BY: Nick Fulton
Published 2 hours ago
From Heated Rivalry to White Lotus to Brokeback Mountain, people are crazy about gay sex on screen. These stories draw millions of eyes and are “I made it moments for lesser-known actors and creatives. So why do these stories get so much attention, and what are they missing?
An Industry Built Without Queer Stories
LGBTQIA+ people have always been at the center of creative industries, but they have not always been able to be at that center in roles that feel like themselves. The first openly gay character in an American TV show appeared in 1972 on the ABC sitcom The Corner Bar. While this was a first nod toward inclusion, these roles historically have capitalized on homophobic tropes, emphasizing a character’s femininity to make sure audiences know they are not straight.
This all changed in 2005 with the award-winning motion picture, Brokeback Mountain. The movie not only included gay characters but centered the story on two male characters falling in and out of love with each other. This was not something viewers were used to, but it was the beginning of a deeper trend we see playing out today.
What People Want, and What People Get
Viewers want something new. The same movies about a girl in a small town falling in love with a big city lawyer are not exciting; they have been played out thousands of times. But the story of two hockey players pushing each other around on the ice under the weight of huge sexual tension, guilt, and confusing feelings. That is something we haven’t seen on Hallmark.
Well over 10 million Americans tuned into Heated Rivalry earlier this year. Viewers are fascinated with gay intimacy because it feels new; it feels dangerous. LGBTQIA+ people in America remain under significant pressure. With just over a decade of marriage equality, elected leaders still threaten its revocation. Services and funding for people living with HIV are constantly under attack. Hate crimes against LGBTQIA+ remain on the rise year after year. While viewers love to watch a steamy scene between two actors of the same sex, they must be reminded that these stories are so much deeper than a crush.
Including Prevention
What these viral stories tend to leave out is how the characters protect themselves. Sexual health and prevention are never part of the story, but it should be. In 2022, there were over 30,000 new cases of HIV in the U.S. alone. The fear, the confusion, and the vulnerability that comes with intimacy are part of these relationships that don’t make it to screen. However, if we watched a character in a viral same sex relationship take a PrEP pill during a getting-ready montage, not only would that create a more realistic plot, but it could also encourage conversations about uptake and prevention.
Viewers deserve to see more queer people on screens. Not just in viral storylines, but every single day. And those stories should be real. If creatives in the writers’ room are talking about sex and intimacy, they should be talking about prevention too.
About Mistr
Mistr is a gay-owned and operated online platform that brings together doctors, pharmacists, and industry minds to provide resources and PrEP to folks in need. Instead of relying on insurance providers to approve the purchase of PrEP, Mistr cuts out the middleman to help people get their prescriptions covered.
