August 2017 – January 2019, Montrose, CA

LGBT Fans Deserve Better, Inc.

Board Member, Social Media Coordinator

Tasks

Conducted media research
Managed website, social platforms, and e-newsletter
Wrote press releases and coordinated community outreach

Background and Origins

LGBT Fans Deserve Better is a nonprofit organization and fan-driven movement that emerged in March 2016 in response to the death of Lexa, a beloved lesbian character on the CW series The 100. While her death—especially given its timing and context—sparked widespread outrage among fans, it was followed by a number of successive lesbian characters being killed off shows such as The Walking Dead, Empire, Orange is the New Black, and more in what fans dubbed a 'spring slaughter' which highlighted the severity of the problem. This backlash quickly evolved into a global social media campaign under the hashtag #LGBTFansDeserveBetter, which trended nationally and drew significant attention to longstanding issues in LGBTQ+ representation on television.The movement highlighted the pervasive "Bury Your Gays" trope, where LGBTQ+ characters are disproportionately killed off—often in violent or unnecessary ways—reinforcing harmful stereotypes and limiting positive representation. Shortly after the campaign gained traction, LGBT Fans Deserve Better transitioned from an online protest into a formal 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its mission focused on advocating for better LGBTQ+ representation in media and educating both creators and audiences about the issues facing the LGBTQ+ community in regards to media representation so they can become more critical viewers and creators, resulting in more creative, impactful, and positive stories in the future.

Key Actions and Achievements

Fundraising and Awareness: In its first year, LGBT Fans Deserve Better launched several high-impact initiatives, including a global fundraiser that garnered over 4,500 donations and raised more than $175,000 for The Trevor Project. One of the most successful efforts was the #SupportLGBTee t-shirt campaign, which became our top fundraiser and helped drive donations supporting these critical suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ youth. Advocacy and Education: The LGBT Fans Deserve Better website became a central resource, providing statistics, commentary, and educational materials about the state of LGBTQ+ representation on television. The organization also hosted panels at fan conventions, including the first-ever ClexaCon (and successive years in Las Vegas), ClexaCon UK, and Love Fan Fest in Barcelona. These sessions provided data-driven insights into LGBTQ+ media representation and introduced a TV Scoring System designed to evaluate LGBTQ+ representation on-screen.Cultural Impact and Legacy: The movement played a critical role in bringing the conversation around the "Bury Your Gays" trope into both mainstream media and academic discourse. It remains a landmark example of fan activism—demonstrating how collective action and shared passion can challenge industry norms, shift narratives, and hold media creators accountable.Although no longer active, LGBT Fans Deserve Better stands as a powerful reminder of the influence fan communities can wield in advocating for change and promoting more responsible, inclusive storytelling.