Love Merlin, Hate Racism

Tackling racism within the BBC Merlin fandom. Educational account. Make sure to follow on Twitter/Instagram due to some issues with Tumblr.

[educatingmerlin]

[educatingmerlin]

I see a lot of posts these days with the Merlin fandom - Merthur shippers especially since they make up most of the current fandoms - congratulating themselves for how well they treat Gwen. A lot of it feels hollow to me, since they absolutely do not engage with thoughts or content about her other than - she was too good for Arthur, Lancelot or Morgana were better for her etc etc - It just often leaves a very bad taste in my mouth, especially since in show canon - neither Lancelot or Morgana end up treating Gwen with the respect that she deserves.

Maybe the fandom now treats her better but that has absolutely NOT been the case since the show has been airing. This fandom has been one of the worst in terms of racism and POC. I remember thinking, many years ago while the show was airing - poor Angel!

Like the booing, the threats, the petitions, the absolute lack of support for her from any of her castmates or showrunners - I hope she never has to go through that again.

Anyways, I’ve come across some people who are willing to engage in this discussion but also refuse to accept that it’s been a problem in the past. Thus, I was wondering if you had a list or links for of all the things/experiences that Angel went through and how awful it was?

For example, I very much remember the photoshop petition, where people harassed a photographer for doing a Colin, Bradley and Angel photoshoot so much that the shoot itself got cancelled. And I remember Angel once said she got death threats? But is there a compiled list anywhere?

Thank you for your question and also for sharing the racism you saw/experienced within the fandom.

Having reminders like this is so important. It is so easy for people to forget how bad things were (and still are) for Angel.

As far as I am aware, I don't think there are any threads or a list complied of what Angel went though/evidence of racism. At least, I have not come across any! It would be good if it did exist somewhere. It's unfortunate that people have to see evidence to believe it was real, that it happened, but I know that sometimes being able to see how bad things truly were can be a wake up call too.

From what I know, a lot old Merlin content seems to no longer exist on the internet e.g articles, videos, posts etc.

However, posting this may bring things to light if there are any lists/threads, or even people coming forward with receipts! If there are, I'll try to compile them in a post to make it easier to access.

[educatingmerlin]

[educatingmerlin]

Alexander Siddig is a British-Sudanese actor who played Kanen in an episode in Merlin season one.

Siddig has starred in a variety of different films and TV shows, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Kingdom of Heaven, Game of Thrones, and Peaky Blinders.

[educatingmerlin]

Hi and thank you if you answer this one!

Is it just me or does any content with Gwen/Elyan/both of them gets so much less attention from fandom?

ArWen is much less popular than Merthur, despite it being canon. As an artist, who loves drawing Gwen, it's sad to say that Gwen/ArWen arts don't get as much likes and reblogs than Merlin/Arthur. I don't even want to start on Elyan.

And I wanted to know what if it's about art quality? I tried many different stuff with Gwen. Fast and lively sketches, full rendered arts I spent hours and hours of my life, etc etc. Many experimental things to see if there's any difference. But a simple sketch with Merthur gets much more attention in just minutes :/

I can't understand if that's racism towards the character? Or people in fandom just generally love gay characters, absolutely ignoring one of the main characters who IS a female? ://

It really is frustrating to see. As an artist I, of course, love attention (there aren't much who doesn't). But I also don't want to be stuck drawing two same white dudes just to get more likes&reblogs, considering that I myself AM NOT a white man and I do want more diversity in art.

And there's this dilemma in what should I draw to satisfy fandom's needs or should I draw for myself only and suffer from no attention

Thank you for your submission and for sharing your experience.

I am sorry that you have had to go through this, especially with working countless hours making artwork only for it to go unappreciated.

First of all, it is important to know that this is not due to you personally or the quality of your artwork, but it is an issue with the fandom and how they interact with certain content. So please do not blame yourself!

What you have said is right. The fandom is largely dominated by fans of the white characters or non-canon ships (who are mostly white themselves). Whilst there are fans of Arwen/Gwen/Elyan, there are not nearly as many fans for characters such as Merlin, Arthur or Morgana.

Of course the racism has affected the situation too.

It is likely a mix of both things. As there are more fans for the white characters, they are only interested in seeing content of the people they love. This is not a bad thing, but it does impact the way they interact with content. And with racism they usually do not want to see any content of the Black characters.

With the fandom being majority Merlin/Arthur/Merthur fans it is pretty easy for them to gain a lot of interactions with their content and it has often led to certain posts becoming viral (or at least semi viral with thousands and thousands of reblogs).

It is a really difficult situation to be in when you are constantly trying to get your work out there and appreciated. The fandom needs to be a lot more welcoming to content which celebrates a wider part of the show and the characters.

I have a post about this planned which I will share soon but I am striving to do this within this page. It is so important to support creators and artists of color in the Merlin fandom.

For now, there are a few things that I would suggest:

Try to follow and interact with artists who also focus on Gwen/Elyan. Finding a circle where you are on the same page as other fans may be helpful in building up your page and interactions.

No doubt you are doing this already but make sure that you are tagging correctly. For example on Gwen artwork, do not solely tag Gwen related things. Often the hashtags for Black Merlin characters get bombarded with non-Gwen related posts. Many fans follow Gwen tags to see Gwen content but end up unfollowing as posts about her are usually lost in a sea of white Merlin characters.

Make sure you are on different social media platforms. I have spoken about this before but on each site, the fandom is different. One site may be more welcoming and supportive of your artwork than another.

I know this is difficult as this is something which is out of our control and we have to rely on others to support us. It would not surprise me if you have already tried these things, but if you have not, I hope that they do help.

I also hope that other artists share their own tips about this!

My future post will be asking artists what this page can do to help other artists (of color) in supporting them so please look out for it or feel free to submit something here.

[educatingmerlin]

I just found this blog and I am SO happy you are adressing things without condeming people whose faorite ship is Merthur. A lot of the time I cannot be included in spaces that talk about these kinda things in the Merlin fandom because of people talking about it judging anyone who likes Merthur. As someone who enjoys Gwen and also ships Arwen (Though not nearly as much my borderline aroace brain only gives me like one couple to fixate on per like five years) I love this. Most merthur creaters I have seen (And I have not seen many besides tumblr and some discords I will admit and Tumblr doesnt tent to recomend me racistgwen stuff) treat her well But I still remember the time I asked for Merthur fics that treat gwen nicely and one person just gave me their fic WHERE GWEN DIES IN CHILDBIRTH for no reason in a pretty disrepectful way and I was left going WTF. I stopped reading it.

I've been lucky to avoid a lot of the racism I think.

Thank you for your submission.

I am happy that you are enjoying this space! This page was definitely created to try and bring all Merlin fans (regardless of who they ship) into raising awareness about racism and antiBlackness.

Unfortunately fandom can be messy and there have been many times when my posts have been accused of being hateful towards certain ships (particularly Merthur) despite the fact that there have been discussions about racism and not the actual ship itself. It is also why I constantly put disclaimers that certain posts are not denouncing certain ships or shippers. Fandom would be a lot more productive in tackling antiBlackness if there was not a constant need for discussions about racism to be put down to 'ship wars.'

I am glad that you have been able to avoid a lot of the racism. Unfortunately fics and posts which treat Gwen negatively are common in the fandom so I am sorry you had that experience.

Regarding your comment about other fans judging people who ship Merthur, of course I am unaware of the details so it depends on what exactly you have been seeing, but I think it is also important to view things from the side of fans of color and have been at the end of racism in the Merlin fandom.

Of course this isn't isolated to just Merthur shippers, there are plenty of other people who are involved in racism, but they do dominate the fandom and unfortunately a significant amount of racism has come from them (as you have already mentioned with your example of a fic recommendation). With that in mind, it is understandable why there may be some judgement or apprehension there.

This generally isn't related to ships, rather that a big part of a community have been known to engage in racist activities. Again though, this is not all Merthur shippers, nor is it isolated to just them.

There has been a lot of uncomfortable-ness when talking about Merthur shippers and how they are in the fandom because (as mentioned before) many fans cannot see past their 'this is hating on my ship and the characters I love' blinkers.

So I think it is important in trying to understand the perspective of POC, particularly if they are acting a certain way towards certain ships or shippers. I obviously cannot speak for everyone but it could well be a response to racism they have experienced or seen.

There are a lot of Merthur shippers who do partake in anti-racism in the fandom. Who do love Gwen and challenge anyone who is racist towards her. Hopefully this is something that will continue to spread amongst them.

But yes, this page doesn't condemn Merthur shippers! They are welcome here and we can tackle racism together!

[educatingmerlin]

Adrian Lester is a British-Jamaican actor who played Myror in an episode in Merlin season two.Lester has starred in Mary Queen of Scots, The Day After Tomorrow, and recently Renegade Nell. He has had a wide range of roles in theatre, including his debut on Broadway in 2021.

[educatingmerlin]

Colin Salmon is a British-Jamaican actor who played Aglain in one episode in Merlin season two.

He has been in a variety of films and TV shows. Most notably James Bond, Resident Evil and Doctor Who with Steven Moffat stating in 2020 that he envisioned Salmon's character as a future reincarnation of the Doctor.

Salmon has also been involved with a lot of charity work. He is currently starring as George Knight on BBC's EastEnders.

[educatingmerlin]

Did You Know 💭

Tomiwa Edun's (Sir Elyan) full name is Babatunde Adetomiwa Stafford Edun, and he is descended from emperor Osei Kofi Tutu, one of the founders of the Ashanti Empire. His grandparents have their own Wikipedia pages if you would like to learn more!

Maternal Granddad: Joe Appiah

Maternal Grandmother: Peggy Cripps

[educatingmerlin]

With Black History Month coming to an end, it is important, as ever, to continue the work you have started this month. It is important to continue tackling racism within fandom spaces. Have discussions with your peers and be firm in no longer accepting racist 'jokes' or remarks.

Anti-Blackness has had a place in the Merlin community for more than 15 years, and unfortunately, that has not changed. But if we work together, if we continue learning and unlearning, one step at a time, we can make this fandom a better place for Black/minority fans.

[educatingmerlin]

Happy Black History Month!

Head over to Twitter to share your favourite Black artist. Whether it is artwork, songs, youtubers, authors etc.

Or reblog and share here!

P.S It can be fandom based.

[educatingmerlin]

What is your favorite moment from any of the characters of color in Merlin? Reblog and share!

[educatingmerlin]

Happy New Year! May 2024 be the year Merlin fans adopt an anti-racist approach. And BIPOC begin to feel safer and more comfortable in the fandom. ❤️

[educatingmerlin]

Happy Merlin anniversary 😊

It has been 11 years since the show ended! If you are still wondering how you can tackle racism in the fandom, here are three things you can do:

[Feel free to add anything else to this thread. Whether it is an additional step people can take or books/resources you think would be beneficial].

1. Educate yourself.

There are many resources about Anti-Racism, such as fandom specific books like The Dark Fantastic and Squee From the Margins: Fandom and Race.

On specific posts, I have also added additional links to information.

2. Discuss/engage in conversations around race in fandom.

Do not shy away from these topics! It is important even in fandom to discuss how racism affects fans/the fandom. By having these conversations, we learn new things and hear perspectives we may not experience ourselves.

3. Support BIPOC.

This can be in a range of ways, including when they discuss racism or their fandom experiences, but also their work. Whether that is artwork, fics, or maybe they have their own business! Fans of color are more likely to stay in fandom if they are supported.

The list of things you can do is, of course, not limited to these three actions. But this is a short list reminding you that tackling racism in fandom is still, and always will be, important.

[educatingmerlin]

In which episode's commentary does Bradley talk negatively about Angel's appearance and voice?

I believe it's possibly 2x02!

[educatingmerlin]

Do you seriously forbid us to dislike a character only because she's black??

I did not say or imply this.

[educatingmerlin]

were katie mcgrath and angel coulby friends during filming? I doubt they are now since it has been years

Looking at photos and interviews they have done, it seems like they were!

They could possibly still be friends, but both Katie and Angel are private people. So unless they are spotted together or mention one another, I do not think there is any way of knowing for sure.