While queer trauma and heartbreak seem to be everyone’s favourite topic to exploit under the garb of queer representation, some narratives actually do break the mould and give us that beautiful moment of two queer people in love, walking into the sunset.
It often seems like the writers are subtly trying to condition you to stop believing in the possibility of queer love having not only a healthy arc based in mutual growth, but also a happy ending. While it is important to give a realistic representation of the struggles of being queer in stories, the idea that queerhood must equal being miserable and heartbroken at the end of a story is replicated so much in books. However, while there is an emphasis on the possibility of the realization of such a picture-perfect fantasy for heterosexual individuals – not only in sonnets and songs, but also in novels and movies – queer folk rarely end up happy and in love in such narratives.
Yes, while Valentine’s Day is most definitely a consumerist invention to sell the world the idea of a perfect ever-lasting romance which can conveniently be celebrated through Hallmark cards and expensive bottles of red wine.
