Thoughts On LGBT In Television

How the LGBT community is portrayed in the media around the world is either well written and accepting or just plain awful depending on the shows production which isn't giving guidance to those struggling with their sexual orientation. Don't get me wrong, there are stories i've come across that have been beautifully written (listed below) and i like watching them repeatedly, falling in love with stories all over again. Since i was in my teens (13 years old to be exact) i have enjoyed embracing the beauty of a same sex relationship and it always frustrated me as to why people think it's okay to be ignorant about ones sexual preference regardless of up bringing, culture - we deserve equality and love.

As the years went on i became more curious about the LGBT community and the representation in television and reality as well as discovering more beautiful same sex couples.Around the world same sex couples, people of certain sexual preferences are portrayed differently either flamboyant or eccentric - i personally like relationships begining as a friendship and then developing into a beautiful relationship no matter what sexual preference they maybe, i enjoy seeing relationships blossoming and going from strength to strength. Here are some of my favourite gay love stories from shows of different continents

Christian & Syed

Christian and Syed are a couple from a British soap Eastenders, who fell in love after growing closer and having an affair. Syed's storylines have seen him fall in love with a man ie Christian, and his eventual acceptance that he is gay. Although they don't come from the same religious backgrounds and the relationship was forbidden. Syed initially marries girlfriend Amira Shah but later comes out, and enters a relationship with Christian, despite the pressures of his family and his Muslim faith. true love prevailed and Chryed decided to leave their mistakes in The Square, married & departed, hand in hand to embark on a new life in America, off screen they returned to the UK and set up a home in Birmingham with their daughter Yasmine (whom Syed fathered) Over the years Eastenders has introduced different characters within LGBTQ community and handling it very well with issues and identification

 Kurt & Blaine

Kurt and Blaine are a young couple from the US tv show Glee, and as soon has they met the viewers got behind them wanting Kurt to finally be happy with someone as wonderful as Blaine. They met in season 2 episode 6 (Never Been Kissed) after Kurt spies on the rival show chior competion The Warblers, they immediately become friends. They begin dating in Original Song, after Blaine kisses Kurt, forming the first male-male couple on Glee. In The Purple Piano Project, Blaine transfers to McKinley to be with Kurt, telling him that he can't stand being apart from the person he loves, as the series goes on there has been a few bumps on road with them breaking up, getting back together and becoming engaged. Yet again with an extra bump in the road, you guessed it - they break up BUT before the last series is over they spontaneously get married. When Glee first began Kurt was the only character who in the LGBTQ most talked about and as the seasons went along more characters were introduced such as Trans and Questioning

Jude & Connor

Connor and Jude are a young couple from another US tv series The Fosters, they are classmates and best friends. The two met in math class and occasionally talk and hang out while in school. For most of the series, Connor is Jude's only real friend in school, something that is a concern to those around him later on in the series. The two officially form their bond as close friends when Connor defends Jude after he is bullied for wearing blue nail polish by showing up at school proudly wearing nail polish as well. Ever since this, the two maintain a steady and strong friendship. However, in season 1b, Jude begins to question if he may like Connor as more than a friend after getting jealous when Connor wants to ask out a female classmate. 

Connor and Jude's relationship begins to grow from friendship to romance. It is first told that they did something "wrong" while in their tent on a school camping trip, which is at first claimed to have been a hook up with two girls. However, this is later revealed to be a lie, and what actually happened was the two boys shared a kiss themselves Their relationship faces a stump when Connor gets a girlfriend, Daria, in order to please his father. Despite smoothing things out with his dad,Connor's relationship with Daria puts a major strain on his personal relationship with Jude. although he has a girlfriend, Connor begins to flirt with Jude, such as locking pinkies with him while they are on a double date, before Jude finally demands to know where their relationship stands. Connor responds to this by kissing Jude.

 Sick of his father's emotional abuse, Connor finally comes out to his dad and reveals he snuck out in order to spend time with Jude. After a brief ban from seeing each other as a result, Connor and Jude are finally reunited. In the end of the season, it is said that they are officially dating.

 In season 3 they face the challenges of being a same sex couple at their young age trying to determine how public they wish for their relationship to be, However, they are publicly outed instead by Taylor and a second time by Adam, although Jude still refuses to label himself as gay nonetheless, at an LGBT dance Jude finally accepts he is gay and is able to say it - making Connor happy, sharing a dance. Connor considers moving to Los Angeles to live with his mother since his father, despite his best effort, is still clearly unaccepting of his homosexuality. While Jude is initially upset, he eventually tells him to go ahead with moving in with his mother if it means he can find the true support and happiness he needs. They promise to keep the relationship going, knowing how the distance isn't that far. Jude and Connor then profess their love for each other for the first time. The Fosters is surrounding a lesbian interracial couple and their family, the series introduces various of characters that identify with LGBTQ and i love that they talk about all kinds of issues faced in the real world within young people.

 Paulo & Miguel

Paulo & Miguel are couple from a portuguese series The Kiss Of The Scorpian or "O Beijo do Escorpião" as it is called in Portuguese. Paulo and Miguel are best friends who also happen to pilot and co-pilot private planes as their job. Paulo is gay and he is closeted to most people except for a few people, such as his sister Teresa. Despite being his best friend, Miguel has no idea Paulo is gay and that's because Miguel is a homophobe! To add more wood to the fire, Paulo's boss hates gay people and WILL fire anyone who is gay...so Paulo not only has to keep his sexuality a secret from his best friend, but also his boss and everyone that works there! A few episodes into their storyline, Paulo and Miguel get incredibly drunk. They end up at Paulo's house and fall on Paulo's couch, one thing leads to another and they end up sleeping together. Which Miguel doesn't remember & Paulo tells Miguel he slept on the couch to avoid Miguel's homophobia.
When Miguel does remember everything, he is fuming. Paulo and Miguel get into a fight and Miguel puts it upon himself to make Paulo's life a misery, Paulo reveals to Teresa that he has been in love with Miguel for years, which is also why he would not commit to his friend Leo and only fooled around with him. Miguel despises Paulo for quite a while, and becomes a very nasty character. Who is out to get Paulo and he even tries outing Paulo to his boss so he can get fired, but if he does, Paulo would do the same to Miguel because they did sleep together after all! 
Thanks to Paulo's friend Marta, he does not get outed the few times Miguel tries to out Paulo to his boss. Marta acts as a beard for Paulo in times of need, which annoys Miguel, but also makes Miguel incredibly jealous too!
Near the end of the feud, Miguel does start to question his sexuality, but he doesn't understand right away because he's always been into women. But when Paulo's plane crashes, he is presumed dead, Miguel finally realizes his feelings when his hatred for Paulo turns into love. Miguel is relived to get a phone call that Paulo is fine,except for a few minor scratches.
When Miguel and Paulo meet after everyone thought Paulo was dead, they have a very cute reunion and eventually leads to something else.They tell Marta that they're together now, and Marta brings a good point. How are they going to keep working at the private jet company if they have recognized their feelings for each other, there will always be some sort of romantic lighting for the two of them. Even if they're together and Miguel has changed, their boss is still a homophobe. When they go back to their job for just a conversation with their boss about the plane crash, they decide once they leave to have some fun in a hotel. There's a very cute and flirty scenes, Their boss finds out and fires them, there and then - so now they are out of work, their dream job they have to figure out something and they both say, as long as they're together they can do anything! Miguel is still trying to figure out whats what with himself and his sexuality; he doesn't think he's gay, but he does love Paulo. Basically, Miguel's sexuality is Paulo, they decide to buy a diving store with the money they earned from working at the airline and make it their own, As the show winds down, Miguel proposes and the two eventually get married and have a cute wedding ceremony in an airport... Which became the first same sex wedding aired on Portuguese television and as far as i'm aware Miguel and Paulo were the centered LGBTQ characters and it was said from the get go, their relationship would develop romantically. 

Here are my other favourite stories featuring same sex pairings and LGBT representation:

Joscha and Kai - Alles Was Zählt

Lito and Hernando - Sense 8

Kevin and Scotty - Brothers & Sisters

Lari & Elias - Salatut Elämät

Jude and Zero - Hit The Floor

I would personally like to see more LGBT representation on television, movies and many others around the world. I find it interesting with different portrayal's of same sex relationships and i hope we will see more Trans and Bisexualality explored more in various shows around the world. Because in reality, media and television, including music has a big impact on everyone, something that pushed the needle forward for LGBT visibility. Whether they depicted our lives, showed us in love (and lust), highlighted causes, or simply raised a fist in solidarity. I've noticed there's more LGBTQ representation in the UK and US, and few are changing how homosexuality, trans, bisexuality is viewed, it's opening hearts and minds. There is more of that to come in the future and the media & television are making a beautiful change in the world slowly but surely. I hope to see love and equality as the years go on because whats better than spreading love.

Here are some of favourite LGBT music video's with a powerful message: Tooji - Say Yeah, Christina Aguilera - Beautiful, MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - SAME LOVE feat. MARY LAMBERT, Backstreet Boys - In a World Like This, Demi Lovato - Really Don't Care, Tooji - Father, Joey Graceffa - Don’t Wait, if you find any beautiful like these send them my way! 

Open Your Heart & Mind

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