13 Reasons Why: “As we prepare to launch Season 3 later this summer,” it said, “we’ve been mindful about
the ongoing debate [regarding suicide and depression among teens] around the show. So on the advice of
medical experts ... we’ve decided ... to edit the scene in which Hannah takes her own life from Season 1.”
Even though this comes after numerous protests, it remains an example of producers taking responsibility
for their content and showing that they care about minimising harm to vulnerable watchers.
Another soap, Eastenders, is set to introduce its first Muslim lesbian character, Iqra Ahmed, played by Priya
Davdra. Lesbian viewers – and others eager for good representation – will certainly hope that Iqra benefits
from the mistakes of the past. Unfortunately, we won’t be surprised if she doesn’t.
There is a solution to this rinse-and-repeat cycle of rarely giving LGBT+ characters much to celebrate. And
it’s a simple one: queer women need to write their own stories. Queer media needs to amplify the voices of
their own people. And allies need to check their privilege.