Representation matters and here’s even more proof.
This weekend, Netflix debuted the fourth season of its hit Netflix show BoJack Horseman. Viewers were surprised to see sidekick Todd Chavez, voiced by Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, come out as asexual to his titular (former) pal, BoJack.
The episode centers on Todd’s good nature and how much he always gives to others. However, he also is shouldering the weight of not being out about his identity.
“I think I’masexual,” Todd tells Bojack.
Bojack responds with a string of jokes: “A sexual what? Dynamo? Deviant?
Harassment lawsuit waiting to happen?”
“No, asexual – not sexual,” Todd responds.
Even when Horseman tries to crack a few jokes about Todd’s announcement, Todd pushes back.
“Yeah, I’m not really at a place yet where I want to joke about it.”
“Got it, got it, totally,” Bojack responds.
“But it feels good to talk about it,” Todd says.
Several people on Twitter tweeted about Todd’s revelation and how good it felt to see positive asexual representation on a television show.
TODD CHAVEZ IS ASEXUAL #BoJackHorsemanSeason4 pic.twitter.com/ZYtg1JheNH
— thomas. (@cilliansshelby) September 8, 2017
todd coming out as asexual and bojack being supportive is the only happy thing that’s happened in S4 so far
— ellie 🌻 (@spikejonzes) September 8, 2017
You don’t understand how validating is was to have positive asexual representation where Todd explicitly used the term out loud.
— Melissa Noël (@NefarioussNess) September 10, 2017
Totally teared up watching the Todd episode of the new BoJack season. Asexual representation is incredible :’)
— Diane Murray (@dmurring) September 9, 2017
TODD CHAVEZ IS ASEXUAL
BLESS HIM
BLESS THIS SHOW
BLESS NETFLIX
IM pic.twitter.com/D4tIKT6Ego— matt@ProtectRedRiot (@maddensins) September 8, 2017
OKAY NETFLIX PLS MAKE THIS STORYLINE ABOUT TODD BEING OKAY BEING ASEXUAL PLS I HAVE FEW ROLE MODELS
— ⋅ kay ⋰ BoJack ⋅ (@aIIonswins) September 8, 2017
While organizations like GLAAD track how many characters on TV represent the LGBTQ community in theirannual Where We Are on TV report, there’s been very little writing about other queer groups, like asexual people. In one Bitch essay from 2015, writer Laure Jankowski bemoaned the state of asexual representation on TV, which focused on asexual people as needing to be “fixed,” and fall in love and have sex again.
What seems to make BoJack Horsemen different is that coming out as asexual is the fix, not the problem.
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