Netflix's LGBTQ+ Rep Is Great (But We Can’t Ignore The Problem)

screenrant.com:

Netflix has been releasing new content with some massively positive LGBTQ+ representation, however, there is a larger negative problem with the platform that viewers cannot ignore. Recent years have seen a shift in media in general towards greater positive LGBTQ+ representation and storytelling. While there have been plenty of missteps along the way, even Disney’s checkered history with queer representation is now leaning in a more positive direction.

While some are often quick to accuse LGBTQ+ representation in media of being a purely political move, it plays an important role in society at large. For queer individuals, it can be important to see their lives, struggles, and joy portrayed in the media they consume, and for people outside the community, it can give a better understanding of LGBTQ+ people and how to support them. This is always important, but it is particularly relevant in the 2020s as countries like the United States have seen an exponential increase in anti-LGBTQ+ policies and legislation.

Related: Why LGBTQ+ Representation Is So Important In Media

Netflix is providing some of that important positive LGBTQ+ representation and should be lauded for that. However, Netflix is also promoting keystone content that actively harms the LGBTQ+ community by platforming transphobic and homophobic content and talking points. Here’s a breakdown of Netflix’s recent positive and negative LGBTQ+-related content, their plans for the future, and why what they’re doing is a problem.

Netflix has had a particularly strong run of positive LGBTQ+ representation with multiple shows including important LGBTQ+ characters and stories, shows that focus on explicitly queer central narratives, and content that has helped to spotlight