Web series are leading the way in moving beyond the gender binary.
A new wave of creators aren't waiting for mainstream entertainment to catch up to the realities of gender identity, they're just making it happen. And Kaitlyn Alexander is at the forefront.
Alexander is the mastermind behind Couple-ish, a web series they both created and star in. It centres on Dee, a non-binary, bisexual artist who enters into a sham marriage to keep their new roommate in the country. It's instantly endearing, with LGBT inside jokes and characters that are too awkward not to love.
"I just saw this gap in media. I was not seeing people like me represented so it's like, why don't I just start doing it. Somebody has to start it," Alexander told BuzzFeed Canada. "I just wanted to create a series where somebody who's non-binary can be a romantic lead or at the forefront, and not a joke." Often, says Alexander, characters without a fixed gender are non-human entities like aliens, and often a punchline.
"Representation is important because it gives people opportunities to see themselves in media, which is validating. It can make you feel like you're not alone, and that's super important," they said. They've even received messages from non-binary people saying Alexander's work helped them explain their identities to their parents.
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