Musings on TV

they’ve given up their place in the team even when they’re the best in the world.

joined “las 15” because they knew that changes were needed.

stayed true to their values and words and gave up a world cup, the most important tournament of their career because they knew the changes weren’t enough.

and now once again openly talking about how the changes are not enough prior to this camp.

they’ve given up a lot and words will always fall short for all that they’ve done.

absolute respect and honour to them both🫡

sempre en tu equipo patri y mapi. muy muy orgullosa de ti 💙❤️

now that it is officially out, we are going to talk about it.

and it is necessary to talk about it because the way barca has been treating its players lately has been outright pathetic. they have treated the outgoings in a bad way and not even deserving of a decent farewell and exit.

we started with pere after the 2021 season who even accepted being a third centre-back behind mapi and irene but she was forced to leave.

then andrea falcon received the same treatment. a player who got injured twice with back to back acl's, then left on loan just so she could play at the level of barca again. when she came back, what did barca do again? made her leave.

then comes nuria rabano. with frido's knee injury, nuria was the perfect player to play in her position. essentially you signed a player, did not even let her get used to playing at barca and then decided to just force her out.

and finally we come to ana. ana was a player who came in as a backup right back who ended up being so much more than that. she was our perfect wildcard who just would fit into any position she was asked to play. YOU DO NOT LET GO OF SUCH PLAYERS! with frido and nuria both out, she was our perfect player profile that could've helped us out in this long season. the emotional connection she made with the fans, her dedication to the club and the loyalty with which she played for the badge cannot just be gained in any player. she comes back home after a disappointing world cup to train and be happy again, instead, what did barca do again?

told her to leave!

the financial wages have been getting higher and higher every season, yes. and the renewals are more expensive with financial fair play coming into the mix. all of it? understandable. but treating the players like this is inexcusable. there are more than enough players who should've been transferred but instead we have a player in ana whose versatility is unmatched. her performances may have not been a 10 but she was always a player who brought in so much more than what she did on the pitch.

i will never forgive barca for how they have treated ana. she did not deserve this or this ending. for a club as big as barca, they have handled the exits in the shittiest way possible

thank you for coming to my ted talk.

I love this. I absolutely love this! ❤️

One thing I was disgusted by during this World Cup was this running commentary thread among fans--European fans, to be frank and precise about it--over Colombia's fouling, like that was somehow the trait that defines them. No doubt that was because of the "Ireland incident", a game which nobody saw full footage of and where Colombia's side of it (that apparently Ireland fouled just as much) was largely drowned out by English-speaking fans.

Is Colombia a side that uses physicality to stop the opposing teams' flow? Yes. Is it fair that somehow, every time a Colombian player commits a foul, some fans would comment something like, "oh, Colombia, always fouling," like somehow that's their defining trait? Absolutely not.

England fouled a lot of the Australian players during their semi-final match. Germany kept fouling South Korean players, who couldn't match their physicality btw, as the game got away from them. And yet, I'm sure that a lot of the same fans who branded Colombia as a "fouling team" would never brand England and Germany as such.

The double standard from some fans is so clear to see, and especially grating to me, an Asian person. Asian teams are always expected to match the physicality of European teams, but when a team from South America (or Africa) does just that, it's suddenly too much.

When I saw Colombia play, my main takeaway about them was that, they're so good on the ball. I hope that's most people's takeaway too.

And for those who have this narrative in their heads that Colombia is a team that keeps fouling, I hope they apply the same standards to other teams who fouled just as much, if not more. Otherwise, well, I hope they think about why they judge different teams differently.

Incredible how there could still be some respect left. What else to expect from players who gave in for their own advantage? Jesus, the naivity. And people hoping this success will help the players who fight for change. Fight for change? By helping Vilda to become a hero who was on every Spanish newspaper cover today?

Please. These people are either in denial, naive or cynical.

Sums it up really

Another one that sums it up perfectly

Spain winning will set a bad precedent everywhere, btw. It shows that federations can be as abusive to their players as they want and nothing will happen as long as they are successful

a very happy women's world cup to all who celebrate

I get that people are interested in my opinion and feelings of the Spain Haka video because I live in Aotearoa and am Māori. There’s a lot of thoughts and feeling and I am happy to discuss Māori culture but I don’t really want to comment much further on the video after this so I’ll try be as articulate as possible.

These 3 at the front want to cut a b*tch.

DRAFT List of Main Bisexual Characters on Big 5 Primetime Television 2000-Present

By SB Swartz If you use this list, please link back to post and credit SB Swartz.

All characters on this list were able bodied throughout the majority, if not all, of their arc. None of the characters are defined as polyamorous. There were no trans or nonbinary bisexual characters on the big five networks 2000-Present. There were no asexual bi characters on the big five networks 2000-Present. This list is a living document–if you’d like to contribute, ensure the character meets the following criteria:

Significant character (five episodes or more) On a big five (CBS, NBC, ABC, CW, Fox) show Between 2000-Present And include all of the following:

Name Show Network Lead, Ensemble, or Recurring Was char’s bisexuality named on the show? Char Race/Ethnicity Char Gender Is char trans? Relationships while on the series - gender Year of first appearance Year left the series (or N/A) Dead or alive when left the series (or N/A) Gender of partner when left the series (or N/A)

Character Images: Angela Montenegro, Bones Clarke Griffin, The 100  Callie Torres, Grey’s Anatomy, “So what, I’m bisexual, it’s a thing!” Annalise Keating, How To Get Away With Murder Darryl Whitefeather, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

___________

UPDATE: this list is not to include characters who explicitly self-identify as other than bisexual. This list will continue to not include characters that have “sweeps week” type liaisons that are not treated as intrinsic to the character (often (at times erasively) referred to as the “sweeps week lesbian kiss”). After reflection I concluded the original inclusion of Willow Rosenberg was in direct conflict with not including characters like Jamal Lyon, Phoebe Buffet, and others. 

What it comes down to is this: the line has to be drawn somewhere, it has to be drawn with consistency, and it has to be drawn in a way that is reasonable for one person (me) to manage while still being accurate.

Thank you to those who kindly and openly reached out with your thoughts and life experiences with the characters that mean to much to us all.  

See a missing category? I would be happy to share the Bisexual Characters source spreadsheet with anyone who would like to build it out. Some areas include: bisexual tropes, a focus on erasure of bisexual identity, streaming, cable channels, global television, characters 1999 and earlier, queer women, queer characters, and so on.  

As is my continued policy, I will not read or respond to feedback or comments that are presented in an abusive or bullying manner. This includes biphobia.

Also: someone sent in a really awesome Anna Taggaro (OTH) gif where she says bisexual, and I cannot find it again! If you see this, kindly resend!

________________

You’re welcome to submit characters I might have missed *including all information as outlined above*, or any pertinent corrections! Please be patient if an update takes a while, I’ve found it best for self care to take regular breaks from engagement around these topics.

Some more corrections:

1) The Empire showrunners identify Mimi Whiteman as a lesbian and that whatever dalliance she had with Lucious was based on power and not sexuality. Terrible writing but not sure if Mimi should be included on list.

2) With Empire’s Camilla, I would put her Gender of Partner When Left Series at None. She had an affair with Hakeem, stated that her marriage to Mimi was a ploy for her money/power, and killed Mimi - all after failing to win back the love of Hakeem. Great bisexual representation <sarcasm>

3) To add:

Name: Bridey Cruz Show: The Family Network: ABC Lead, Ensemble, or Recurring: Recurring Was char’s bisexuality named on the show? Kind of Char Race/Ethnicity: Latina Char Gender: Female Is char trans?: No Relationships while on the series - gender: M and W Year of first appearance: 2016 Year left the series (or N/A): 2016 Dead or alive when left the series (or N/A): Dead Gender of partner when left the series (or N/A): None

The pilot tested well with audience, but was deemed “too female.”

If girl-cooties are that damned powerful, why can’t we kill off misogyny already?

It’s 2016, and a TV pilot is testing “too female.”

With Marvel’s Agent Carter cancelled, and controversies over the exit of Nicole Beharie and Stana Katic (not to mention the Bury the Gays trope across network and cable), what is going on in the world of TV with respect to women?!

DRAFT List of Main Bisexual Characters on Big 5 Primetime Television 2000-Present

By SB Swartz If you use this list, please link back to post and credit SB Swartz.

All characters on this list were able bodied throughout the majority, if not all, of their arc. None of the characters are defined as polyamorous. There were no trans or nonbinary bisexual characters on the big five networks 2000-Present. There were no asexual bi characters on the big five networks 2000-Present. This list was compiled as a work in progress–if you’d like to contribute, ensure the character meets the following criteria:

Significant character (five episodes or more) On a big five (CBS, NBC, ABC, CW, Fox) show Between 2000-Present And include all of the following:

Name Show Network Lead, Ensemble, or Recurring Was char’s bisexuality named on the show? Char Race/Ethnicity Char Gender Is char trans? Relationships while on the series - gender Year of first appearance Year left the series (or N/A) Dead or alive when left the series (or N/A) Gender of partner when left the series (or N/A)

Character Images: Willow Rosenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, queer woman icon, erasing her bisexuality with “Well, hello, gay now!” Angela Montenegro, Bones Callie Torres, Grey’s Anatomy, “So what, I’m bisexual, it’s a thing!” Annalise Keating, How To Get Away With Murder Clarke Griffin, The 100 Darryl Whitefeather, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

This list is a good start, but it has a bunch of inaccuracies.

Rose (Jane the Virgin) does not end up with anyone at end of series. Endgame should be changed to “None.”

Also, including Willow on this list is disrespectful to her identity as a lesbian. She’s not bi. You can’t claim “erasure” if you then go on to erase someone’s spoken identity.

Here’s a great run through of a different POV re: Willow. Note: I included her on this list not just because of her relationship with Oz, but her massive, lovely crush on Xander:

“The rules are different for individuals in the real world than for characters.

I believe that Willow MUST be viewed through the lens of other characters whose other-sex/gender relationships are stripped from them once they become, to quote a phrase, “gay now”.   

If we lived in a different world where that was not the case, then I think the OP would have cause to celebrate Willow as a strictly lesbian story.  But we do not live in that world. We live in a world where compulsory monosexuality is so ingrained that even when creators/authors have the best of intentions on representing queerness, they end up treating bisexuality like the gum on the bottom of their shoe.  

There are ways to get around that.  Willow could have had a discussion with any character where she framed her relationships with Oz and Xander in ways that support a lesbian interpretation.  But she did not.   Those relationships were instead simply ignored and erased, like that of so many non-monosexual women.   

Bisexual fans label it bi erasure because it was. Look I love BTVS, and I’ll love it until the day I die.  But this was a case where Joss and Co. fucked up.  - Sarah” More here: http://bisexual-books.tumblr.com/post/81513670339/the-curious-bisexual-buffyconfessions-its

Why should Willow’s story be viewed differently than as if she was an individual in the real world aka a lesbian in college coming to grips with her identity?

You can criticizing the writing and the way Willow’s coming out as a lesbian was handled, but that doesn’t change the fact that at the end of the day, Willow made her identity known: as a lesbian. That is her chosen identity, and the fact that she chose that identity for herself is what should be respected.

Another great piece from Angelica Jade Bastien. Her analysis of how women of color have been depicted on Sleepy Hollow and The Flash is spot-on. 

Another slap in the face after Sleepy Hollow was renewed for S4.

Ready to see where this goes. Strong female characters and a cute ship.