There is still a long way to go when it comes to the representation of gay and bisexual women on television (can't believe we are still saying that), but 2016 taught us some valuable lessons.
Most dramatically, the number of queer female characters killed off on television peaked in 2016 with at least 20 onscreen deaths.
2016 HAS NOT BEEN GOOD FOR THE TV LESBIANS
It's been a long year.
So, was 2016 all bad? Let’s review:
1. When you started watching The 100, you were swiftly caught up in the romance between Commander Lexa and Clarke.
Sadly, you were just as swiftly crushed when Lexa was killed off in what we can now say has been the most memorable and impactful character death this year.
It sent fans into action and brought the tired trope into the spotlight.
2. Meanwhile, Syfy’s Wynonna Earp became your new fave by addressing the “Bury Your Gays” trope head-on and promising the LGBT fandom to do better.
The #WayHaught fandom was born, reminding us all of one very important fact: Nobody can resist a lady in uniform.
3. But then — a cruel reminder of the frailty of joy — you watched Episode 12 of Orange Is the New Black (probably on only a few hours of sleep).
Poussey Washington was killed in a scene that easily stands as the most controversial and emotional of the Netflix series to date and resulted in you sobbing in the shower at random for a few days.
Your life now:
4. In those hard times, you were thankful to have Kate McKinnon to shine a light into the darkness once a week on SNL.
And maybe you cried when she snagged her first Emmy at the end of it all.
5. You spent most of this year wondering if Delphine Cormier would turn up alive on Orphan Black after taking a bullet in the Season 3 finale.
After all that stress, it was a reunion worth waiting for.
6. Person of Interest swept you away with the slow-burn chemistry between Root and Sameen Shaw:
You wept with joy at the sight of Sarah Shahi portraying a queer woman onscreen again — it all seemed too good to be true!
And it was.
7. Just when all these depressing storylines were starting to get you down — San Junipero became a vacation destination near and dear to our hearts.
*Blasts '80s playlist*
Kelly and Yorkie's futuristic love story on Black Mirror was an instant classic that will live on forever (wipes away single tear) just as they will together in San Junipero.
*places postcard carefully in the mail*
8. And let's not forget about the moment Sara Lance gifted you with the most amazing bar fight on television in Legends of Tomorrow (well, it's definitely up there):
View this video on YouTube
You'll never hear Captain and Tennille in the same way.
9. When you heard that Netflix was serving up eight stand-alone stories about love and relationships in its new series Easy, you were skeptical — until one episode stood out to your, um, interests.
“Vegan Cinderella” just might be your new favorite phrase as well as potential future band name.
10. And just when you thought happy endings might only be a fluke in queer girl TV, Supergirl came along to solidly restore your faith in humanity/television.
And just like that, we had our 2016 anthem: "Life's too short, we should kiss the girls we want to kiss."
Can 2017 learn from our past mistakes? Let's hope so.
