By ISABELL CHEUK and QUINN KWEIT
LGBTQ+ relationships on social media are becoming more common. One particular genre in which these relationships are becoming more prominent is in TV shows highlighting high school romances such as “Heartstopper” and “The Owl House.”
The television series “Heartstopper,” adapted from the WEBTOON graphic novels of the same name by Alice Oseman in 2022, is a recent example of positive LGBTQ+ representation in media. “Heartstopper” follows teenager Charlie Spring, a gay outcast at the all-boys Truman Grammar School, and his romance with his seatmate Nick Nelson.
Along with Nick and Charlie’s romance, other representation includes the lesbian relationship between students Tara Jones and Darcy Olsson. Another example is the character Elle Argent, a transgender girl who transfers from Truman to Higgs Girls School.
Jericho High School junior Aaron S. (he/him), who identifies as gay, questions the show’s realism. “I like how there’s a representation of gay people in high school in the media. But I mean with that it kind of presents an unrealistic standard,” he said.
Aaron believes that while “Heartstopper” contains a lot of queer relationships and LGBTQ+ relatable characters, the situations in “Heartstopper” aren’t realistic because of how our society is today. He said, “It’s just too good to be true.”
Aaron believes there’s still some room for improvement in terms of other identities within the LGBTQ+ community. He said, “I mean, of course, it could be better with increased representation of fluidity and other sexual orientations. Maybe intersex and asexuality is another big thing.”
The Disney Channel series “The Owl House,” created by Dana Terrace in 2020, follows the bisexual protagonist Luz Noceda as she falls in love with Amity Blight, a young witch she meets along a magical journey to save the world.
Straight-identifying Jericho junior Medha I. (she/her) praises the show’s portrayal of Luz and Amity’s relationship, “I love the dynamic between Amity and Luz. I love their enemies to lovers arc, love the action within the show and that it’s not all about the fact that they’re a gay couple and that it was just a side to it. And it’s not just trying to portray that and force it on us.”
Medha relates to “The Owl House” despite its fantasy setting. She believes that the show accurately displays the difficulties of being a teenager. “I can relate to Hunter’s type of not having an identity yet, or I guess of trying to figure out who you are,” she said.
Sophomore Micha K. finds “The Owl House” to be a TV game changer. “I like the show for its plot, but I also really like how much representation is in it. It’s revolutionary,” they said.
“The Owl House” also portrays characters of color, with Luz being Afro-Latina. Jericho sophomore Micha K. (he/they), who identifies as trans, is pleased with “The Owl House’s” diversity. “The show really diverges from the normalized cisgender white male leads,” said Micha.
TV shows like these that were once seen as inappropriate are now considered socially acceptable, and for many teens this is a positive change that is long overdue.