Character: Elena Alvarez
From: One Day at a Time (2017)
Representation: Lesbian, Cuban
Their Importance: Elena is a feminist, lesbian, and social justice warrior and is outspoken about all three. She is consistently pointing out misogynistic issues, and can be incredibly passionate when talking about problems in society, which I very much appreciate as I can be the same way.
What I relate to most about Elena is the fact that she cannot speak Spanish, but is still very proud of her culture. While I’m not Cuban, I am someone who loves her culture but doesn’t understand her parent’s language. Seeing Elena struggle in the same way made me happy - the show only briefly touched on her not understanding Spanish, but I often feel like I’m bad for not understanding my parent’s language, so to see a character also struggle with understanding their culture’s language made me feel much better. Also, just seeing Elena being so young and yet understanding and fighting for social justice and feminism is awesome to see.
Thanks to @starklinqs for the write up!