asynca:

Because we spend out whole lives being completely invisible and not seeing our faces or our stories anywhere in Hollywood, mass media, etc. Straight people have the luxury of turning on the TV and assuming they will see other straight people on every program they watch. They can assume they will see straight people in every single game they play. 

You can’t even imagine what it’s like to not even exist in most TV shows and games - and that when you open your mouth and ask to exist, people say hurtful things like, “Why? Why does it matter? FUCKING SJWS WANT EVERY FUCKING SNOWFLAKE IDENTITY REPRESENTED” as if they don’t have their own faces and stories reflected in almost every form of media by default. 

It’s always been this way for us. 

Back in the 90s, lesbians were jokes in the media, If they were on TV, they were like The Trunchbull from Maltilda. Hairy, ugly, portrayed as hideous bulldog-like creatures for the entertainment of straight audiences. Not to represent our stories and make us feel like part of the community, but to make the rest of the community laugh at us. 

Trans women are still often treated like the butt of every fucking joke. They’re there to ‘trick’ men, or they’re evil male villains ‘disguised’ as women. There’s no sensitivity to their stories. There’s no humanizing them or giving them real voices, it’s all for the comedy factor - making straight, non-queer audiences laugh at them. 

If queer folks are well represented in a TV series - which does sometimes happen! - often, we have to watch them die. Something like 3 out of 4 queer women characters will die or have a tragic ending in a TV series/movie. 

Can you imagine growing up, seeing every media source treat people like you in this way?

Either we’re completely ignored or we are treated like absolute fucking shit by most media. People rage on in comment section on the internet about how we need to shut up all the fucking time. You can’t turn on anything with a screen without getting the message that you’re different and abnormal, and you can’t complain about that without being shouted down by a horde of straight people who just don’t get it.

So. 

So, when an iconic character who is pretty universally liked and universally well-portrayed is shown as gay and in a healthy relationship, it’s a shock and a blessing. 

We’re so used to being treated like total horseshit, to be treated like we deserve likeable, genuine representation is a cause for real celebration.