Over the past few years, there's been a ton of conversation about the power of representation. The TV and film industries have made major strides forward, showing diverse stories and featuring more women, people of color, and LGTBQ+ stories. While queer characters were historically given tragic fates onscreen, that’s been changing with feel-good titles like the YA series Heartstopper and Amazon’s rom-com Red, White and Royal Blue. And while these projects are super healing for queer folks like me, I’ve got one complaint. After all, there’s still more work to do regarding representation.
Part of why Heartstopper became such a hit for those with a Netflix subscription is because the series is a feel-good innocent take on coming out and being a queer teenager. Red, White and Royal Blue was also romantic and has low stakes drama, making for a delightful rom-com experience. But the problem is that these stories still aren’t being made starring people of color.
To be fair, one of the main characters from Red, White and Royal Blue (which is based off a book of the same name) is Alex Claremont-Diaz, who is Latino. But the story isn’t necessarily focused much on his cultural heritage. What’s more, his white mother played by Uma Thurman has a much more significant role than his Latino father. Heartstopper features actors of color, but its two adorable leading men are both white. So when will these heartwarming queer stories star, let’s say, two Black men?
This isn’t so much a complaint about these two projects, but about the industry as a whole. I found it really heartwarming to watch both Heartstopper and Red, White and Royal Blue, as lighthearted romantic comedies don’t typically focus on LGBTQ+ characters. Like so many queer people, I wished my younger self had the chance to watch these stories play out, and see a future where someone like me got a happy ending. And that’s an experience I think that queer people of color deserve to have just as much as myself.
Hopefully the success of those projects helps to inspire more low drama LGBTQ+ romantic projects to be produced. Fans instantly took to Red, White and Royal Blue, as did critics who gave it a high Rotten Tomatoes score. Although there was some debate about why it was rated R. Given its popularity on Amazon, perhaps Red, White and Royal Blue will end up getting a sequel.
As for Heartstopper, the second season was also trending on Netflix after it debuted its second season. The show’s supporting cast got more fleshed out in Season 2, when Charlie and Nick finally stopped kissing for a few minutes. Hopefully it means more LGBTQ+ stories will be told, specifically some that are focused on the experience of being a young queer person of color.
Red, White and Royal Blue is streaming on Amazon, and both seasons of Heartstopper are on Netflix. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
