Visible: LGBTQ on Television

This is the first series on Apple TV+ for which I can unequivocally say it's worth it to pay for the service. (We've watched "The Morning Show", which started out iffy but ultimately ended up being pretty good, and "Servant", which started out good but was then really frustrating, typical of M. Night Shyamalan. There's also "The Elephant Queen" in the queue when we can get around to it.) . This five-part docuseries on LGBTQ visibility on television over the years was mainly really good, with a number of familiar talking heads, although not all of them said anything necessarily new or particularly interesting, but there was enough to really make me feel proud to be who I am. It also stressed the importance and necessity of representation and what it means for young gay kids to see themselves on the screen. 🙂 . It's an easy binge, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who, in these dark days of political grotesquerie, needs to be reminded how far we've come in the past 70 years of broadcast television. (There's a significant segment in the series about Harvey Milk, so after E03, we watched "Milk", since Shane had never seen it, and of course, my eyes welled up numerous times. Sean Penn's Best Actor Oscar was richly deserved for that role.)

Excellent tour through LGBTQ history and how television is a US cultural staple. Not only is this a celebration of the LGBTQ community, it explains the inequalities faced in the past, present, and the future. It is hosted by members of the LGBTQ community. Finally, it does not sweep anything under the rug, it fully explores the frightening and terrible events that have happened in the LGBTQ community since the invention of television.

I have to say that this has to be the best documentary about this subject that I've ever watched. It was totally engrossing and informative. The number of talking heads, who know the subject intimately, give us no-holds-barred stories of their own lives and the lives of those they are familiar with. Every aspect of being a part of television's history, from invisibility or made fun of to acceptance and celebrated is included. Every genre, including the news is included. It is an unforgettable series that should open hearts and minds. Two thumbs as high up as one can go for this one.

Was wonderful to see an account looking back to the early days of television, and how representation has changed across the LGBTQ+ spectrum - and how much further it has yet to go. Got emotional more than once seeing the battles fought and won. As impressed and happy I am that they included trans and nonbinary representation, I do wish they had included a wider breadth of the queer experience. We have shows out there now with even more invisible identities, who are fighting today to bring that representation to people's homes. Including a segment about pansexual characters, or asexual characters, or intersex characters, or polyamory, would have been great. I hope to see more of that if they do another season.

I think everyone should watch this mini series. It shows that growth sometimes takes time but thankfully, through the sacrifices and determination of so many, growth is possible. Thank you for sharing your stories.