We Deserved Better
| Website | |
|---|---|
| Name: | We Deserved Better |
| Owner/Maintainer: | |
| Dates: | 2016 |
| Type: | social activism |
| Fandom: | The 100, Clexa |
| URL: | wedeservedbetter.com (backup site) |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
We Deserved Better is a website hosted on Tumblr (and backed up on Wordpress) that chronicles the grievances of the Clexa fandom against the creators of The 100. It was created as part of the "LGBT Fans Deserve Better" fan campaign, in response to the death of the lesbian character Lexa on The 100.
The website serves to provide readers with context for the fandom's outrage over Lexa's death, as well as assign accountability to showrunner Jason Rothenberg, the producers, and the writers of The 100 for "willfully deceiving and breaking the trust of its fanbase."[1]
Purpose
From the website:
Following the events of episode 307 of The 100, the outcry from the LGBT+ viewers of the show has been angry, focused, and loud. The main purpose of this site? To give readers a sense of the source of the anger from fans. It's not just about a character death. It's not just about a "ship."
The problem LGBT+ viewers have with the show is the blatant, callous manipulation we experienced at the hands of the creators, for over ten months.[2]
Chapters
The website is divided into 14 chapters, covering the various ways the Clexa fandom (many of whom were LGBT+ youth) felt they had been baited and exploited by The Powers That Be. The chapters are in chronological order, forming a timeline starting from the reveal of Lexa's sexuality in 2015 to her death and the ensuing aftermath in 2016. Each chapter includes documentation of various statements made by showrunner Jason Rothenberg and other members of The 100's cast and crew either on social media, or in interviews and fan meetings.
... we are specifically addressing the fact that a vulnerable minority group was used for promotion, for ratings, for numbers, and then discarded. Marketing centers on finding focus groups and finding ways to appeal to them specifically, as The 100 did, but there are responsibilities that come along with using queer youth for promotion and marketing. The 100 ignored those social responsibilities and ignored the effect that their actions would have on the group it used for promotion. That action alone straddles the line between ethical and unethical media presentation, but the complete lack of action in the wake of 307 has pushed it over the line into unethical territory.[2]
Chapter 1: Lexa Is The Representation
Chapter 1 covers the introduction of Lexa and the reveal that she is a lesbian, demonstrating how Jason Rothenberg and the writers promoted Lexa as the first LGBT representation on the show. It also highlights tweets made by the writing staff reassuring fans who were upset that Lexa's dead lover, Costia, fell into the damaging "Bury Your Gays" trope.[3]
An example of a tweet regarding Costia, as documented by the website, dated January 20, 2015:
helena @thirdouting:
@The100writers lgbt ppl are told all the time via media that their relationships only ever end in tragedy. i thought u were better than that
The 100 Writers Room @The100writers
@thirdouting: stay tuned...
Another example by The 100 writer and producer, Kim Shumway, dated January 21, 2015:
Kim Shumway @kimshum:
@geekmythos @laynemorgan No, but you guys, I legit don't understand. Why is this a bad thing?
Diana @geekmythos:
@kimshum @laynemorgan Basically, people are like stop killing queer characters to further character arcs. But Costia wasn't a character
Kim Shumway @kimshum:
@geekmythos @laynemorgan Ohhh. Got it. Okay, well. You two are correct: Lexa is the representation. And she's not dead!
References
- ^ About The 100 and its Controversy on wedeservedbetter.com. Archived version.
- ^ a b Introductory post on wedeservedbetter.com. Archived version.
- ^ Chapter 1: Lexa Is The Representation by WeDeservedBetter.com (backup site).