Two pirates falling madly in love. Baseball players navigating misogyny and forbidden romances. Young people learning more about themselves and the world around them.These are some of the plotlines for the recent
highly-acclaimed, much-beloved shows that have been canceled on major streaming platforms like Netflix, HBO, Disney+, and more. One of the big things they all have in common:
queer representation and racial inclusivity.Sign the petition to demand these platforms renew diverse, queer-inclusive shows!Such blatant discrimination doesn't even make any market sense. Many of these shows had extremely high ratings, devoted fans, and very high viewer numbers. On top of that, more people than ever are openly embracing their true, full, authentic selves - including their LGBTQ+ identities - so market demand for queer-inclusive media is higher than it has ever been.
According to GLAAD,
36% of characters on TV shows that were LGBTQ+ won't be on our screens again next year - and the vast majority of this is due to cancellations.In total, executives at major streaming platforms have canceled 36 shows that highlight LGBTQ+ representation. This includes fan favorites like Our Flag Means Death, A League of Their Own, The Other Two, Everything Now, and Shadow and Bone.
Meanwhile, by contrast, the media outlet Gay Times
points out that the often-mocked show Two and a Half Men ran for 262 episodes over the course of 12 seasons.
Representation is important.
When we don't see ourselves reflected in the media around us, we're left with the nagging worry that we somehow exist outside of society, never belonging. We have to speak out to make sure giant streaming services don't continue this chilling trend of excluding queer people and diverse storylines from our screens!
TV show providers need to get with the times. We want more queer representation - not less. They can't bring us back to the stone ages of silence, erasure, and invisibility. Sign the petition to demand HBO, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and Paramount+ renew their highly-performing queer TV shows now! 