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Why LGBTQIA+ Representation Matters
In books, movies, and all forms of media and entertainment
When I was fourteen, I realized I liked girls.
The only thing I knew about the LGBT+ community was that lesbians were girls who liked girls, gay men were into other men, and bisexual people liked both genders. The reason I knew such facts was because of queer representation on t.v. shows (and fanfics).
I grew up Christian, and while I never heard anything negative toward the LGBT+ community, I didn’t hear anything positive about it either. I heard nothing — which can be just as detrimental.
I think I’m lucky. I realized I liked girls in my early teen years, and others can’t accept that fact, for numerous reasons. sometimes until they’re forty or fifty-years-old.
Knowing this is heartbreaking because it means that for decades, this person had to pretend to be someone they’re not. They shoved down their feelings and thoughts, and maybe even got married, kissed, and had sex with someone they were not attracted to.
