#draculasdaughter

more pics from Seattle’s MoPop Museum “Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film” exhibit

Now, killing off any lgbtq+ character is going to have it fair share of controversy no matter what. There is a sever lack of character in the lgbtq+ community, especially in mainstream media, so when the only queer character gets killed off, it’s going to cause trouble. The best way to avoid this would be to not kill your lgbtq+ characters and just let them live and be happy. However that isn’t always the case, so for any writer who feels like they just have to kill they’re gays, here’s a few tips on how to do it, artfully, as well as some stereotypes to avoid.

To start off, the trope must be defined, the “bury your gays trope” was coined after audiences noticed that most queer characters in media were often killed off by the end of the film or story. While there is discourse over what exactly “bury your gays” mean, it’s widely understanding that the trope revolves around the message that lgbtq+ people don’t get happy endings and that dying is just the best thing for them. This is an extremely harmful message and it can be very damaging on audiences, as this is a chance for them to see themselves in a character, and having a character who they relate to suffering and dying over and over again can negatively affect them.

This can be done in a number of ways;

1.) Having an lgbtq+ character die before or immediately after getting a happy ending, this happens to Alex in The 100 and caused quite the uproar as she was not only one of the few lesbians on screen, but a lesbian or color. This falls under burry your gays but the character is either never happy or is only happy for a few moments before dying in agony.

2.) Having an lgbtq+ character die in an accident, so that their cishet white counterparts can rally behind their death and move forward (only to never mention the character again). This one is another example of gay characters suffering at the hands of someone else, only this time the show or book plays it off for sympathy. The audience is supposed to feel sad that this character died and that the main characters no longer have them in their life.

3.)Killing off a queer villain and then justifying the death by having the character be a psychopath or a sexual predator. This was seen in the movie Jennifer’s Body, with Jennifer being a sucubis that feed of her victims before killing them. This is by far the worst of them all, as not only does it show queer people in an extremely harmful light, but it also makes the audience route for the antagonist death.

Now, as stated before, these cases are extremely horrible, and send the wrong message, and while most people (if not all) would prefer if their queer characters lived, this doesn’t mean you should give them plot armor or that creators can’t kill them off. While a living queer character would be preferred if the character does die, here are some better ways to do it, that don’t fall into the trope.

1.) Give you’re character a happy or bittersweet ending. Most of the times when a character gets killed off, they’ve suffered throughout the story only to meet an ending were they can never be happy. Instead of having them still be upset, try having a character welcome death, or have them be defiant in the face of death. This isn’t a perfect idea but it can be done really well, if executed correctly. For example, let’s say there was a movie; a classic love story format of boy meets boy or girls meets girl, and fall in love. The story follows them as they go through marriage, buying house, raising kids, and all the ups and downs of life. The movie ends with one half of the couple, in a hospital bed dying of old age. While the audience looks into the small white room, with sunlight streaming in behind the closed curtains, they see their other half, hold their hand as the peacefully slip away, exchanging promises of love. It’s a tear jerking scene, but it’s also bittersweet sweet as the audience knows that the character led a happy life full of love. This character got a happy ending, they didn’t suffer, they died peacefully with a loved one. This trope isn’t the best as it can backfire if done incorrectly, but it has the potential to be quite beautiful.

2.) The trope of having the token background gay die in some horrible accident that their non marginalized friends can rally behind, is dumb. Instead of doing that, how about an established main character, who is lgbtq+, choosing to make a self sacrifice play to save the lives of millions! Have the character go into a situation where they know that they won’t make it out alive, a suicide mission or a high stakes mission, and then knowingly sacrifice themselves so that the people they’re fighting for can live. This fixes most of the issues as it gives the death more meaning than if it were an accident. The character knows what they’re getting into and still makes the decision anyway, giving them more depth as a person. As stated before, the problems with killing off lgbtq+ characters, especially if there’s only one of them, is a form of tokenism, this way, the character itself gets more fleshed out and it gives them a sense of nobility.

3.) The last one is actually unfixable. Creators should NEVER, under any circumstances, make an lgbtq+ character a sexual predator or a psychopath. This is an extremely harmful stereotype, especially for bisexuals and women who like women, as this trope is used in them the most; as seen in Dracula’s Daughter and Jennifer’s Body with both women being predatory. This form of representation is so bad, that it’s worse than getting no representation at all, as being portrayed as a monster and having people procive you as one, is worse than being invisible and people having no context for your identity. Now, if the creators just wants a queer villain, they have to be incredibly careful on how they create them. The creators can’t make them too evil as this would send the wrong message and they need to be sure to flesh them out. Instead of making them pure evil; give them a soft side, or a goal that people can get behind, or even a backstory that people can relate to. This way the villain is more relatable and shows complexity and humanizes them. This is something creators should already be doing for villains or anti heroes, as it makes them more interesting.

Lastly, while this has focused on the lgbtq+ community, these rules do very much apply to other minorities. Don’t token the death of bipoc, or make a deaf character super sad all the time because “deafness is hard and I can’t understand anyone”. Minorites are capable of feeling the full emotional spectrum, love, hate, sadnes, envy joy, etc. they feel it all, and focusing one the differing aspect of a character or killing them off just to give everyone else a rallying point, is more harmful than good. While not everything was covered and the suggestions above can still be offensive to some, it’s still a good idea to handle your lgbtq+ characters with care when writing them. Please don’t make them meaningless, give them a happy ending, give them a character, and let them live to see the ending if you can. The “bury your gays” is trope is awful, it sends a horrible message and it’s very outdated. It shows queer people as sad, expendable and worthless. Creators should be giving their lgbtq+ characters meaning, even in death, and not just tokenize them. Queer characters deserve happiness, and even if a creator kills them off, there are ways of doing that, without destroying a characters integrity.

Carmilla: Describe your style. What is your aesthetic comprised of? i’ve struggled to formulate my aesthetic: it definitely rides the line between pre-raphaelite and gothic, in the most victorian sense: mainly blacks with yellows and reds. i’m fond of big sweaters and long skirts, antique-style blouses, matching suits (my favourite is one in brown linen. i do wear makeup, but minimally: if i’m dressed up or feeling particularly feminine then i veer towards proper 1920s vamp.

Raven: What mythological creature would you be and why? baba yaga. without question. or maybe a lamia! i’m quite fond of them.