In an effort to build a space for queer people like myself, every Tuesday I’ll be posting interviews, opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx/WOC community since I am Latinx.) Welcome to Queerly Not Straight! Enjoy and leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for what I should cover next.
Shows have an impact on our lives, long after the screen goes black. It’s true for comedies, for dramas, and everything in between. Shows change us, the world, and how others perceive those in said world. That’s why shows carry such a heavy burden and why, on occasion, they change the game when it comes to issues pertinent to our world today.
This couldn’t be truer for PopTV gem Schitt’s Creek. It has changed the game when it comes to queer issues and how we understand them in multiple ways; paving the way for change, acceptance, and the creation of safe spaces in the queer community. And since I can’t contain myself, we’re going to go full geek on this piece and talk about every single queer thing my little heart desires.
First up, David’s explanation that let Stevie and audience know that he’s pansexual; because it’s not the label that he falls for, it’s the wine inside that draws him in. It’s simple, to the point, and the best explanation for pansexuality that I think I’ve ever seen. This simple way of explaining such a complex topic made it so viewers and those who are experiencing pansexuality themselves, know how to address who they are.
Too often, as queer people we are forced to put ourselves into little boxes. Now, the boxes aren’t for us per say. They’re for others who are trying to understand the world in terms they deem safe and understandable. And if anything, we use the boxes aka labelling to find our community in the big ol’ world of queer that is out there. And it’s because of scenes like the David wine moment, that people understand that our box is like everyone else’s.
We’re like everyone else.
And we deserve kindness, respect, and understanding just like everyone else.
It’s shows like Schitt’s Creek that enable people who have never experienced the queer world, to understand who we are, what we represent, and how there’s nothing to fear when it comes to the queer unknown. And they did it in the most brilliant way: they made being queer a regular occurence. There was no homophobia, no slurs, no tense moments because of one’s sexuality. Being queer was a normal thing and that right there is key in making people understand who we are.
Then there’s the scene where Patrick comes out to his parents. In any other show, the parents would be the wild card of it all. Not on Schitt’s Creek. Because of the way that this show has set everything up, how it normalizes the gay experience and who we are as people, Patrick’s parents could understand and accept their son for the queer man he is. No time for arguing, threats, or making it seem like there’s something wrong with Patrick.
There’s nothing wrong with Patrick.
There’s nothing wrong with David.
There’s nothing wrong with you, me, and every other person in the queer community.
That right there is the true heart and reason for why we love David and Patrick from Schitt’s Creek. Their relationship is given to us like it’s nothing different. It’s just a bond between two people who love each other and if they can have it, so can I. That matters and sets a precedent for people who have never experienced queer relationships before Schitt’s Creek. And it’s because of shows like Schitt’s Creek that we end up with a more loving, happy, and tolerant world grounded in understanding and love.
There’s no time for hate in a world guided by the love on Schitt’s Creek.
All it has time for is making everyone feel accepted, loved, and like there is a space space for us as queer people in this world.
That’s the reason why Schitt’s Creek will always matter, long after the screen goes black, to the queer community as a whole.
Queerly Not Straight posts every Tuesday with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx community since I am Latinx.)
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