The second season of I Kissed a Boy helped shift conversations about representation by including Lars Fellows, a transgender man, bringing much-needed visibility to trans experiences in mainstream queer dating TV.
And yet, despite cultural impact and clear audiences, I Kissed a Boy, I Kissed a Girl, and The Ultimatum: Queer Love are all gone. Why?
It’s not just ratings. These shows reach straight and queer audiences alike. A common misconception is that queer reality TV is “just for queer people.” But just as LGBTQ+ people binge Love Island or Love Is Blind, straight audiences can gain insight from queer love. Shows like IKAG and IKAB teach about boundaries, jealousy, and communication in ways that even fictional worlds like Heated Rivalry or Red, White & Royal Blue can only attempt. Queer TV normalises relationships that challenge heteronormative assumptions, and yes, straight viewers can learn a lot from it.
The problem isn’t audience interest, it’s production companies’ unwillingness to fully support queer content in a politically hostile climate. While transphobia and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric grow in the UK and US, queer TV is still treated as “risky.” From Hampstead Heath debates to JK Rowling’s outdated tirade, President Trump’s inflammatory comments and even fans’ biphobia around Bridgerton, the war is not won.
I want the women of I Kissed a Girl discussing bisexuality and navigating the biphobic responses they’ve received within the queer community. I want The Ultimatum: Queer Love, proving queer sex, love, and jealousy don’t mirror straight experiences.
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As a teenager, I replayed Emily and Naomi’s kisses on Skins to fill the aching gap that the media was not providing. Shows like this make representation tangible: kissing, talking, living, planning futures; not just happy endings on a majority-straight cast.
We need real queer voices on screen, not tokenised storylines. We need shows with budgets, soundtracks, locations and proper marketing — so people can actually find them. Fund queer content like you mean it, and don’t allow them to disappear because of “funding challenges”.