annoying when they kill off the sole reason I was watching a show.
     
  8. HedaGR

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    Indeed it was. I know all about the lesbian pulp fiction etc. That's why i said that it manifested with The 100 when it became more known and a huge deal among the fans. It is now considered an issue both for fans and the showrunners. The Batwoman showrunners even made a special announcement to reassure the fans that they won't follow the Bury Your Gays narrative trope.
     
  9. HedaGR

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    Wynonna Earp is known for its 'positive lgbt representation' and until now fans are legitimately invested emotionally on the show and they're not dissapointed. I suggest you watch it all if you haven't so far. The whole bulletproof vest thing didn't really meant to scare off fans. i think it was a loud comment on the Bury Your Gays trope and how the showrunners are vocally against it.
     
  10. Loves books

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    I love the show and have watched the whole thing more than once. The bulletproof vest thing didn’t scare me off I was very happy there was a show I would still watch. I love strong women in save the day.
     
  11. QuietPeace

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    I cannot think of a specific show that I stopped watching due to this. I stopped going out of my way to watch shows with LGBT characters because I got tired of being told by Hollywood that being who I am makes me deserving of death.

    Were you aware of it in the first place?
    Aware of the trope yes

    Has it ever affected you as a member of tv show's fandom?
    I don't think so, I stopped watching shows like that before they became more common

    Do you think it reflects society?
    Yes, I have experienced hate for being me, from family and from people in society in general

    How do you think it affects teenagers and people in general?
    The way that is it designed, it teaches us that LGBT people should not be tolerated.
     
  12. Nespit

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    Were you aware of it in the first place?

    Yes and hated it to bits. Double so as a WOC.

    Has it ever affected you as a member of tv show's fandom?

    Yes and very much negatively, especially when I was younger.

    Do you think it reflects society?

    Yup. basically it reflects the attitude of tokenism and quickly hiding/removing the "odd one out" once they're done with the brownie points. Obviously not everyone is like this, but enough are to where it's still an issue worth noting.

    How do you think it affects teenagers and people in general?

    I think that unless they are aware that it's just a silly trope, some may take it to heart (like I did) and reinforce that LGBT relationships are inferior and more unstable that straight ones.
     
  13. Phantom06

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    really depends on how they die. if they die protecting the ones they love then I might continue the story.
     
  14. DecentOne

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    Definitely, I talked to a WWII vet who is gay, and way up in age, and he said back in the day they knew to tear out the last chapter of any gay paperback book. The last chapter was the one that would make it past the culture police (they died, were miserable, whatever). He said reading the story without the last chapter was fine. Even Brokeback Mountain had that kind of arch to the story.

    Yes aware of this.
    I don’t think it has affected me.
    No it does not reflect society. I was taught how to question things in high school social studies, such as cigarette commercials (beer ads too) and popular songs.
    I don’t know how it affects today’s teens. In our town they used to put a DUI car wreck in front of the school before major drinking events to discourage DUI. Perhaps it saved a kid or two from dying. Maybe the shows are equivalent, only in the negative? Plenty of hetero people die in shows and movies though. I’m more concerned with the horror movie trend: sending the message that love & sex lead to disturbing death. Or the whole hetero female “decide between the nice guy, or the bad boy” repeated theme (I wonder if they’d ever go with polyamory instead, with the girl saying “I can have both!”).
     
  15. Canterpiece

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    Were you aware of it in the first place?

    Yes.

    Has it ever affected you as a member of tv show's fandom?

    The only show I stopped watching because of this was Last Tango In Halifax. I was a casual viewer, tuning in to the occasional episode. There was a mixed-race lesbian relationship which unfortunately ended abruptly. On their wedding day, because of course it had to be on the wedding, one of them died by being hit by a vehicle. If memory serves me correctly, she was just walking along when it happened.

    Now, most viewers knew that the relationship was destined to fail, since the main plot point is about her reconnecting with a childhood crush / teenage relationship ex or something and we knew that she'd probably end up with him. Still, it could've been handled with more tact. Not only did this kill one of the few LGBT characters in the series, it also killed off one of the only characters who was not white. Then, a few episodes later after she's done mourning the loss of her wife she gets with the guy and they all moved on too quickly for comfort. At that point, I stopped watching. It didn't sit well with me. Apparently it's loosely based on a true story, but I have to wonder how true...that death seemed way too convenient.

    Do you think it reflects society?

    I don't find it particularly surprising. Profit is always going to be a factor in executive decisions and I am aware that having a LGBT character is a risk. Queerbaiting and bury your gays are particularly common together. To expand on this, what I mean is when a series will throw hints and tease a gay relationship, then right towards the end they'll get together / confirmed...then the next episode one of them dies. It often happens towards the end because it's less of a risk, they have less to lose by throwing it in at the ending. Plus, it's often easier to edit out if you're broadcasting in a country that doesn't want to acknowledge gay people. Further, films and TV shows from the Hays code era have definitely influenced media. On the plus side, representation is definitely improving.

    How do you think it affects teenagers and people in general?

    Well, it can certainly be depressing. I know when I was a teenager I found myself watching a considerable amount of LGBT films and I disliked how many ended in tragedy (especially when LGBT suicide was romanticised). Particularly since I was trying to come to terms with it all and one the arguments I came across consistently from homophobes was that you needed a man and woman to balance each other out and that gay relationships don't compare. This isn't true of course, since it's more complex than that and not all women are the same nor all men. It's more about the individuals in the relationship itself when it comes down to how stable it is.

    Still, seeing positive LGBT representation in children's books and TV shows (plus, on adult comedies also) leaves me hopeful. I have seen a significant improvement lately.
     
    #15 Canterpiece, Dec 8, 2020
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2020