Jaiden Animations' Coming Out Video Perfectly Treads The Line Between Public And Private
It’s nice to feel represented. Seeing part of yourself in media makes you feel less alone, more seen, more valid. That’s why I always love it when someone comes out. Well, mostly why. The queer agenda to slowly eradicate the straights and live in a gay utopia plays a big part, but mostly it’s the representation thing.
However, in today’s parasocial world where those we look up to and whose content we consume on a regular basis are easier to reach out to than ever, being queer can also become a responsibility. A lot of young or recently out queer people seek the guidance of those in the spotlight, but it’s hard to set an example when you’re still coming to grips with your identity yourself.
RELATED: Queer Kids Deserve So Much Better Than Disney
Discovering my bisexuality was, fortunately, relatively easy. It’s the third letter in LGBT, and there are a lot of bi people out there, so it wasn’t some mystery I never had a chance of understanding. Though the depiction of bi people in media is often drenched in stereotypes, they’re at least known enough that I had the words to describe myself. For some people on the queer spectrum, such as those who are asexual and aromantic, representation is far harder to find.
In the broadest terms, aromantic means you have little to no romantic attraction to people, and asexual means you have little to no sexual attraction to people. The only major asexual or aromantic representation I can think of in popular culture is Todd Chavez in BoJack Horseman - other characters are the subject of fan speculation as aro/ace, but Todd is one of the few to actually say the word ‘asexual’. The Netflix show offers a deep, complex, mature look into asexuality, and touches on why aro/ace people often grow
Read more on thegamer.com
