I don't think ppl truly understand how important and revolutionary canon byler would be for gay men. most people describe it under the umbrella term 'queer rep' which like it would be, but specifically it would be SO important for gay men and queer boys everywhere
as someone who is a trans gay boy, it becomes blaringly obvious how little masculine oriented queer rep there is. not that there's none, but I've watched so much lesbian/feminine oriented queer rep happen over the years and be front and center in whatever media they're in. and that's not a bad thing at all, but the point is that male queer rep isn't nearly as pushed as that. and if they are they often aren't allowed to be front and center or have deeper development or even happen at all. even heavily queer oriented shows like the owl house didn't even have any male gay rep. I can only think of alador x darius, which wasn't even really anything 😭
byler would be absolutely insane for not just queer rep, but earth shattering for gay boys. one of the biggest shows in the world, Netflix's golden child that sweeps the nation every new season that releases, making their main boy character BREAK UP with their main girl character, the biggest ship of the show, to get with another main character who's a boy?? and neither are stereotypical? they're just two people and have been treated as so since season 1? and Will Byers would NOT get the guy only to die immediately after and become a classic case of 'tragic' that plagues male queer relationships?? and they both get a happy ending?? after having a front and center, we'll treated lovingly crafted romance in the final season and both characters treated as main characters in the spotlight, specifically Will being given so much importance, allowed to be a hero??
that would be absolutely crazy. in a way I can't express. I still can't even be hopeful for it. there's mountains of evidence and it REALLY looks like it's gonna happen, but it's that reasoning for my lack of hope that'd make it actually happening so groundbreaking. looking at the past and how mlm relationships have been treated in media in the past (if they're there at all) make me too scared to believe it or to be hopeful. I'm going to be going into st5 expecting it NOT to. but it's not because I don't want it to or I don't believe the evidence, just the nature of something so huge happening is just like, too much to expect for me 😭 but I truly want it to so bad. bc I can't even imagine the effect it'd have on people like me, a relationship like that. and how young people still figuring themselves out would be affected by it. it would be revolutionary. THATS why byler would be such a big deal
