MTV was one of the first industry leaders to embrace queer contestants on dating shows with the eighth season of Are You The One?, which premiered in 2019.

It felt like a huge step backwards in representation of the LGBTQ2S+ community, along with being an ignorant and irrational stance. The show’s television network commissioner, Amanda Stravi, stated that gay contestants would create a “logistical difficulty.” I was shocked when I heard about Love Island’s stance on featuring queer relationships on their show. Shows like Too Hot to Handle, The Bachelor, and Love is Blind are inherently spectacles, but their representation-or lack thereof-impacts the way we perceive queer relationships, especially if shows reinforce damaging stereotypes surrounding the LGBTQ2S+ community. While many of these labels are popular among those who self-identify, they are not universal.

This article uses “Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Queer, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2S+)' when referring to students with diverse experiences with gender and sexuality.