Hollywood's "Bury Your Gays" Trope Explaed: History & Controversy

Bury Your Gays is a trope where LGBT characters are killed off disproportnately often and/or whout jtifitn. This extends further to beg that … * bury your gays *

Bury Your Gays is a trope where LGBT characters are killed off disproportnately often and/or whout extends further to beg that often, pecially olr works (to the extent that they are found olr works, of urse), gay characters jt aren't allowed happy endgs. Of urse, n also happen to gay characters who aren't relatnships, particularly if they're Psycho Lbians or Depraved Homosexuals. This may be bee they are often afford more storyl that aren't exclively gay.

One discsed issue that may ntribute to so many works buryg their gays is that wrers stggle wh how to handle them — they are often created as a flat character wh "gay" as their entire characterizatn, so once the gay-related plots have dried out the wrers will recycle this one, too. In other s, a predomantly straight show may brg a gay character for a Very Special Episo and don't know how to anilly jt wre the character out once the story has been told, so kill them off stead. Addnally, if the stud or producers are lookg for thgs to cut, the characters that viewers are supposedly ls likely to associate wh will go revival of mass age of this trope 2015/16 (pecially wh regards to thgs that happened realy — an crease homophobic attacks, cludg the Pulse nightclub shootg), particularly for female LGBT characters, sparked a lot of outrage and a pledge ("The Lexa Pledge", after a ma lbian character on The 100 that was offhandly killed) to enurage show-nners' rensiratn if planng to implement the trope.

TRACKG THE ‘BURY YOUR GAYS’ TROPE

The "bury your gays" trope is one of Hollywood's most prevalent LGBTQ+ stori. Here is a plete explanatn of s meang and s history. * bury your gays *

The "bury your gays" trope is one of Hollywood's most prevalent LGBTQ+ stori.

In recent years, dienc have heard more about the "bury your gays" trope, leadg to qutns about s history Hollywood and why 's so ntroversial. Though some stori are slowly startg to break the mold, the bury your gays trope is one that ntu to plague LGBTQ+ media. What The "Bury Your Gays" Trope Means.

'BURY YOUR GAYS': WHY ARE SO MANY LBIAN TV CHARACTERS DYG OFF?

The seri fale of “Killg Eve” fell victim to the “Bury Your Gays” trope. Viewers served – and serve – better. * bury your gays *

The "bury your gays" trope has been so named bee LGBTQ+ characters are far more likely to die film and televisn than their cisgenr and heterosexual unterparts. In early film and 19th-century lerature, the bury your gays trope was actually a refuge for queer thors.

THE HISTORY OF THE BURY YOUR GAYS TROPE

* bury your gays *

This workaround allowed LGBTQ+ stori to be told but me at the price of queer characters beg portrayed as mentally ill or simply nfed and often rulted their lovers beg "fixed" of their homosexualy after their aths. "Bury Your Gays" And The Hays Co. One of the greatt exampl of the bury your gays trope unr the Hays Co is The Children's Hour, which tells the story of two boardg school teachers who are acced of havg a lbian affair.

"Bury Your Gays" In Morn Films. Though Hollywood has moved beyond the Hays Co, the bury your gays trope is still heavily prent LGBTQ+ narrativ. Queer characters morn film are equently the target of homophobia-driven abe, murr, and ridicule.

BURY YOUR GAYS: WHY ‘THE 100,’ ‘WALKG DEAD’ DEATHS ARE PROBLEMATIC (GUT COLUMN)

What is the Bury Your Gays trope? How did start? Why do still persist books and film to this very day? * bury your gays *

The AIDS epimic is another largely popular topic morn LGBTQ+ reprentatn, arrivg as yet another way for film creators to bury their gays.

Suici still prevails as another way "bury your gays" claims the liv of LGBTQ+ characters, often takg their liv as a rult of ostracizatn and rejectn.

Dpe the prevalent history of the bury your gays trope, there is still hope for the future of LGBTQ+ narrativ. As more queer stori are beg told, more diverse queer stori are beg told, and creators are leavg behd "bury your gays" to stead embrace fully-veloped LGBTQ+ characters and their stori. The "Bury Your Gays" trope has bee a part of cultual knowledge recent years, but not everyone has gotten the memo.

KILLG EVE FANS HATED THE FALE—BUT THEY’RE TAKG THE FAL WORD FOR THEMSELVALMOST IMMEDIATELY, THE VOTED ONLE FAN BASE OF THE BBC AMERI SERI GOT TO WORK FIXG THE “ATROC” FALE AND MISERATG WH OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN DISAPPOTED BY THE “BURY YOUR GAYS” TROPE.BY JENNIFER STILLAPRIL 13, 2022PHOTO BY ANIKA MOLNAR/©BBC-AMERI/EVERETT COLLECTN.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWH HOURS OF THE KILLG EVE FALE ON SUNDAY NIGHT, THE TER HAD GOTTEN TO WORK FIXG . ON TUMBLR AND THE FANFIC REPOSORY ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN, FANS SPNG TO ACTN TO REWRE THE ENDG THAT SAW JODIE COMER’S VILLANELLE AND SANDRA OH’S EVE A ROMANTIC EMBRACE—ONLY FOR VILLANELLE TO BE SHOT AND KILLED. THE REIMAGED STORI—ALL OF WHICH, LIKE THE FAL BOOK LE JENNGS’S ORIGAL TRILOGY, ALLOWED VILLANELLE AND EVE TO BUILD A HAPPY LIFE TOGETHER—WERE CLEAR THEIR MSAGE: VILLANELLE SERVED BETTER, AND THEY WERE GOG TO GIVE TO HER.WHILE STARTED OFF AS ONE OF THE MOST EXCGLY UNIQUE AND MMERIZG SHOWS ON TELEVISN, KILLG EVE END S FOUR-SEASON N FURIATG MANY OF THE FANS WHO HAD STUCK WH ALL ALONG. THE SHOW SPENT YEARS BRGG S TWO PROTAGONISTS TOGETHER, AS THE ASSASS VILLANELLE EMBRACED HER VULNERABILY AND EVE EMBRACED HER OWN DARK SI. FOR A FEW SHORT MOMENTS, THEY GOT TO WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM, AS REEE LOVERS CRAZY ABOUT EACH OTHER. AND THEN WAS TAKEN AWAY A WAY THAT WASN’T JT CEL, BUT STEREOTYPIL AND EXHSTG. WHILE EXPLORG THE PLEX NATURE OF THEIR HUMANY, JT AS SWIFTLY TORE THEM APART. BOTH WOMEN WERE ULTIMATELY ABLE TO ACCEPT THE QUALI THEY FOUGHT AGAST FOR SO LONG: VILLANELLE, HER VULNERABILY, AND EVE, HER DARK SI. HOWEVER, THAT ALL SEEMED TO BE FOR NOTHG THE END.THE “BURY YOUR GAYS” TROPE IS WELL DOCUMENTED AND ALL TOO FAIAR TO MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQIA+ MUNY WHO BEE ATTACHED TO QUEER CHARACTERS, ONLY TO HAVE THEM KILLED OFF. (LT WE FET THE 100’S LEXA AND TARA ON BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, JT TO NAME A FEW.) ON A SHOW LIKE KILLG EVE, WHERE EVERY SEASON ME WH A HIGH BODY UNT, WAS SOMEWHAT EXPECTED THAT VILLANELLE, EVE, OR BOTH WOULD ULTIMATELY DIE FOR THEIR MULTU OF SS. BUT SHOWNNER LRA NEAL KILLED OFF VILLANELLE SO SEEMGLY RELSLY, AFTER DANGLG THE RROT OF A FULLY REALIZED AND HAPPY (IF NOT SOMEWHAT DYSFUNCTNAL) LBIAN RELATNSHIP VIEWERS’ FAC. IT DIDN’T JT FEEL LIKE SLOPPY STORYTELLG— FELT PERSONAL.BUT ULD ALSO BE A BASIC LACK OF UNRSTANDG OF THE CHARACTERS. IN AN TERVIEW THAT FOLLOWED THE FALE, NEAL SUGGTED THAT VILLANELLE’S ATH WOULD BE A “REBIRTH” FOR EVE, AS IF SHE WOULD SIMPLY MOVE ON TO SOMETHG BIGGER AND BETTER. KILLG EVE HAS CHANGED SHOWNNERS WH EVERY SEASON, AND EACH ONE HAS HAD A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THE CHARACTERS AND HOW THEY MIGHT BEHAVE—BUT NEAL’S HAS CERTALY FELT THE MOST TACHED, EVEN IF UNTENTNALLY. THE FIRST SEVERAL EPISOS OF THE SEASON SAW VILLANELLE HAVG HALLUCATNS OF HERSELF AS J CHRIST WHILE EVE RRIED ON A JUVENILE AFFAIR WH A RANDOM FORMER ARY TELLIGENCE OFFICER WHO’D BEEN TRODUCED OUT OF NOWHERE, PLETELY IGNORG EVERYTHG THAT HAPPENED THE SEASON THREE FALE. IT WAS A PERPLEXG CHOICE THAT LEFT MANY FANS WONRG WHAT THE HELL HAD HAPPENED. AND WHILE THE SHOW EVENTUALLY CHED TOWARD A RNN BETWEEN VILLANELLE AND EVE E THE FALE, ALMOST SEEMED TO BE TOO LTLE, TOO LATE—NOT TO MENTN A HALF-HEARTED ATTEMPT AT FALLY GIVG FANS WHAT THEY WANTED BEFORE YANKG AWAY AGA.MEANWHILE, ON TUMBLR, FANS WERE DISAPPOTED BUT NOT SPONNT, REBLOGGG GIFS AND VIOS OF THE KISS BETWEEN EVE AND VILLANELLE, AS WELL AS OTHER MEMORABLE SCEN BETWEEN THE WOMEN, AND IGNORG THE ATH ALTOGETHER. MANY EXPRSED TRATN AT HOW LIBERATELY OBTE THE ENDG SEEMED, WH ONE WRG, “THE WRERS NOT ONLY BETRAYED THE DIENCE, BUT ALSO THE CHARACTERS.… THEY SERVED SO MUCH BETTER. WE SERVED SO MUCH BETTER.” ANOTHER ADD: “THERE’S CERTALY NOTHG NEW OR H OR CLEVER ABOUT GIVG QUEER CHARACTERS THE TRAGIC ENDG THEY WERE ALWAYS ‘STED’ TO HAVE, YET AGA. BUT WHATEVER.”THERE’S ALSO NO SHORTAGE OF REWR OF THAT FAL SCENE, WH NEARLY 100 FANFICS POPPG UP ON ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN, ALL OF WHICH KEEP VILLANELLE ALIVE AND DOMTIC BLISS WH EVE. “I N NOT GET OVER THE ATROC ENDG TO THE MOST BETIFUL PLITED LOVELY CHARACTER I’VE EVER SEEN ON MY SCREEN AND SHE SERV NOTHG BUT HAPPS SO THAT IS WHAT SHE IS GOG TO GET,” ONE THOR NOTED THE TRO TO THEIR TAKE ON THE EPISO.THE DISAPPOTED KILLG EVE FANS WERE, MUCH TO THEIR DISMAY, JOG A WELL-TABLISHED TV MUNY. FANS WHO REMEMBERED THE LIK OF LEXA, TARA, AND ARROW’S SARA LANCE—TO NAME A FEW—MISERATED OVER HOW MON KILLG OFF LGBTQ CHARACTERS REMAS ON TV. OTHERS REFED TO BELIEVE THAT VILLANELLE HAD DIED AT ALL, SUGGTG THAT SHE HAD FAKED HER ATH. WHILE SEEMS PRETTY CLEAR THAT VILLANELLE REALLY DID DIE, ACCEPTG IS A WHOLE OTHER STORY.MOST POPULARTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANOWELE TO SALTBURN’S TWISTED GOTHIC TALEBY REBEC FORDWH MATRO, LEONARD BERNSTE’S LEGACY AND LOV FALLY H THE BIG SCREENBY REBEC FORDAS TV HAS EXPAND TO CLU NEW VOIC OVER THE PAST , QUEER REPRENTATN HAS IMPROVED DRAMATILLY, OM HBO’S 19TH-CENTURY HISTORIL DRAMA GENTLEMAN JACK TO THE MULTIPLE QUEER PS WHO POPULATED THE PRECCT THE S BROOKLYN NE-NE. KILLG EVE HAD S PLACE THAT NON UNTIL THE ENDG PLACED ANOTHER TEGORY ENTIRELY. WHEN STORI ARE MISHANDLED THE HANDS OF STRAIGHT WRERS, ’S UP TO QUEER FANS WHO HAVE OFTEN SPENT YEARS VTG THOSE STORI TO RIGHT THOSE WRONGS AND TO GIVE THE CHARACTERS THE TREATMENT WE FEEL THEY SERVE. WE BEE PROTECTIVE OVER THEM, LARGELY BEE WE FEEL WE UNRSTAND THEM WAYS THAT MANY OTHERS DON’T. BEE OF THIS, WHEN WE SEE THEM TREATED UNFAIRLY OR WHOUT THE RPECT AND NSIRATN THEY SERVE, THE ONLY WAY WE N FIX THGS IS BY IGNORG NON AND CREATG OUR OWN STORI.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— THE “HOT MS” DUCHS AT THE CENTER OF A ’60S SEX SNDAL— JTICE FOR GIRLS: LOOKG BACK ON THE SHOW 10 YEARS LATER— THE JOHNNY DEPP–AMBER HEARD TRIAL: HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?— AMANDA SEYIED WANTS TO REPRISE HER ROLE AS ELIZABETH HOLM— HOW THE CAST OF THIS IS US WON EQUAL PAY— WILL SMH BANNED FROM THE OSRS FOR 10 YEARS AFTER THE SLAP— NETFLIX’S THE ULTIMATUM OFFERS A SADISTIC TWIST ON REALY ROMANCE— FROM THE ARCHIVE: HOW DAVID ZASLAV BEME AMERI’S KG OF CONTENT— SIGN UP FOR THE “HWD DAILY” NEWSLETTER FOR MT-READ DTRY AND AWARDS VERAGE—PL A SPECIAL WEEKLY EDN OF “AWARDS INSIR.”JENNIFER STILL

Almost immediately, the voted onle fan base of the BBC Ameri seri got to work fixg the “atroc” fale and miseratg wh others who have been disappoted by the “bury your gays” trope. * bury your gays *

The trope also extends to films, and gay and bi men. Shows like Killg Eve, and most recently, Hoe of the Dragon, are still btally and needlsly killg off their queer characters stead of lettg them be are 15 of the most egreg -- and btal -- recent exampl of the Bury Your Gays trope. Hoe of the Dragon didn't blaze this trail for GOT buryg s gays.

All throughout s n, fans were beggg for a gay uple to be troduced on Netflix's Voltron. And jt like that, the show's only gay uple was gone. It: Chapter Two's gay bashg scene.

Y, It is a horror movie about a murro embodiment of evil, but that don't mean that viewers were ready to see an extremely graphic gay-bashg scene to open the film up.

‘BURY YOUR GAYS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF TRAGIC QUEER HORROR’ WANT YOUR HORROR STORY SUBMISSNS

'Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Queer Horror' is lookg for short story submissns! Learn more now on Dread Central. * bury your gays *

At the begng of the movie we travel to Derry's past, where we see two gay men on a date get terpted by a group of homophobic bigots, beat up, and thrown to the 's an uncserly upsettg scene that followed a great first movie.

This year, the Halloween anchise brought s first gay characters s 43-year history.

BURY YOUR GAYS

Big John and Ltle John were troduced Halloween Kills as jt an average gay uple, who unfortunately, lived the hoe that Michael Meyers grew up .

In the latt episo, we fally got to see the show's lone gay male character, Laenor Valaryon, get a lover.

But for viewers all-too-faiar wh the pa of watchg a queer character meet a tragic end – a trope referred to as “Buryg/Bury Your Gays” – felt like a shot to the back. Not every gay ath is an example of this trope. While few expected a perfect endg, many saw Villanelle’s ath as another sordid entry the “Bury Your Gays” trope bee, like other televisn and film moments unted among the offenrs, an LGBTQ+ character was killed off dub narrative fashn, and a way that unfortably centered on her sexualy.

BURY YOUR GAYS: HOW N THE MEDIA DO BETTER FOR THE LGBTQ+ MUNY?

There is a difference between a typil ath and one that adher to harmful “Bury Your Gays” narrativ.

BURY YOUR GAYS (AND YOUR BISEXUALS)

“Whether ’s tentnal or not, more recent moments rell a eply homophobic history and relay the ia that queerns is punishable. The Hays Co effectively forba pictns of homosexualy, which was nsired a form sexual viancy.

” So, characters uld be gay, but only if they were portrayed negatively and received some sort of punishment. For two s, bound by the l, gay characters on screen were evil, nnivg, and ultimately doomed.

(The Amerin Psychiatric Associatn emed homosexualy to be a mental illns until 1973, and homosexual acts weren’t crimalized on a feral level until 2003.

Recent Posts

Tags

Contents: