PTP Pink Paper Unwraps Queer Representation
As another Pride month comes to an end, radio stations will soon stop spinning Pride playlists and you’ll no longer stumble across My Best Friend’s Wedding and Carol while channel surfing.
It was a great month for queer representation in the media — but it was one month — which begs the larger question, how does 2SLGBTQIA+ representation fare across the Canadian media landscape when the rainbow flag is lowered?
That is the question the Canadian Media Fund set out to answer with the help of Pink Triangle Press.
The result is the recently released PTP Pink Paper: 2SLGBTQIA+ Representation in Canada’s Screen Industries. The 112-page report provides foundational research reporting on the current state of 2SLGBTQIA+ representation across film, television, online streaming services, and video games here in Canada.
Data was collected through interviews and a survey with Canada media industry professionals, including actors, screenwriters, producers, and video game developers; and content analysis of top-watched Canadian TV programs (both in English and French).
It is a comprehensive study, and while it’s impossible to recount all the information it provides, here are some of the report’s biggest takeaways and suggestions on ways to improve queer onscreen representation.
Representation matters, so say we all
Queer people know that representation is vital to how we are perceived, how we perceive ourselves, and ultimately how we are treated.
A striking 97% of 2SLGBTQIA+ respondents agree that representation is extremely important to them. While straight respondents are somewhat less likely to agree, 78% declare that 2SLGBTQIA+ representation is extremely important to them.
As the report states, these findings are important because they challenge the assumption that cis or straight people are resistant to 2SLGBTQIA+ stories. The research reveals that one
of the perceived barriers to representation is the cautious nature of media decision-makers who treat 2SLGBTQIA+ representation as a risk for audience retention, which as we learn, is a myth.
A case in point is Canada’s Drag Race, which became the highest-rated original production in Crave’s history upon launch, challenging the assumption that 2SLGBTQIA+ content is less profitable. Granting 2SLGBTQIA+ creators the opportunity to prove themselves can allow the industry to meet audiences’ demand for authentic representation.
Missing in action
Certain queer identities are portrayed more than others, and there is a dearth of representation for certain members of our communities:
• Two-Spirit, trans, and gender diverse characters are profoundly underrepresented across all industries.
• Bi+ characters are disproportionately underrepresented compared to gay and lesbian characters, despite nearly half of 2SLGBTQIA+ media professionals identifying as bi, pan, or queer.
• Two letters of the acronym used throughout the Pink Paper are entirely absent from top-watched television on Canadian screens: intersex people and people on the ace spectrum.
Tropes and trauma
A reported 84% of media professionals agree that Canadian films, television, and streaming programs rely on 2SLGBTQIA+ tropes and stereotypes. We see, among so many other stereotypes, gay best friends, promiscuous bisexuals and unhappy queers.
There is widespread acknowledgement that 2SLGBTQIA+ representation in Canadian films focuses on trauma, which includes stories centering on abuse, assault, harassment and microaggressions. The study’s lesbian (98%) and trans (97%) respondents are in near-unanimous agreement that these are the dominant narratives depicted in film.
Game mode
Did you know three in five Canadians — more than 23 million people — play video games? Yet only 22% of professionals agree that 2SLGBTQIA+ portrayal is accurate in Canadian video games — less than any other industry. Furthermore, 2SLGBTQIA+ game characters are overwhelmingly not given meaningful storylines.
French lessons
French respondents tend to feel more positively about 2SLGBTQIA+ portrayals than their English counterparts, but a content analysis of the top-watched Canadian television shows reveals that 2SLGBTQIA+ characters are more likely to be portrayed as one-dimensional in French television (73%) compared to English television (25%). These findings reveal a need for conversations around what constitutes accurate, authentic representation in order to align perceptions.
Behind the scenes
Media is made by people not seen on screen. Writers, directors, producers and executives dictate what, and who, we see. Having 2SLGBTQIA+ folks in these positions is crucial. However, 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals are universally seen to experience more challenges than their straight cisgender colleagues with respect to career advancement, job security, and their ability to contribute creatively.
82% of professionals agree it is more difficult for 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals to advance into senior decision-making roles. Agreement is highest among professionals in the videogame industry (87%). As the report states, 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals are routinely excluded from the rooms where most change happens.
Tokenism
2SLGBTQIA+ professionals report feeling tokenized on productions where they are the sole 2SLGBTQIA+ hire. In addition, when the burden of representation unduly falls upon a single person, anxieties around failure are amplified. Several participants express concern over the way their work is framed as representative of the “entire 2SLGBTQIA+ community.” There is also a definite lack of mentorship and training of eager and talented 2SLGBTQIA+ creatives.
What can be done?
The Pink Paper paints a less than rosy picture of queer representation, but things can change. The respondents included in the report offer vital suggestions that could help bring about that change. Here are a few:
Authentic, complex and inclusive
It’s time to discard tropes, clichés, and stereotypes in favour of accurate and authentic 2SLGBTQIA+ representation, including more nuanced intersections with race, disability, neurodivergence, class, age, and body type.
More than half of the stakeholders brought up Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo’s Sort Of (CBC Gem) as a paragon of authentic portrayal and an example of what 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals can offer when given the support.
Basic training
Industry leaders need to establish mentoring and training programs. These programs should target key roles in the development chain (e.g. showrunner, director, technical director). Training programs, skill sharing, and network building can prepare emerging and mid-career 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals for greater job opportunities. Also, all screen industries should adopt and enforce a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, discrimination, and anti-2SLGBTQIA+ violence.
Office space
Why not establish a Queer Screen Office?
Many of the Pink Paper’s stakeholders make such a suggestion and as the report states, over the last seven years, we have witnessed the creation of the Indigenous Screen Office, the Black Screen Office, and the Disability Screen Office, which support the on screen and behind the scenes representation of Indigenous, Black, and disabled media professionals respectively. A Queer Screen Office can open networks, promote inclusive hiring practices, and advocate for safer workplaces through awareness-raising and accountability.
