Should non-LGBTQ+ people tell LGBTQ+ stories?

26590

Total votes

8983

5-11 votes

17607

11-16+ votes

For LGBT History Month and with WorldPride taking place in Sydney between the 17th February and 5th March, our voters discussed the representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the media. In particular, they explored how and how much their stories are portrayed and the actors and writers who choose to portray them.

Primary age 5-11

"We couldn't think of very many TV programmes and films that had LGBT+ people in them so we don't think there's enough representation.”

person with sunglasses on and a rainbow flag representing LGBTQIA+

Secondary age 11-16

"As long as the story is accurate, it should not matter. By getting those who are not LGBTQIA+ to act in the roles, it shows more equality and spreads awareness that it is ok to be LGBTQIA+.”

person with apparatus to support walking

16+ & College

“The problem is not non-LGBTQ+ people taking those roles, it's taking those roles and doing them poorly (stereotypically/lazily)."

82% of those aged 5-7 said stories can help us to understand our differences.

Our youngest voters were discussing the power of storytelling in helping us to understand difference experiences.
The vast majority of those who voted said that 'Yes', storytelling can help us to understand our differences.

72% of voters aged 7-11 believe there isn't enough LGBT+ representation on screen.

For our older Primary voters, we posed the question of whether there is enough LGBT+ representation on screen.
The majority voted 'No', with a few comments stating that they struggled to think of many examples and so that must mean there aren't enough.

67% of voters aged 11+ believe that non-LGBTQ+ people should be able to tell LGBTQ+ stories.

Finally, our 11+ voters answered the question: "Should non-LGBTQ+ people tell LGBTQ+ stories?"
Almost 70% voted 'Yes'. This percentage seemed to increase with age, with 72% of College only voters saying 'Yes'.
A common theme in student comments was that the most important part of representation is taking care with LGBTQ+ characters and portraying them authentically; it's ok for non-LGBTQ+ people to tell these stories, as long as they avoid stereotyping.

Feedback from our Impact Partners

This week, Amy Ashenden, Chief Executive of the charity Just Like Us, commented on what the children said.

Just Like Us are a charity that works with LGBT+ children across the UK.