Unjust backlash from fans opens the door to a very worthwhile discussion.

SPOILERS for Season 7 of Voltron: Legendary Defender ahead.

It would appear that no fandom is immune to hostile rhetoric.

A two-year run that has been as triumphant as it has industrious for Voltron: Legendary Defender suddenly took an unsettling turn with the release of Season 7 earlier this month. Another round of praise from critics and the show’s passionate fanbase, alike, was overshadowed by venomous backlash from certain fans toward the season’s handling of a gay character―an unnerving twist of fate for a franchise that has previously known anything but controversy.

The character in question was no sidekick or cameo appearance. If Voltron: Legendary Defender has a sole, lead character, it’s arguably Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane, the wise and capable voice of reason among the heroes. At San Diego Comic Con, showrunner Lauren Montgomery revealed that Shiro is a gay man, and that fans would meet his former partner, Adam, in Season 7.

What began as near-universal celebration by fans became something less unanimous with Season 7’s release on Netflix. Adam only made brief appearances in a couple of flashbacks before ultimately dying during one of the season’s many actions sequences. Neither he nor Shiro made any open displays of affection toward any man.

For some, that was not simply subtle romance, but a grave offense. A small segment of fans accused the show of “queerbaiting” and employing the “bury your gays” trope, where homosexual characters are either made unimportant, or not allowed to see a joyous conclusion with their sexuality. This drove some fans to lash out at the show’s production team, harassing staff members on social media, and in rarer, but far more concerning instances, issue death threats.

It’s a subject that we here at The Geekiverse have, unfortunately, had to cover far too often, when dissatisfied fans respond with vitriol over constructive criticism or a respectful expression of preference. Whether it’s Kelly Marie Tran, Ruby Rose, or any other individual in the entertainment industry, the pervasive connectivity of the digital age leaves all vulnerable to the very worst thoughts and words from the public.

There are no circumstances where death threats are appropriate. Should a piece of entertainment even do something as heinous as advocating violence or purporting a form of hate speech, we, as a society must combat hatred with poise and civility.

I make the next statement only by first adding the disclaimer that I am a straight man, and that I invite you to determine my credibility as such―but Voltron: Legendary Defender has done no disrespect to the LGBT community.

As series Executive Producer Joaquim Dos Santos justly pointed out, many of the attacks were hurled at staff members who have never had input on the workings of the story. Innocent people who never could have even been complicit in the marginalization of others, should it have actually occurred, were the ones who endured abominable treatment similar to what the aggressors felt they received through the show’s depictions.

Those fans who feel that homosexuality was carelessly trivialized with Season 7’s series of events should also be reminded that romance, in any capacity, has been subdued throughout the entirety of the show’s run. Heterosexual romance has been nearly as absent from the narrative as homosexual romance. After 7 seasons and 65 episodes, we’ve seen one kiss―a gesture that quickly became hollow when the romantic feelings between Prince Lotor and Princess Allura burnt out following a villainous turn for Lotor.

The closest that Voltron: Legendary Defender has come to romantic interaction between its long-established main characters is a well-wish from Allura to Lance, which may very well have been as platonic as any other tender moment has been during the show’s tenure. Voltron: Legendary Defender has not disregarded homosexuality, it has disregarded romance, as a whole.

What Voltron: Legendary Defender now champions is something that has not been lauded anywhere near enough―the most likable character in this show is a proud gay man. Shiro’s estranged boyfriend may have died without making much impact on the story, but gay representation did not die with Adam. It lives on with Shiro, a character who has been along for the ride from the very start, serving as the de-facto leader who inspires, enlightens, and comforts the younger members of the Paladins of Voltron.

No other character has had the same influence on the narrative as Shiro has, none have been more admirable for their feats and their qualities. In Shiro, Voltron: Legendary Defender represents the LGBT community with a hero who is remarkable well beyond his sexuality, who any viewer, regardless of sexual orientation, should be drawn to.

But in viewing this controversy objectively, one must acknowledge that the handling of Shiro’s love life is a breaking point much more so than an origin of the fans’ ire. Those who felt impelled to make reprehensible comments have likely been dissatisfied with gay representation long before Voltron: Legendary Defender touched it.

However misguided the outrage has been, it raises a fair concern as to how frequently, and how respectfully the LGBT community is portrayed across the arts.

Ask yourself, of all the movies, television shows, novels, video games, and comics you have consumed, or simply been aware of, in your lifetime, how many featured a major character who was gay? Now, remove those stories where their sexuality is portrayed in a tragic light, or merely mentioned, as opposed to displayed. That assuredly-short list you initially came up with suddenly got a lot shorter.

LGBT representation has gained greater frequency on the small screen, particularly in recent years. DC’s numerous Arrowverse series, Star Trek: Discovery, Orange Is The New Black, and Modern Family are but a few examples of the television staples that have no reservations about featuring LGBT characters in significant roles.

The same representation struggles to find a place on the big screen, at least with blockbusters. In cinema, LGBT characters most commonly make their home in the territory of dramas and arthouse productions. Don’t expect to spot them in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Extended Universe, Star Wars, James Bond, The Fast And The Furious, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Jurassic Park.

They are uncommon in mainstream films, and all-but unattainable for younger audiences. To date, there is still paralyzing reluctance by studios to depict explicit homosexual feelings or relations in entertainment that is geared toward children and pre-teens. No greater example brought this to light than The Legend of Korra’s 2014 series finale, where Nickelodeon studios was said to be supportive of titular character Korra and longtime supporting character Asami enter a romantic relationship, but handcuffed the writers and animators to portray it with hand-holding and a tender musical score. The relationship was only finally explored in the subsequent graphic novels released by Dark Horse Comics.

To make strides from this hesitation (or outright refusal) does not involve aggressive, hostile rhetoric. Death threats were never going to improve LGBT representation, regardless of how Voltron: Legendary Defender portrayed it, because Voltron: Legendary Defender is just one property. Its decisions, alone, will not alter the course of representation.

Representation of our broad, eclectic species we call humanity is vital to all art forms. The purpose of the arts should not be merely to entertain, but to inspire. Any person from any background deserves to have characters who they can identify with and who they can say embodies their individuality.

However, we can not ask a single work of art to encompass the vast spectrum that is humanity. A story can only feature so many main characters. A fictional setting can only evoke so many real-world regions, events, and cultures before it loses its unique identity. We must not inhibit creativity by demanding quotas of different peoples on individual works of art.

There is no inherent bigotry or marginalization in an author who writes one fictional series to primarily feature caucasian heterosexual characters; but they are not using their art to be inclusive should they write ten different fictional series, all with caucasian, heterosexual characters.

We must not demand that any one work of art center around LGBT characters, or characters of any minority status or inspiration―we must, instead, implore the boundless entity that is the arts to do so. We must create a culture where diversity is normalcy, not an accolade to be celebrated in the headlines.

There are many steps that can be taken to make that journey, and few require great effort. If you are an artist, consider producing even just one work in your lifetime where the spotlight is cast onto a character different from yourself, whether that be in skin color, sexuality, gender, or heritage. Give thought to an endeavor or two that tasks you with exploring what is or has been unfamiliar to your daily life.

For fans who create art, and those who strictly consume it, offer any amount of attention to those moments of representation in entertainment. Take to social media and follow artists and entertainers outside your origin or lifestyle. Indulge in the stories that feature LGBT persons, characters of color, or anyone who is not represented in art the way they deserve to be.

Shiro from Voltron: Legendary Defender, Korra from The Legend of Korra, our upcoming Arrowverse Batwoman, portrayed by Ruby Rose―these are characters who, if embraced for everything that they are, send the message that LGBT characters have a place in entertainment no different from heterosexual characters.

No single artist, story, fan, or actor will accomplish this. It must be through the work of all to ensure that all are dignified in the arts.

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