Killing Off the Lesbians

Spoiler Alert: the lesbian character always dies. Looking at the fates of characters over decades, this wide-ranging and lively book argues that killing off the lesbian - even if she only appears via the subtext - is nothing new. It is a form of symbolic annihilation that has an impact in real life.

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So, the film or television lesbian character dies. It seems to happen frequently. But does it really? If so, is it something new? Surveying the fates of numerous characters over decades, this study shows that killing off the lesbian is not a new trend. It is a form of symbolic annihilation and it has had an impact in real life.

When more women are working behind the scenes, what appears on-screen also becomes more diverse--yet unhappily the story lines don't necessarily change. From the Xenaverse to GLAAD to the Lexa Pledge, fans have demanded better. As fan fiction migrates from the computer screen to the printed page, authors reanimate the dead and insist on happy endings.