So if you were near any social media in the past week, you probably heard the outcry that The Walking Dead show finally included a gay male couple. Not the first gay couple (Tara and Alisha), but still a significant couple. The comments have had defense and positivity, but far too many have had:
"Show was great until you added gays"
"That kiss was over the line"
"Lesbians are fine but I don't want to gay guys."
"I'm going to stop watching"
"It was too inappropriate, my kids were watching it." (Yes that was actually on my Facebook)
"Why do you gotta shove this down our throats?"
"The classic liberal, gay agenda working again."
"Not every show needs gay people."
"I'm not homophobic, but I just don't want to see gay people kissing or be on TV."
First things first, if Aaron and Eric being gay and being in love was drawing the line for you, like offended you, then you've got to sort out your priorities. Maggot-ridden, flesh eating zombies? Cool. People shooting and stabbing each other and zombies in the head? Alright. Rape and attempted rape on numerous characters including a child? Fine. Child zombies, children dying and being killed, and child-on-child murders? Nothing wrong there! Cannibalism and treating humans like cattle? Fun. Every episode being a parade of endless gore, violence, murder, and human suffering and misery? Perfect. But two, adult, consensual, men are in obviously in love despite this world and that's where you draw the fucking line? Wow, in-credible. It just goes to show how rape, violence, and gore is a-okay but gay people or sexuality in general is scary and gross in our world.
P.S. Tara has been with us since 4A and you've got to be blind and deaf (no offense Helen Keller) to not realize that Tara is a lesbian, what with Tara admitting she's had girlfriends and flat out saying, "I like girls," to checking out Rosita, all the way to having a relationship with Alisha (which included sleeping and kissing with her which did happen). When that happened NO ONE said anything about it, let alone threaten to not watch the show or act disgusted. I don't know if you're blind as a bat, or one of those hypocrites who find lesbians hot but gay guys disgusting, but at least be consistent in your homophobia.
Now the second thing is WHY this happened. A). Aaron and Eric are from the comics, so it would make sense to include them. B). The Walking Dead (in title and content) is a human driven story, not zombies, people. It's an analysis and celebration of humans of all races and creeds, including gender, sexuality, and love. So in the sea of straight couples, it would make sense to show gay couples because gay people do in fact exist and stories are representative our world. C). Representation is important, where everyone can seem themselves in a certain character and be appreciated for that.
I started reading the comics in 2009. I was 15 at the time and I knew I was gay, but I was so afraid. All media that I have known has included gay people as a joke or a punch-line, an accessory. And whenever something did celebrate it like Brokeback Mountain, it was ridiculed. In high school, it was the most common joke. I never completely saw myself in a character. And then Kirkman introduced Aaron, and an issue later he revealed that he was gay and very much in love with his boyfriend. It was the first time I ever saw myself in a character. A character that was funny, kind, caring, altruistic, strong and happened to be gay. The fact that Aaron is a survivor and is gay made life easier for me. I know he's just a character, but it's because of Aaron and Robert Kirkman that not only did I realize it was okay to be gay, but I could do anything. I came out to my family later that year and I owe it to Aaron and Kirkman.
This goes for the same for women or people of color. How people how found inspiration in themselves because someone like Carol or Michonne can make it even as a woman or being black. This isn't the "liberal agenda" this is fiction accepting and realizing there are other people in this world and fiction, no matter what it is, is meant to represent our people. I'm not saying every single work of fiction needs a carousel of human diversity, but I'm saying why it's important. And Aaron and Eric's story, like Jesus, isn't about being gay, they just happen to be gay, and that's what matters.
To end on a relevant quote by Kirkman himself: "In my opinion there should be more awesome gay people in fiction because there are plenty of awesome gay people in real life. […] a character where his sexuality is as unimportant as Rick or other heterosexual characters."