The Different Ways to Represent Diversity
Recently, two shows have stirred up the lesbian migration (what we like to call the swarm of a large community of queer women hopping from tv show to tv show) in massive ways.
I've seen people calling one or both of these shows some of the best representation the lesbian community has ever received. As they're both short series, 10 episodes each, and in the fantasy/sci-fi realms, I figured I'd check them out and see what all the hype was about. I was surprised, however, that they had a parallel but opposing theme.
Utopia Falls is sort of like if The Hunger Games met X-Factor, showing a group of musical teens from a dystopian future discovering a forbidden archive of historical, cultural and musical relics that forces them to question everything they've been taught. The world drove itself to the brink of destruction after everyone's intolerance of each other's differences started too many wars, so in the new world, New Babylon, no one is treated differently based on how they look. However, there were still people struggling and being persecuted because of where they came from or who they were.
Utopia Falls' message was that not everyone is equal and it is okay to address those differences. When the protagonists discover music from the past, they fall in love with rap because it is the first time they've ever heard people stand up to the government. They learn how to peacefully protest and begin to spread the message through New Babylon that it is okay to speak out about your individual experience, good or bad. The main characters are a diverse group and they manage to tackle a variety of subjects (race, disabilities, privilege, adoption, being seen as "disposable"). While the main focus of the show is racism, there is a lesbian couple that is not judged on their sexuality and given a decent amount of screen time.
The show talks about how the concept of unity works until you begin sweeping the suffering of a community under the rug. Summing it up nicely, the main character, Bohdi, says "You don't have to feel guilty for what you have, but just be aware of those who got less".
Motherland: Fort Salem tells the story of three young witches training in combat magic to defend the country from looming terrorist threats by using supernatural tactics and weapons. The show exists in an alternate reality where witches exposed their existence during the Salem Witch Trials. Everything changed because of that, including how diversity is recognized. Slaves were freed a lot sooner when many of them were discovered to be witches. And sexuality is not something that is ever acknowledged as different because magic (or "work" as it is called on the show) can be fueled by sexual energy, emotion, and love. You are expected to procreate to keep the witch bloodlines strong and healthy, but other than you can love anyone you want.
The main romance of the show is between two women and they face no judgement for their sexuality, only their personalities. Motherland's theory is that differences will only remain different if we continue to point them out, even shining a positive light on them. The show never patted themselves on the back for making their main protagonist a lesbian nor did they treat her differently because of it, it was just a part of her character. They also really stuck to their theory because they didn't just feature one gay couple; there are several scenes where same-sex relationships are featured prominently in the background, including in a dance that is meant to lead you to your true partner.
It creates a beautiful world where sexuality really is irrelevant and people are encouraged to be with who they want to be with. As Amalia Holm, an actor from the show, puts it: "This is an alternate universe where there are no hetero-norms, so you're not really queer because there's no norm to be queer about".
While both shows take wildly different approaches, they both take a stab at the classic take on diversity and how it's clearly not working. Each show had a different theory about how to improve upon our classic system and I would say they both, in their own right, succeeded.
Live footage of a migration
Utopia Falls, from Hulu
Motherland: Fort Salem, from Freeform
I've seen people calling one or both of these shows some of the best representation the lesbian community has ever received. As they're both short series, 10 episodes each, and in the fantasy/sci-fi realms, I figured I'd check them out and see what all the hype was about. I was surprised, however, that they had a parallel but opposing theme.
Utopia Falls is sort of like if The Hunger Games met X-Factor, showing a group of musical teens from a dystopian future discovering a forbidden archive of historical, cultural and musical relics that forces them to question everything they've been taught. The world drove itself to the brink of destruction after everyone's intolerance of each other's differences started too many wars, so in the new world, New Babylon, no one is treated differently based on how they look. However, there were still people struggling and being persecuted because of where they came from or who they were.
Utopia Falls' message was that not everyone is equal and it is okay to address those differences. When the protagonists discover music from the past, they fall in love with rap because it is the first time they've ever heard people stand up to the government. They learn how to peacefully protest and begin to spread the message through New Babylon that it is okay to speak out about your individual experience, good or bad. The main characters are a diverse group and they manage to tackle a variety of subjects (race, disabilities, privilege, adoption, being seen as "disposable"). While the main focus of the show is racism, there is a lesbian couple that is not judged on their sexuality and given a decent amount of screen time.
The show talks about how the concept of unity works until you begin sweeping the suffering of a community under the rug. Summing it up nicely, the main character, Bohdi, says "You don't have to feel guilty for what you have, but just be aware of those who got less".
Motherland: Fort Salem tells the story of three young witches training in combat magic to defend the country from looming terrorist threats by using supernatural tactics and weapons. The show exists in an alternate reality where witches exposed their existence during the Salem Witch Trials. Everything changed because of that, including how diversity is recognized. Slaves were freed a lot sooner when many of them were discovered to be witches. And sexuality is not something that is ever acknowledged as different because magic (or "work" as it is called on the show) can be fueled by sexual energy, emotion, and love. You are expected to procreate to keep the witch bloodlines strong and healthy, but other than you can love anyone you want.
The main romance of the show is between two women and they face no judgement for their sexuality, only their personalities. Motherland's theory is that differences will only remain different if we continue to point them out, even shining a positive light on them. The show never patted themselves on the back for making their main protagonist a lesbian nor did they treat her differently because of it, it was just a part of her character. They also really stuck to their theory because they didn't just feature one gay couple; there are several scenes where same-sex relationships are featured prominently in the background, including in a dance that is meant to lead you to your true partner.
It creates a beautiful world where sexuality really is irrelevant and people are encouraged to be with who they want to be with. As Amalia Holm, an actor from the show, puts it: "This is an alternate universe where there are no hetero-norms, so you're not really queer because there's no norm to be queer about".
While both shows take wildly different approaches, they both take a stab at the classic take on diversity and how it's clearly not working. Each show had a different theory about how to improve upon our classic system and I would say they both, in their own right, succeeded.
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