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Should non-LGBTQ+ people tell LGBTQ+ stories?

17th - 24th February 2023

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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.”

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+.”

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.