I’ve seen a lot of people be told off for expressing their feelings over this situation by contextualising their sadness through how much the character, Santana Lopez, meant to them.
Naya Rivera is beloved by the LGBTQ* community, a longstanding ally who never dropped the ball, who showed up for us time and time again, who pushed tirelessly behind the scenes for Santana Lopez to have meaningful storylines rather than just flippant derogatory jokes about her homosexuality.
Naya saw us during a time when nobody saw us, and we saw Naya during a time we had never before seen ourselves depicted on television living full happy lives. The last few days I have been reminded of her kindness and utter humility, whenever she was commended for her contribution towards the progression of LGBTQ* representation on television she never failed to acknowledge the community:
“It has been one of the great blessings in my life to receive such love and touching stories as a result of my portrayal of Santana Lopez on Glee. We are all put on this earth to be a service to others and I am grateful that for some, my Cheerios ponytail and sassy sashays may have given a little light to someone somewhere, who may have needed it. To everyone whose heartfelt stories I have heard or read, I thank you for truly enriching my life.” – Naya Rivera, 2017.
When I saw the headlines I felt instantly transported to being sixteen years old again, to the incredible impact this woman had on my life, and for the first time in longer than I care to admit I shed a tear and hoped for a miracle. Now, I hope for her to find her way home in the most respectful and dignified way possible.
Please, if you see people expressing their sadness or feelings by referencing Santana Lopez, don’t assume it’s virtue signalling or shallow commentary. We understand she was a real human, and I know for me personally it’s because of her humanity and generous kindness to my community that I feel personally touched and saddened by this tragedy.
Thank you, Naya. You didn’t let them make us the butt of the joke, instead you opened the door so we could laugh and share in just a little bit of the glee too.
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