Queer Representation Should Never Be A Competition

thegamer.com:

Fandoms are territorial places. People will gather around things they adore and make them into facets of their personality that must be defended to the ends of the earth. We see this with films, games, television shows, and even real-life celebrities who became cultural icons unto themselves. This is not, and will never be, a good thing.

I’ve always found it unhealthy to allow things to become an immovable part of who you are, even more so given the impermanence associated with them. But so many of these fandoms involve young fans who are yet to understand the parasocial ideas that underpin so many of the bad habits and unhealthy attitudes that permeate these spaces regardless of what they happen to revolve around. In my area of work I’ve seen it happen in recent months with The Owl House, Amphibia, Heartstopper, Our Flag Means Death, and so many other pieces of media that actually involving myself in the fabric of fandoms is exhausting.

Related: Heartstopper’s Renewal Is A Huge Victory For Queer Storytelling

This is especially true when it comes to queer representation. LGBTQ+ storytelling is still advancing, and only in recent years have we seen mainstream stories that do justice to all those under the queer umbrella. For years we have existed in a world where representation had to be unearthed in subtext, while actual characters and themes were marred by harmful stereotypes and damaging depictions of who we are amidst a society that was yet to accept us. We are still fighting that battle, one we aren’t always lucky enough to win, so to bicker amongst ourselves over fictional battle lines only serves to deal further damage.

I’m going to run through a few recent examples of shows I adore that have been pulled into