Introduction
Queer representation in media is a battle that’s been hard fought. A battle that continues on to this day. It ebbs and flows, swelling with each realistic, well written, queer character that appears. All while many creators and creatives are forced to adapt or outright remove queer characters from their work. In order for the show to go on. However, what isn’t always discussed is when queer characters are allowed on screen. But only under specific circumstances or only as hollow depictions. One infamous example would be the “bury your gays” trope.
What is “Bury your Gays?”
The “bury your gays” trope is a long lasting one, stubborn and dangerous like some sort of fiction-dwelling plague. Many associate its growing popularity with the implementation of the Hays Code. Which was a set of rules determined to remove profanity and promiscuousness from the big screen. While removing elements such as racial slurs, it also promoted a heavily Christian mindset. Meaning themes such as sex, other religions/religious depictions, and homosexuality were banned from television.
For those who haven’t heard of “Bury your Gays,” this trope is one prevelant throughout history and still appears to this day. In which a queer character dies, often unjustly and/or horribly, in a way that doesn’t contribute to the overall plot. Instead, it is a simple way to remove a queer/queer-coded character from the story. This is done for various reasons, which will be discussed in another article. For now let’s take a look at some examples to expand our understanding.
Past Examples: The Picture of Dorian Gray/Satan was a Lesbian
The first fact we must clarify is the fact that the “bury your gays” trope cannot be limited by genre, time period, or form. The “bury your gays” isn’t a trope only found in romance nor does it spare queer fiction. This trope also has a long, long history yet is still extremely relevant to modern day works. It’s spread to books, television, cartoons, and basically any other form of fiction.
For our first examples, I’d like to focus on the past. As a way to set the scene. “Bury your gays” can first be found in one of the most famous classics, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. While discussions of Wilde’s own sexuality and the implication of queerness within his works are more explored, the “bury your gays” trope is sometimes set aside. However, it cannot be denied that The Picture of Dorian Gray does fulfil its basic requirements. In which a queer-coded character dies tragically (Dorian murdering Basil). The Picture of Dorian Gray can be cited as one of the earliest depictions of this trope.
Another, broader example that this trope can be found is in pulp fiction. Not the movie Pulp Fiction but instead the genre itself. Pulp fiction refers to the often explicit (both in terms of violence and sexuality), novelas, produced around the 1950’s. This genre of literature gained its name due to the lower quality paper it was often printed on. It is also notorious for producing pieces filled examples of the “bury your gays” trope.
One example of a pulp fiction piece highlighting this trope would be, Satan was a Lesbian by Fred Haley. The lesbian characters in this book are often depicted as violent, sex obsessed deviants. Except for the main love interest, Cynthia, who instead often despairs over her desire and is meeker than the other queer characters. When the two decide to run away together at the end of the book, they tragically die in a car accident. Solidifying not only the overall poor representation but the “bury your gays” trope.
If you’re interested in learning more about this piece and about how it relates to “bury your gays,” I highly recommend checking out Strange Aeon’s video on the book. Which is linked below:
Modern Examples: Supernatural and Voltron: Legendary Defender
The “bury your gays” trope can also be found in more modern works. Even in works that are beloved by the queer community. One infamous example would be the TV show Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, and aired from 2005-2020. Supernatural was a TV show beloved by its queer fans, hosting a large fanbase and inspiring various forms of fanwork. Which were often queer in nature. Despite this, Supernatural displayed the “bury your gays” trope not only once, but twice during its production.
The first example being the character Charlie, one of the only openly queer characters within the show. Fans often cite this as an example of “bury your gays,” as she played many key roles within the show (such as being close friend’s with one of the show’s main characters, Dean Winchester), yet was brutally murdered before her character could be explored further. Described as a talented hacker and an eventual ally to the Winchester brothers, she appears in a handful of episodes throughout the series. Despite being prevalent, she is murdered before her story can be explored further, acting instead as another tragic death for Sam and Dean to mourn.
Another, clearer, example of this trope can be found in the finale of the show. In which Castiel, a powerful angel and ally, confesses his love to Dean, only to be sent to “superhell” (fan-term) or “the empty,” which is the afterlife for demons and angels. Many fans had sensed a growing tension between these two characters. Often creating fanwork and predicting that they would eventually get together canonically. Instead, Cas’ final act is confessing his feelings for Dean, only for them to not be requited. Immediately sending him to his death in the form of eternal sleep.
This, of course, outraged many loyal fans of the TV show. Expressing feelings of betrayal and frustration with how the two’s relationship ended. Especially considering how fans were often depicted in a negative light within the show or outright mocked by the producers/actors.
Another beloved show accused of using the “bury your gays” trope would be Voltron: Legendary Defender. A cartoon created by Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos and based on the earlier version of the cartoon Voltron (1984-1985). There have been many iterations of the show throughout the 80’s to the early 2000’s, though this version is the most recent at the time of writing. This show has also gained the love and hate of the queer community, often sensing tension between characters like Keith and Lance, but not crossing those boundaries in the first seasons.
However, the popularity and love for this show quickly started to fall with the introduction of Shiro’s boyfriend, Adam. Voice actors/actresses and producers had started speaking on and hyping up Adam’s character before his official debut. It had been confirmed that he was indeed Shiro’s boyfriend and that he would be appearing in season 7 of the cartoon. Many fans were ecstatic over this news. Imagining and sharing what they thought this character would be like and celebrating what seemed like another queer character on screen. Only to be gravely disappointed when it’s revealed that Adam was dead in the current timeline, dying before he could even be introduced.
This gained the show outraged and disappointed fans, further increasing the allegations of Voltron’s queer-baiting behavior. At this point, many fans checked out entirely or those who had been drawn back in by the prospect of a queer character left once more. Although Shiro did eventually gain a husband by the end of the show (Curtis), there were fans who were unforgiving of this slip up.
Despite these two shows having an incredibly queer fanbase and once being celebrated by queer fans, this didn’t stop the producers/writers from using “bury your gays” to remove queer/queer-coded characters from their work. Even if it gains them the disapproval or outright hate of their loyal fans. However, neither of these shows were queer fiction/had a main focus on queer elements. One would hope that any queer fiction would avoid such a damaging trope. But, as explained before, “bury your gays” can’t be contained by genre.
Queer Example: Killing Eve
If a work is going to be exploring queer identity or queer relationships, an interested fan would hope that they would be depicted in a realistic light. However, this is often not the case and many queer fiction pieces fall into the same stereotypes/tropes that other genres fall in. Such as the “bury your gays” trope. One more modern example of a queer piece giving in to this stereotype would be the television show Killing Eve.
Introduced in 2018 and created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, this show follows the main characters Eve and Villanelle. Eve acts as a spy, tasked with tracking down Villanelle. While Villanelle is a brutal and extremely successful assassin. The show revolves around the relationship between the two as they become more and more infatuated with each other. While Villanelle is more open and honest about her attraction to Eve, Eve often struggles with her attraction to Villanelle for both moral and personal reasons.
Before the ending of the show, many queer fans loved the show and the complicated relationship between the two. Often drawing comparisons to Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal. As both shows follow a main character involved with finding and tracking down a morally reprehensible love interest. However, the comparison’s quickly stopped with season 4 of Killing Eve and its finale.
All the tension between Eve and Villanelle falls short when the show ends with Villanelle being shot. She dies after sharing a kiss with Eve, their relationship finally improving and shaping up to be a happy ending for them both. Instead, it is ripped away from them both (and the fans) with a gunshot. Despite the entire show being about the growing relationship between the two characters, it ends with it being unfulfilled. As soon as the two finally reconcile, they are ripped apart by outside forces.
While some fans were extremely upset by the tragic end, others conceded that it was fitting. Either way, Killing Eve fulfilled the trope’s basic requirements and gained criticism for its handling of queer relationships/characters.
Conclusion
From these examples, we can gain a fuller understanding of what the “bury your gays” trope is and how it manifests in media. Despite the Hays Code no longer being used and queer approval being on the rise all across the world, we seemingly cannot escape the death grip that the trope has on our media. Hence why I refer to it as the “living dead” trope. There is no acceptable reason why “bury your gays” continues to haunt our media. Spreading like the bite of a zombie and shambling throughout history in what seems like an endless hoard.
It shouldn’t be alive in the modern era, yet it lives. Coming back from the dead relentlessly each time a writer uses it as an excuse to remove a queer character. In my next article, I’ll discuss the implications of “bury your gays.” Along with how the reasoning for this trope evolved, the gray areas it creates, and other tropes it spawns. If that’s something that would interest you or you liked this article, I highly recommend you check it out! For now, keep your eyes peeled for other examples of “bury your gays” so you can learn how to avoid it in your own writing.
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