Why LGBT representation in pop culture matters

Remember that moment when Korra and Asami kissed? Remember swooning to Hayley Kiyoko’s “Girls Like Girls”? Cheering for Queer Eye? Crying over Moonlight or Love, Simon?

Rare moments in pop culture allow LGBT people to see themselves fully, such as in Tangerine or Sense8, but in other moments we learn to catch glimpses of ourselves, like when Magnus and Alec fell in love on Shadowhunters or Janelle Monáe’s “Dirty Computer” emotion picture. These moments are few and far between, and sometimes we invent them: there’s a queerness to certain pop culture icons that are never fleshed out even as others live the lives we wish we could.

This is a space where pop culture becomes a mirror and delivers with it a reckoning of who we really are. This is a space for People Like Me.

People Like Me

Natalie Wee is a writer and community-builder of Peranakan descent.

Keep Reading

Guitar with flying notes on scene in empty vintage room with black background

Taylor Swift is beyond cooked

With “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore,” the most popular artist of our generation has officially sold out. Her biggest fans are paying the price
Tinashe in front of a large crowd

On ‘Popstar,’ Tinashe proves just how singular she is

For much of her career, Tinashe has been dogged by comparisons to other artists. She’s fighting back the best way she can: by making great music

‘Monster’ butchers queer history to tell a tale of lesbian revenge

In rewriting Lizzie Borden’s story, Ryan Murphy’s show sensationalizes women’s violence
Josh Silver

‘Fruit Fly’ author Josh Silver has a sweet tooth—and the summer’s buzziest book

The English writer talks the duality of social media, how nursing helped his draft—and the cost of massive success
Advertisement