Today, authentic LGBTQ+ representation in TV is more important than ever since it reflects the community's diverse experiences, fosters a sense of inclusivity, challenges stereotypes, and provides meaningful representation that resonates with audiences to promote understanding and acceptance. However, in recent years, we’ve seen a trend where LGBTQ+ shows have been increasingly canceled, some after just one season, with Netflix being the biggest culprit.

In this episode, we’re examining Netflix’s recent cancellations of LGBTQ+ shows, comparing their approach to queer content with other media companies, and exploring the streaming giant's controversies surrounding decisions in the realm of LGBTQ+ storytelling.

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Snarky Opener (0:00)

Why yes, Netflix, I was still watching, so why did you cancel my gay shows?

Episode Introduction (0:25)

Hello, my LGBTQuties, and welcome back to another episode of A Jaded Gay. I'm Rob loveless, and today, I am a non-jaded gay because this is very exciting for me. And you're going to think I'm nerdy for this, but it made me happy.

So, as you know, I live in Philadelphia, and I love it here. I know, a lot of people have opinions about Philly. And they say this and that. But I just, I really enjoy the city. I love my house. I love where I'm at. So, I love being here.

That being said, you know, I want to keep the city beautiful. And there's one block by me where there's particularly a lot of trash. And it's like a small block, it's not, like, a full city block. It's kind of like a weird intersection where a road diagonally, like, intersects it. So really, it's like, kind of like a triangular, little block.

And obviously, you know, when people put their trash out the night before, sometimes it's stormy, sometimes the wind blows. So, trash gets blown around. Sometimes, you know, waste management is a little careless, and they spill the trash. So that's, you know, frustrating. But when it happens to me, I just pick up the stuff around my house.

But anyway, this mini block by me, you know, for months has just been trashed. I mean, there's always trash along the sidewalks there. They have some, like, open parts of the concrete where they have trees growing there. And there's been broken glass there for months. It's just been piling up, there's been downed tree branches for months.

And it's really unsightly because it's a nice little area, but just this trash is piling up, and no one's been picking it up. And I don't know if it was somebody dumping it there or if it was the business that's there.

Although it kind of seems odd that it would be them. There's also a business right across the street from this place. And that business, I mean, their sidewalks are clean. So, I don't know why there was just a buildup of trash right along this one area here.

But obviously, I wanted to do something about it. And in Philly, they have different block captains to kind of keep Philly beautiful. So, I looked online under like waste management, under like Philly's waste management site, and you can report illegal dumping.

So, I submitted a report and I said, you know, full disclosure, I don't know if this is illegal dumping or if trash is just being blown around. But I explained the incident and told them the address where it's at. And that was about a week ago.

And then this morning, I was out walking my dog because where those, you know, open parts of the concrete are, where the trees are, is normally where, you know, he does his business. And yes, I always pick it up, because I refuse to be one of those dog owners who just leaves that around. That's disgusting.

But so, when I walked him to do his business today, all of a sudden, that whole sidewalk was cleaned up. Like the tree branches were gone, the trash was completely gone. There were some pieces of broken glass on the one side, but I'm wondering if they're still just getting to that. And even further than that, all the leaves that had fallen from those trees that had built up in those, like, openings of the concrete were completely cleared out.

Like, it's a whole new block. It's beautiful. So, I was really pleased to see that because, one, I didn't know if submitting my report would actually do anything. But I think it's a nice reminder, just, you know, our voices can bring about action, you know.

So, speak up if you see something that doesn't look right or doesn't seem right. I mean, be respectful about it. But I mean, raising your voice can have an impact. And for larger causes, if we're collectively raising our voices, who knows what we can achieve?

So again, I know you're probably thinking, oh, rah, rah, he's that, you know, little goody goody, who wants to make everything beautiful. And yeah, I do. Like I said, I love Philly. There's a lot of negative perceptions about it. And I think some of those perceptions are maybe incorrect or exaggerated. But that being said, you know, if you see something in your communities, raise your voice.

And for any of my Philly listeners who live in the city, just a reminder to keep your area clean. So, pick up after yourself. If you see something like this where you see trash building up in a location, definitely submit a report.

And let's all work together to keep the city clean because it does have a lot to offer. And you know, I love Philly. And, you know, I want the city to be beautiful since I love it so much.

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Netflix Keeps Cancelling LGBTQ+ Shows (4:17)

And from soap boxes to soaps, today we are talking about TV shows. So, way back when in the early days of the podcast, I did an episode on LGBTQ+ representation in TV and film. And we've certainly come a long way from the early stereotypical depictions of queer people.

But even though many streaming platforms have an LGBTQ+ section, that doesn't mean things are perfect. I mean, we still have straight actors playing gay characters and cisgender actors playing trans characters, and that just scratches the surface.

I mean, for starters, a good number of LGBTQ+ characters still lacked body, racial, and neurodiversity.

But with all that in mind, it seems like the limited LGBTQ+ shows we do have have been cancelled after just a few seasons if that. Specifically, I noticed recently that Netflix cancelled three LGBTQ+ shows in a short period of time.

So, I decided to put on my investigative journalist hat and do some digging. So, time to dust off that degree in broadcast journalism. Yes, that was actually my second major because I decided that, when I wanted to go into broadcast journalism, I either wanted to be Anderson Cooper or Ryan Seacrest.

You know, either do the hard-hitting journalism or the lighter entertainment news. So, two very separate ends of the spectrum there. But broadcasting just was not for me. At least in the traditional sense.

But, hey, I have a podcast. So maybe I'm using my degree after all. But anyway, with that investigative journalist hat on, we're going to talk about recent LGBTQ+ show cancellations.

Enter A Jaded Gay Giveaway (5:44)

But before we pull the tarot, though, I do just want to remind everyone, we're still taking entries for the A Jaded Gay two-year anniversary giveaway.

So, I know I teased it in the dating apps episode and I gave, you know, some information about how to enter into that competition. The post is up. So, if you haven't already, you know, check it out. Follow all the steps to get entered into the giveaway.

Again, you can do any or all the steps. So, if you just want to like and comment on it, you could get one entry. If you want to do all the steps and get 18 entries, you can do that too.

As a reminder, you have until Friday, April 26 to enter. The winner will be announced on air on the Tuesday, April 30 podcast episode.

And if you win, you will get A Jaded Gay t-shirt, hat, and wine tumbler, along with signed copies of both my books, A Family Affair and Eleftheria, and you'll get to choose a future topic for a podcast episode.

So, after you listen to this episode, go to the Instagram and check it out and do all the things.

Happy Anniversary (6:37)

And also, real quick, happy anniversary. This Friday, April 19, marks two years since A Jaded Gay podcast launched, and what a two years it's been.

It's been absolutely amazing. I'm so glad to have you all here supporting the podcast listening. I really appreciate all the positive feedback I get. You know, it makes me, it makes me happy. And I always get a smile on my face when I hear people saying how much the podcast means to them or that it's really hit home with them and helped them, you know, identify some areas they want to work on because that's the whole point of why I started this.

You know, I knew I wasn't alone, but I felt like myself and a lot of other gay men didn't talk about the things that are so common in our community. So, I really wanted to kind of create this platform where we can all support each other and help each other grow and thrive as healthy gay men. So again, thank you so much for the support.

And with that being said, I've talked enough at the beginning of this episode, so let's pull our tarot card.

Tarot (7:34)

So, the card for this episode is the Two of Pentacles. Pentacles, as you remember, is a Minor Arcana card, representative of earth. It's very grounding and stabilizing. It's feminine energy, so it's very nurturing and asking us to meditate.

Pentacles is about prosperity, putting in the hard work, and reaping the fruits of your labor. While it is tied to financial prosperity, I like to think of it more as emotional prosperity. And in numerology, two is representative of duality, partnership, and choice.

And traditional depictions of this card show a man balancing on one foot, holding two pentacles, one in each hand, and there's an infinity sign wrapped around them. So, when we draw this card, it's really putting an emphasis on balance and stability.

Specifically, it's asking us to really just kind of flow with our emotions instead of letting them dictate us and knock us off balance. And this card is a reminder that you know a lot of us are very routine-focused. We like having our schedule, especially if you're me, type A, I like to stay organized.

But when we're trying to move on into the next chapter, the next phase in our life, we're not going to be able to necessarily maintain that routine because there's going to be an unfamiliarity to the new situation we're moving into. And typically for us planners, that's something that could knock us off balance and wreak emotional havoc.

But we need to remind ourselves that sometimes being thrown off our schedules can be good. It can allow us to grow and learn something new. But so, with that, we really need to be mindful of our emotions and allow ourselves to flow with them. So that way, it doesn't knock us off balance.

And the card is also calling for a general awareness of looking into our lives and understanding what balance means to us. And find areas where we can achieve more balance in our lives to live more authentically and be aligned with what we want to achieve long term.

LGBTQ+ Cancellations on Netflix (9:11)

So, with that in mind, let's get into the topic. And the inspo for this episode all came to me when I saw in late November that the LGBTQ+ Netflix show Glamorous had been cancelled, after just one season. And I watched it over the summer when it came out. And it wasn't the most amazing show ever, but it was a fun little guilty pleasure, and I really liked it.

But when I saw the news of that, it reminded me of another LGBTQ+ Netflix show from 2021 that I really liked called Q-Force, which was also cancelled after its first season.

And then, as I was thinking about doing this episode, I saw via Instagram Discover that Netflix's LGBTQ+ show Smiley was cancelled in May 2023 after just one season and that their other LGBTQ+ show, Uncoupled, was cancelled after its first season, but was moving to Showtime.

Now, I am behind on the times because the news of those two shows were announced in early to mid-2023, but I didn't see that until around the time of Glamourous being cancelled.

So, all that being said, it led me to wonder why the shows got cancelled and do a little research into Netflix's relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. But let's start off by talking about these cancelled shows that I mentioned. And, I'm going to go through them according to their original release dates.

Q-Force (10:26)

So first, we have Q-Force, which was released on September 2, 2021. According to Netflix's description, it's about a gay super spy and his scrappy LGBTQ squad who fight to prove themselves to the agency that underestimated them. Today, West Hollywood, tomorrow the world.

And it had a pretty big voice cast, including Sean Hayes, Matt Rogers, Wanda Sykes, Patti Harrison, David Harbour, and Laurie Metcalf. Now it didn't debut to favorable reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it only scored a 33% Tomatometer, but did score 78% Audience Score.

Some criticized the storyline and lack of a central presence, with Variety saying "It attempts both to dazzle with self-consciously over the top spyjinks and to comment on the power of queer communities. This is a balance that collapses."

Others also panned it for its weak humor and for promoting queer stereotypes. In The Guardian's review of the show, Rebecca Nicholson gave the show two stars and said, "A glut of queer culture cliches, outdated references to Ally McBeal and Brokeback Mountain, and – crucially – an absence of laughs make for a stereotypical stinker of an animation."

In an NPR article, Glen Weldon claimed that Q-Force traffics in queer stereotypes, then drives through them, meaning that the show wasn't nonstop laughs as some audiences predicted. Instead, the jokes are quote-unquote surprisingly gentle and humane. And they come at a steady even measure so that there's more time for emotional moments showing the characters building their interpersonal relationships with one another as a community.

Here's a quote:

"There's some lip service paid to the notion that the team works as a microcosm of the queer community. But the practical effect is to allow the main characters, who initially slot into very broad queer stereotypes, to add extra layers and evince the occasional nuance."

And he does also note that stereotypes are harmful when they are flatly asserted by those seeking to keep marginalized groups out. In contrast, Q-Force was largely created by queer writers, producers, animators and actors. In fact, its creator and showrunner is Gabe Liebman, a gay man who's written for Kroll Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and PEN15.

Meanwhile, in an Esquire article, Justin Kirkland asserts that Q-Force was about the power of reclaiming stereotypes and manages to empower the things we've learned to curb within ourselves.

Here's a quote:

"Considering that the cast is voiced by queer men and a Black lesbian and a trans woman and a whole litany of queer side characters, Q-Force offers an opportunity to see versions of ourselves on screen. Sometimes stereotypical, but in this series, the stereotype bites back. Q-Force feels special because it's a reminder that our stereotypes were always available to be weaponized. This time, it's the queer people who get to leverage their own power with no shame."

Now, despite all this, Netflix announced Q-Force was cancelled on June 27, 2022, after just one season. And just a month earlier, in May 2022, Matt Rogers, who voiced the character of Twink in the role, first revealed the news. Although I think it was just rumored at that time.

And I couldn't find a formal announcement or quote about the reason why Q-Force was cancelled, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was because of the low ratings. But I will say despite the criticism, I did really like the show.

And I rewatched it recently before this, and to me, it still is a funny show to watch.

Uncoupled (13:54)

Anyway, moving on to Uncoupled. It was released on July 29, 2022, and appeared on Netflix's Top 10 list for a week. It was co-created by Darren Starr, you know, the mastermind behind Sex and the City, Younger, Emily in Paris, among others.

Per Netflix's description, "Stunned when his longtime boyfriend moves out, a New York City real estate broker faces the prospect of starting over and dating again in his 40s." This also had well-known cast members, including Neil Patrick Harris, Tisha Campbell, and Marcia Gay Harden.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it scored a 73% Tomatometer and a 76% Audience Score. Glen Weldon of NPR, you might remember him from his review of Q-Force, called Uncoupled a breezy sex comedy saying it goes down easy and makes for a frictionless weekend binge. Clint Worthington from RogerEbert.com wrote that Neil Patrick Harris got his gay groove back in the frothy sitcom.

Writing for Variety, Daniel D’Addario called Uncoupled a surprisingly sour breakup story and going so far as saying it felt like quote unquote a tour of the city's luxuries with someone unhappy to be sharing them with you and an examination of modern life hosted by someone who can't stop complaining that the past ended. Inkoo Kang from The Washington Post even described it as a joyless look at starting over.

On January 13, 2023, Netflix announced that it was cancelled, citing that Uncoupled failed to make a significant viewership impact. And apparently, it was believed that the show didn't exhibit any staying power since it only remained among Netflix's popular titles list for one week.

But in February 2023, Showtime picked up the series for a second season. Although, as of recording this, I don't think the second season was finished filming yet.

Smiley (15:39)

Also released in 2022, was the Spanish romantic comedy Smiley, which premiered on December 7. And here's the premise pulled from Netflix: "Two men and their friends in Barcelona navigate hesitations, hang-ups, and missed connections as they search for the true love they've been missing."

On Rotten Tomatoes, it scored a 100% Tomatometer and a 90% Audience Score. Glen Weldon from NPR said it's every gay rom-com in history and felt that the scene-by-scene writing and dialogue were filled with real lived experiences. In another positive review, Decider said to stream it, saying that all the characters were drawn well enough to make them want to follow their romantic adventures.

Smiley even went on to receive a 2023 GLAAD Media Awards nomination for Outstanding Spanish-Language Scripted Television Series. It was also nominated for the Best TV Comedy at the 2023 Queerties' Awards.

Despite that, on April 28, 2023, during a radio interview, creator Guillem Clua revealed that the show had been cancelled after its first season. Now, the show was based off of Clua's play of the same name, and Clua had told the entire story of the play in the first season.

So, some speculated Netflix cancelled it because it was intended to be more of a limited series. But allegedly Clua did have plans for subsequent seasons.

Glamorous (16:59)

And rounding it out is Glamorous, which premiered on June 22, 2023. The description from Netflix: "Aspiring influencer Marco lands a dream job with a makeup mogul and begins a dazzling journey of self-discovery amid work chaos and romantic challenges."

It starred Kim Cattrall, which really drew me into it, and Miss Benny. Now, I had heard of Miss Benny before, but I never was super into YouTube, so I wasn't really familiar with her videos. And overall, I really liked the show. I mean, I did get frustrated with some of the characters sometimes, but overall, it was a fun, easy show to watch.

But it didn't get rave reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it scored a 47% on the Tomatometer and the 65% Audience Score.

In a positive review, Variety said it quickly coheres into a workplace ensemble with both recognizable tropes and an approach that's just fresh enough to set the series apart. Additionally, they described it as a winning and earnest coming-of-age story, furnished with silly gags that speak to its specific audience, and that the glossy office farce has endured for good reason, putting a relatable quest for meaningful work in an escapist package.

In contrast, the Hollywood Reporter said Glamorous was a perfectly fine concept, but didn't seem to have any idea what it actually wanted to be and that it talked a big game about bravery and ambition, but defaulted to safe and predictable choices at nearly every turn.

Despite this, the show was in Netflix's Global Top 10 for two weeks, with 43. million viewing hours worldwide. And it also reached the Top 10 in 69 countries in the weeks following its release.

Again, these four being cancelled are what really caught my eye. But that's not all.

LGBTQ+ Shows Cancelled Between 2022 and 2023 (18:39)

In January 2024, The Gay Times published an article listing every LGBTQ+ show that was cancelled over the last year.

Now, this article has two shows that were from 2021, but they're looking at shows specifically that were cancelled between 2022 and 2023. So, Q-Force is on the list since it was cancelled in 2022, despite debuting in 2021.

But anyway, while there were cancellations across the board of streaming services, Netflix was guilty for canceling 10 of the 22 shows in this list. So, you know that's almost 50%. So that's cool.

And the shows consist of:

· 1899

· Dead End: Paranormal Park

· Fate: The Winx Saga

· First Kill

· Glamorous

· Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself

· Q-Force

· Smiley

· Uncoupled

· Warrior Nun

Also, we have HBO who cancelled:

· Gentleman Jack

· The Gossip Girl reboot

· Our Flag Means Death

Peacock cancelled:

· One of Us Is Lying

· The Queer as Folk reboot

· Vampire Academy

Showtime cancelled:

· The L Word: Generation Q

· Work in Progress

The CW cancelled:

· Batwoman

· Legacies

Prime Video cancelled The Wilds, and Hulu cancelled Love, Victor.

LGBTQ+ Shows Cancelled in 2023 (19:53)

Meanwhile, in November 2023, Out published a list of 30 LGBTQ+ shows that got cancelled that year. And in addition to the ones we already mentioned, some other shows Netflix cancelled were:

· Human Resources

· Big Mouth

Although I will say Big Mouth, it's going into its eighth and final season, so this show may have just run its course.

Meanwhile, HBO Max also cancelled:

· Los Espookys

· Titans

· Doom Patrol

· The Idol

And let me just say The Idol was just plain bad, which was disappointing because the trailer made it look like it had so much potential. But I can't fault HBO Max for canceling this one. Sorry.

The CW also cancelled:

· Gotham Knights

· And Tom Swift

Prime Video also cancelled:

· A League of Their Own

· And The Peripheral

AMC cancelled:

· Fear the Walking Dead

· And Soulmates

Paramount+ cancelled:

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies

And Queen of the Universe

Fox cancelled:

· Monarch

· And Call Me Cat

TNT cancelled Snowpiercer.

Syfy cancelled Astrid & Lilly Save the World.

Apple TV cancelled Physical.

And Disney+ cancelled Willow. But they didn't just cancel the show. They also deleted it completely from the streaming service as of recording this.

Now for some of the shows listed in this article. I think they may have featured queer characters instead of focusing primarily on queer storylines, but they still provided much-needed representation.

Netflix Responsible for ~30% of LGBTQ+ Shows Cancelled from 2022-2023 (21:19)

Anyway, between those two lists, I counted 43 LGBTQ+ shows that were cancelled.

Hulu, Disney+ Apple TV, Syfy, and TNT all cancelled one show each, which is about 2.3% per streaming platform. So those five platforms together represent roughly 11.5% of LGBTQ+ shows cancelled.

Fox, Paramount+, Showtime, and AMC cancelled two shows each, which is about 4.5% per streaming platform. Again, adding those three platforms together, it's roughly around 19% of LGBTQ+ shows cancelled.

Prime Video and Peacock cancelled three shows each, representative of about 7% of LGBTQ+ shows cancelled. So combined, that's about 14% of LGBTQ+ shows cancelled.

The CW cancelled four shows, which represents roughly 9.3% of LGBTQ+ shows cancelled.

HBO Max cancelled seven shows, which represents roughly 16.3% of LGBTQ+ shows cancelled.

And lastly, Netflix cancelled 13 shows, which represents roughly 30% of LGBTQ+ shows cancelled. Almost one-third. So let all that sink in.

Netflix Controversy: Dave Chappelle’s The Closer (22:30)

And with that in mind, Netflix is also no stranger to anti-LGBTQ+ controversy. On October 5, 2021, Netflix released Dave Chappelle's stand-up comedy The Closer.

It featured controversial anti-trans remarks, including commenting on JK Rowling's own anti-trans remarks. Here's Chappelle's quote-unquote joke:

"She said gender was a fact. The trans community got mad as shit. They started calling her a TERF. I don't even know what the fuck that was. But I know that trans people make up words to win arguments. This is a real thing. This is a group of women that hate transgender women. They don't hate transgender women, but they look at trans women the way we Blacks might look at blackface. It offends them, like ugh, this bitch is doing an impression of me."

He also referred to LGBTQ+ people as alphabet people. And following the release, the comedy special received backlash, but Netflix stood by it. And transgender employees at Netflix said executives at the streaming service dismissed their concerns that Chappelle's controversial comments could lead to violence against the trans community.

So, on Wednesday, October 20, 2021, about 150 Netflix employees walked out and protested near Netflix's Hollywood office. They also presented a list of demands to Netflix, which included making long-term investments in content from, trans, nonbinary, and BIPOC creators, fully inclusive spaces for trans and LGBTQ+ BIPOC employees, and accountability when content causes harm.

And Netflix's co-CEO Ted Sarandos later admitted he quote unquote screwed up his response to staff, but reiterated his support of the comedy special. He also said he didn't believe Chappelle's jokes were intended to cause physical harm.

Which is great. I mean, just what we need is another straight man telling us what is and isn't harmful.

Netflix Controversy: Diego Avalos’ Anti-LGBTQ+ Language (24:20)

But anyway, adding fuel to fire in October 2021, Bloomberg reported that earlier that spring, Netflix had investigated Diego Avalos, a high-ranking Spanish executive, for use of anti-LGBTQ+ language and other accusations, and the company decided to keep him in his same role.

In an internal memo sent out to Netflix's Spanish employees, the company was quoted as saying that Avalos used language or demonstrated an attitude in various meetings that was not inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community and/or employees with children.

He was also accused of using intimidation tactics, and the investigation concluded that he would be quote unquote held accountable for immediate growth.

But if he gets to keep his job, then I don't know what consequences he faced.

Netflix’s Does Not Receive 2022 HRC Corporate Equality Index Score (25:05)

Meanwhile, jumping ahead to January 27, 2022, the Human Rights Campaign released their annual Corporate Equality Index, which is a tool that scores companies on their policies for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees.

However, Netflix was not included in that year's report. Since 2017, the company had scored a perfect 100. So, 2022 was the first year they did not earn the best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality distinction and did not earn a score at all.

Following this, a Netflix spokesperson said that the company still has more work to do, but had made real strides regarding inclusion by offering comprehensive transgender and nonbinary inclusive care in their US health plan, as well as adoption, surrogacy, and parental leave for same-sex couples, in addition to increasing on-screen representation and commissioning and publishing independent research into diversity in their content so they could better measure their progress.

Jay Brown, the HRC's Vice President of Programs, Training, and Research, said that it was an interesting situation to be in since Netflix's LGBTQ+ policies and benefits are very strong, but it also came down to their values.

Initially, the HRC considered giving Netflix a 25-point deduction from their score, given its history of good policies for LGBTQ+ employees. But given the situation at that moment in time, they felt the suspension was more appropriate.

And here's a quote from Jay Brown:

"The special itself, the reaction, the response from the company was really tough. As a trans person, it was hard to watch. It seemed to really sort of ignore the fact that we have intersectional lives in the community and try to essentially pit two marginalized groups against each other. And I really didn't appreciate the initial response from Netflix either, and saw a lot of positive energy from the workers at Netflix to get their company to do better."

Netflix Controversy: Ricky Gervais’ SuperNature & Armageddon (26:59)

Then, just a few months later, in May 2022, Ricky Gervais' Netflix special was released and condemned by LGBTQ+ groups for anti-trans rants masquerading as jokes. He made quote-unquote jokes about old-fashioned women saying:

"They're the ones with wombs, those fucking dinosaurs. I love the new women. They're great, aren't they? The new ones we've been seeing lately? The ones with beards and cocks."

In another bit about sharing a bathroom with a trans person, he said: "They are ladies look at their pronouns. What about this person isn't a lady? Well, his penis."

He then said: "Full disclosure, in real life, of course I support trans rights. I support all human rights, and trans rights are human rights. Live your best life, use your preferred pronouns, be the gender that you feel that you are, but meet me halfway, ladies. Lose the cocks, that's all I'm saying."

He also had some crude comments about AIDS and said:

"If you want to keep me out of the house, put up a sign that says, I don't know, beware of AIDS. Although, that's not as good as it was. Is it? AIDs? No, seriously, like all diseases let you down. But that was, I mean, in its heyday, it was fucking amazing. Wasn't it? AIDS? Coronavirus? Fuck off. That couldn't hold a candle to AIDS."

In another bit, he went on to say:

"So, you think God's in heaven, and he's looking down on civilization, and he suddenly goes, 'I'm sick of all this bumming. They're taking the piss. I've got to do summat. I know AIDS.' You know, like he did with light? Just like, 'Oh, it's dark. What can I do? Light right, let there be light.' The same with this. Let there be AIDS, and there was AIDS. I'm going to put you down on Earth. Where? Africa. Why Africa? They're dying anyway. That's not me saying that, is it? That's God."

Now interestingly enough, this controversy didn't seem to gain as much media attention compared to Chappelle. And I couldn't find much about Netflix's acknowledgment of these complaints.

But Gervais and Netflix found themselves in hot water again in December 2023 in his newest standup, where he made ablest jokes and used the R word, which resulted in a petition being created, asking Netflix to remove those jokes from the special.

Netflix Controversy: Sarandos’ Rationale for Cancelling Popular Series (29:07)

Now, aside from these quote-unquote comedy controversies, in late 2022 and early 2023, Netflix was also criticized for canceling many popular TV series, especially ones with LGBTQ+ representation.

Regarding this, in January 2023, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told Bloomberg in an interview, and this is a quote:

"We have never cancelled a successful show. A lot of these shows were well intended, but talk to a very small audience on a very big budget. The key to it is, you have to be able to talk to a small audience on a small budget and a large audience at a large budget. If you do that, well, you can do that forever."

And obviously, his comments came under fire from LGBTQ+ fans, especially for the hypocrisy. Like we talked about, some shows like Q-Force and Glamorous did not get rave reviews, but Uncoupled and Smiley were well received.

Additionally, Netflix critics noted that the LGBTQ+ shows Winx Saga and Warrior Nun were successful and still cancelled. For example, the latter earned a 100% Tomatometer score and a 99% Audience Score from 4500 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Additionally, First Kill, which features two lesbian vampires, broke records when it was released in 2022, and peaked at number three in English-speaking territories, with the show achieving over 100 million watching hours.

So, while Sarandos' rationale may hold true for some shows, it's way too generalized and clearly not true for all the LGBTQ+ shows that were cancelled.

Netflix Controversy: Shane Gillis’ Racist and Homophobic Remarks (30:41)

In September 2023, quote-unquote comedian Shane Gillis released his stand-up special, Beautiful Dogs, on Netflix.

And Gillis was hired by SNL in 2019 and then promptly fired when his racist and homophobic remarks from a 2018 podcast interview surfaced.

Now, full disclosure, I didn't watch the stand-up and, from what I saw online, it doesn't look like there was any backlash regarding LGBTQ+ jokes being made. So, that being said, I'm going to assume that there wasn't anything too offensive in that comedy special. I'm not going to watch myself because I have no desire to.

But still, given Netflix's 2022 controversies, it might not have been the best PR move to release a special by a comedian who was previously fired from SNL for racist and homophobic comments

But hey, what do I know? I just have a communications degree.

Netflix Controversy: Dave Chappelle’s The Dreamer (31:28)

Anyway, in December 2023, Dave Chappelle's newest stand-up, The Dreamer, was released on Netflix. This time, he addressed his anti-trans remarks upfront. This is a quote:

"I'm not fucking with those people anymore. I ain't saying shit about trans people. Maybe three or four times tonight, but that is it. I'm tired of talking about them."

He then recalls a story about how he met Jim Carrey during the filming of Man on the Moon. Carrie was playing comic Andy Kaufman and didn't break character when Chappelle met him. And Chappelle said:

"I was very disappointed because I wanted to meet Jim Carrey, and I had to pretend he was Andy Kaufman all afternoon. It was clearly Jim Carrey. I could look at him and clearly see it was Jim Carrey. That's how trans people make me feel."

He later went on to say that he wanted to repair his relationship with the trans community by writing a play because he didn't want the community to think that he didn't like them. And his rationale for the play was, and this is a quote:

"Because I know that gays love plays. It's a very sad play, but it's moving. It's about a Black transgender woman whose pronoun is sadly, he says the n-word. It's a tear-jerker. At the end of the play, she dies of loneliness, because white liberals don't know how to speak to her. It's sad."

Then Chappelle quickly turned his attention toward insulting a new marginalized community, and that is people with disabilities. He said:

"Tonight, I'm doing all handicap jokes. They're not as organized as the gays, and I love punching down."

And regarding this latest controversy, I haven't seen anything regarding a response from Netflix addressing the issue, but seeing how they defended Chappelle in 2021, I'm guessing not much has changed.

“Comedic” Rhetoric Matters (33:03)

And I know how Dave Chappelle, Ricky Gervais, and Netflix claim that the jokes made are just words and not acts of violence.

But I personally believe that rhetoric impacts people's actions. I mean, look at January 6, for example.

Plus, these are jokes coming from straight comedians, so you don't get to tell LGBTQ+ people what is and isn't offensive to them.

And Netflix's response was disappointing, especially their claim that LGBTQ+ shows that were cancelled weren't successful, which segues into our next point.

Representation of Queer Women Declines (33:33)

Many of the LGBTQ+ shows being cancelled featured queer women. In October 2022, Sarah Clement published an article in Them addressing this.

In her research, she found 30 LGBTQ+ shows that went off the air. Of those 30 LGBTQ+ shows, 21 featured queer women characters.

As Clement notes, industry trends creating the situation are complex, but the fact is that queer men are continuing to see gains on streaming, while shows about queer women are barely given the chance to survive.

And the cancellations are surprising given that the 2021 to 2022 season of TV was a more positive year for LGBTQ+ representation. And again, the 2021 to 2022 season was the year prior to this article being published.

In fact, GLAAD's Where Are We on TV Report for that season found a 2.8% increase in the number of LGBTQ+ regular characters appearing on broadcast shows.

However, in that same report, GLAAD noted that it was also the fifth consecutive year in which lesbian representation on streaming declined.

Marketing & Advertising Skews to White, Straight Males (34:38)

But going back to the article by Sarah Clement, it cites several reasons why lesbian representation on streaming might be declining. Deadline Associate Editor Valerie Complex believes it's a result of misogyny and lesbophobia.

Additionally, marketing and advertising tends to skew toward a white straight male point of view. Clement gives the example of the CW placing ads for the superhero drama Superman & Lois on pizza boxes, which was male-led while neglecting other shows on its sleeve like Naomi, which had a female lead.

Similarly, the marketing push for First Kill and Gentlemen Jack didn't give the shows a fair chance. First Kill showrunner and executive producer Felicia D. Henderson said she felt Netflix's advertising for the show pigeonholed the show by focusing primarily on the lesbian romance instead of giving the audience the full picture, which limited its appeal and reach.

Additionally, Gentleman Jack may not have had high domestic viewership in the United States. However, in the UK, BBC One aired the show in the coveted Sunday night time slot, where it drew in millions of viewers. However, in the United States, HBO Max aired the show in the late Monday night time slot, and it only garnered in 92,000 viewers.

Taking Advantage of Rainbow Capitalism (35:50)

Lastly, the article asserts that streaming companies take advantage of rainbow capitalism to attract queer audiences. And we talked about corporate greed and rainbow capitalism back in 2022.

But as Clement puts it, these networks and streamers showcase a commitment to LGBTQ+ representation, so they develop a large, queer fandom and feature shows on their Pride month splash pages.

But once they get what they want, our favorite LGBTQ+ shows become disposable.

Queer Representation is Still in Budding Stages (36:18)

And she closes out the article with this passage:

"We can look back on decades of representation about white gay men, but are still in the budding stages of other forms of queer representation. About women, about people with disabilities, about people of color. And we may never build that history at this rate."

GLAAD's Where We Are on TV Report (2022 - 2023) (36:35)

And wrapping this all up, I took a look at GLAAD's Where We Are on TV report for 2022 to 2023.

They noted that there was a 1.3 decrease of LGBTQ+ regulars on scripted primetime series compared to the year prior, there were an additional 31 recurring LGBTQ characters on primetime scripted broadcast series, down from the previous year's 49.

Together, that makes a total of 101 LGBTQ regular and recurring characters on primetime scripted broadcast, a significant decrease from the previous year's 141 characters. There was also a decrease of 23 lesbian characters, which is down 7% from the year prior.

And this paragraph really jumped out to me:

"Though this last year's report saw a record high percentage of LGBTQ series regulars on broadcast networks, this year sees the measure dip slightly decreasing from 11.9 to 10.6% of all series regulars on the platform being LGBTQ characters. One reason for this significant decrease year over year is the cancellation of several series which featured multiple LGBTQ characters, most significantly on the CW, which cancelled several long-running series as the network was sold to new ownership. Individually, all broadcast networks saw a decrease in their percentage of LGBTQ series regulars from the previous report."

Interestingly enough, though, GLAAD noted an increase in both gay and lesbian characters on streaming services.

Episode Closing (38:03)

And I like to end all episodes with a little call to action. But this is a more difficult one to do. I mean, let's be realistic, how many of us are going to cancel our Netflix subscription after this?

I mean, I don't have one because I mooch off of my mom's account, sorry password sharing.

But in all seriousness, even if we were to cancel our subscriptions, it probably wouldn't change much.

So, what I think we should try to focus on doing is make sure we're engaging with queer content. Maybe after this episode, go and binge the cancelled episodes we talked about. And keep scanning the LGBTQ+ section to watch new shows as they come out. Leave positive reviews on sites like Rotten Tomatoes to show your support.

And I haven't seen any petitions or movements to challenge Netflix at the moment, but keep your eyes open in case there is more specific action to take to hold companies accountable. And when controversies arise, find ways to respectfully speak up. And this extends beyond just TV shows.

Go engage with and support queer creators, whether they're writers, social media influencers, actors, podcasters, whatever. Because these are the people who are creating the authentic representation we need to see on streaming services.

And Netflix if you're listening, maybe an action for you is to get a new CEO.

She's got a point.

Oop, sorry not sorry, Sarandos.

But, connecting it back to the tarot, Two of Pentacles. It's all about balance and stability. And it's really reminding us that as much as we like our routine and the familiarity, as we move on to new situations to grow, there's going to be challenges coming at us, trying to knock us off balance.

And it's easy to let your emotions get the best of you, which only further knocks you off balance and maybe makes you stumble on the way of making progress. So, the card is really reminding us that we need to reflect on our emotions and embrace going with the flow of them, so, that way, we can kind of ride the waves and keep our balance.

And with numerology, two being about choice, we need to be mindful of what we're choosing, whether it's choosing to create, choosing to engage with, so that way, we're making choices that are more aligned with what we're looking to achieve.

So again, make the conscious choice to engage with queer creators. Or, if you are a queer creator, make the conscious decision to choose to continue creating queer content.

And we're at a weird time right now, you know, socially, politically, where it kind of feels like the pendulum's swinging backward. We're hearing more anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, especially anti-trans rhetoric. You know, we're seeing representation of LGBTQ+ characters going down.

So now more than ever, we can't let our emotions get the best of us and knock us over. We need to allow ourselves to feel that uneasiness, you know, the anger, the fear, all those negative feelings. We need to allow ourselves to feel that and meditate on it and ride with those feelings, but really not let them knock us off balance and veer us off course from creating one inclusive LGBTQ+ representation and the content we're engaging with, but two to create a more inclusive and equal environment for the LGBTQ+ community.

Connect with A Jaded Gay (40:53)

So, as always, thank you for listening. Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe. I would also love to hear your feedback about the episode. Feel free to send me an email at rob@ajadedgay.com.

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And remember, every day is all we have. So, you got to make your own happiness.

Mmm-bye.