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Representation is important for minority visibilization, since minority groups have for a long time had been relegated to secondary roles in mass media, if at all. In the US, there has been for a while a strong demand in movie and TV industries for stories that include Latinxs, African-American, Asian-American, and LGBQT characters that are true to reality and not just clichés and stereotypes.
In Mexico, however, things have moved quite slowly, but since the early 2000s, movies and TV have tried to include gay characters in mainstream productions. However, unfortunately, most of these characters are more stereotypes and clichés.
Here you can read about four gay couples that are currently on Mexican TV shows and telenovelas and what we think about them.
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Juliana and Valentina
This is our favorite couple of all. This pair, from the soap Amar a muerte (Love until death), by Venezuelan writer Eduardo Padrón and produced by Carlos Bardasano, is better known as “Juliantina” in social media and it is causing huge waves all over the place. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the girls in the couple; this soap operates as one of the first of its kind with a lesbian couple in such a role. Actresses Macarena Achaga and Barbara Lopez are gaining a lot of recognition on Mexican media for their portrayal of this couple.
The public just loves this couple and although at first some scenes between the two girls were censored, they were later released in the producer’s webpage.
The main characteristics that have made the public fall in love with this couple is the realism and honesty with which the scenes are written, and also thanks to the work of directors Alejandro Lozano, Carlos Cock, and Rolando Ocampo.
The impact this series is having goes beyond Mexican audiences, and its appeal has reached international social media in the US, other Latin American countries and Asia, so much so that fans from other countries have translated the videos to English, French and German, among others.
Following this success, LGBT outlets, such as PinkNews and Autostraddle have published positive reviews about the couple, and British Youtubers Rose and Rosie have said: “This is, literally, for a TV show, probably the best representation I have seen, and let me tell you why: you can feel it when they kiss and stuff, it is not something designed for the male gaze, the script, the dialogue, the build up it’s all very natural.” The success has even led to a petition in the platform Change.org for the couple to get their own spin-off series.
Mariana and Julia in Las Aparicio (2010)
The first soap/series to be produced by Argos Productions for the now-defunct Cadenatres Channel was one of the first TV shows that tried to deal with sexual diversity.
Produced by Carlos Payán and Epigmenio Ibarra, Las Aparicio was released in April 2010 and ran for 120 daily episodes in prime time; the success it had stemmed from the strong female characters it showed, far from the classical stereotypes of Mexican TV. However, it was also surrounded by a lot of criticism because it showed one of the characters, Mariana Almada, played by Erendira Ibarra, having sex with another woman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7UVXdl1Rm8
Rafael and Rodrigo in Un papá a toda madre (2017-2018)
This soap opera produced by Televisa made an attempt to represent fatherhood from different perspectives, among them a gay couple tried to have a family, but suffered discrimination.
By including a gay couple in the story, the producers tried to be more inclusive and also highlight other real-life situations that Rafael and Rodrigo were living in their jobs, with their neighbors, and inside their own home. They even showed a scene where they kissed, something very rare for Mexican TV, to the point that Mexican media announced that the series would show the first “gay kiss on prime time on Mexican TV.”
The reactions were not all welcoming, and one part of the audience disagreed with the fact that they showed “scenes that promoted the acceptance of homosexuality” and demanded the show to be cancelled.
Ulises and Roberto in Sortilegio (2009)
This soap opera starring Jacqueline Bracamontes and William Levy had a love triangle in its story. Julián Gil was Ulises Villaseñor, Roberto’s best friend, a married man with kids who lived a life of excess, full of partying and alcohol.
Carla Estrada, the producer, was heavily criticized for showing bisexual characters and a gay couple. Carla Estrada was a very famous soap opera producer, and for this production, she decided to go for a contemporary story and show things that “happen in real life.”
Aristóteles and Temo in Mi marido tiene más familia (2018)
The popular telenovela produced by Juan Osorio, Mi marido tiene familia, was so successful that they approved a second season. For this season, the story included more characters and topics, including the romance between two high school teens.
Since the show was very family oriented, Aristoteles and Temo, better known by the portmanteau Aristemo, showed a gay couple and focused on highlighting values like tolerance and acceptance. And although it has not been without its critics, this couple has become a hit in social media.
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