History Main / WatchedItForTheRepresentation

* Parodied in the ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgaLlP0xmqE&ab_channel=SaturdayNightLive Lesbian Period Drama]], a trailer for a fake movie. Despite the ClicheStorm, wooden acting, and the leads being played by straight actresses, the review from "Lesbians Monthly" just reads, "Sure. I mean, I'm gonna see it."

*** It's also worth pointing out that Aamir's wife Tyesha is Black. While she's not a major character and her background is never expanded on, her mere presence acknowledges the fact that not all Muslims are Asian or Middle Eastern, and African-American Muslims have their own distinct history and identity.

* A lot of people enjoy ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' for its diverse cast and positive depiction of non-caucasian characters such as [[GentleGiant DJ]], [[SassyBlackWoman Leshawna]], [[SilentBob B]], [[SplitPersonality Mike]], [[BubbleBoy Cameron]] and [[AwesomeAussie Jasmine]] and [[PassionateSportsGirl Sky]]. The fact that the new season has a gay couple and an amputee definitely helps.

** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' got a lot of attention for featuring the franchise's first homosexual characters Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber, played by real-life gay actors Creator/AnthonyRapp and Creator/WilsonCruz, though unfortunately this got them in some hot water when Culber was temporarily killed, and the huge backlash forced them to spoil that he'd be coming back and the story wasn't just BuryYourGays. Jett Reno, a lesbian mechanic, was introduced in a supporting role as well. In Season 3, this increased with the introduction of non-binary Adira Tal, played by actual NB actor Blu del Bario, complete with a storyline of becoming comfortable enough to come out to the rest of the crew. Further, their deceased [[spoiler:(initially)]] partner Gray Tal was a trans man. All were also played by actors [[QueerCharacterQueerActor of the same gender or orientation]].

** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' got a lot of attention for featuring the franchise's first homosexual characters Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber, played by real-life gay actors Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz, though unfortunately this got them in some hot water when Culber was temporarily killed, and the huge backlash forced them to spoil that he'd be coming back and the story wasn't just BuryYourGays. Jett Reno, a lesbian mechanic, was introduced in a supporting role as well. In Season 3 this increased with the introduction of non-binary Adira Tal, played by actual NB actor Blu del Bario, complete with a storyline of becoming comfortable enough to come out to the rest of the crew. Further, their deceased [[spoiler:(initially)]] partner Gray Tal was a trans man. All were also played by actors [[QueerCharacterQueerActor of the same gender or orientation]].

** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' got a lot of attention for featuring the franchise's first homosexual characters Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber, played by real-life gay actors Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz, though unfortunately this got them in some hot water when Culber was temporarily killed, and the huge backlash forced them to spoil that he'd be coming back and the story wasn't just BuryYourGays. Jett Reno, a lesbian mechanic, was introduced in a supporting role as well. In Season 3 this increased with the introduction of non-binary Adira Tal, played by actual NB actor Blu del Bario, complete with a storyline of becoming comfortable enough to come out to the rest of the crew. Are were also played by actors [[QueerCharacterQueerActor of the same gender or orientation]].

* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' already had a large LGBTFanbase around Shiro thanks to his good looks, likeable personality, and what many saw as romantic subtext with Keith, but once it was revealed that he was canonically gay in later seasons, his popularity exploded. Unfortunately, that same LGBT fanbase vanished as the show neared its end, due to backlash against his character arc which, among many other unpopular decisions, saw him DemotedToExtra immediately after the reveal. The show culminating in him marrying a random background extra, rather than anyone he actually knew or had chemistry with, was also heavily criticized by gay fans.

** ''ComicBook/IAmNotStarfire'': The graphic novel heavily leaned into this in its marketing leading up to it's release. Quickly revealing that Mandy, Starfire's daughter, was a lesbian and had a crush on a fellow schoolmate. Indeed most of the plot of the story is Mandy growing close with said classmate till they become an OfficialCouple at the end of the book.

** ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'': Kamala Khan gained a lot of positive press and immediate popularity for being a teenage, Pakistani-American Muslim female superheroine. This made her popular amongst a ''multitude'' [[TwoferTokenMinority of different minority groups]], and she proved to be an interesting and refreshing character within her own right, due to her FunPersonified personality combined with tackling various real-life issues like body image and bigotry. Anecdotal accounts from comic book stores remarked how her introduction lead to people (specifically young Muslim girls) who had never once read a comic coming in to check out the character, which is virtually unheard of actually happening beforehand. Her success sparked a [[FollowTheLeader a new wave]] of [[AffirmativeActionLegacy female and/or minority heroes]], including ComicBook/{{Silk|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/{{Ironheart}} and [[ComicBook/YoungAvengers America Chavez]], as well as pushing others into the spotlight.

* ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' was praised for its many different types of groundbreaking representation both on and off the screen. It is the first Pixar film to have an Asian lead character[[note]]unless you count Russell in ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}''[[/note]], the first to be directed by an Asian woman, the first directed solely by a woman and the first to have an all-female creative leadership team. It is Pixar's first diabetic representation, and it's first feature length film set in Canada. The main characters are all female and represent Chinese, South Asian, Korean and (likely) Jewish ethnicities. Other characters are Black, multiracial, Vietnamese, Caribbean, and Polish. Background characters include Muslims and Sikhs. Languages spoken in the film include French, Cantonese, and Korean in addition to English. There are background characters in wheelchairs and several characters wear glasses. There are main and supporting characters strongly implied to be bisexual or gay. All of the characters have realistic varied body shapes. In addition to all that, the film serves as a rare opportunity to see Toronto portrayed on film as itself and not [[CaliforniaDoubling someplace else]].

* ''Film/BladeTrilogy'': Way before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a thing, Marvel actually turned some heads with this trilogy back in the late 90s/early 2000s. Not only because he was, at the time, one of the lesser known heroes from their stockade, but because he was a person of color at that, so getting his own movie was certainly a draw for many African-Americans.

* Asian-Americans turned out in droves for ''Film/CrazyRichAsians'', the first major film to have an all-Asian American cast in ''25 years'', and one that focused on both Singaporean Chinese and Chinese-American culture. Unprecedentedly, Asian-Americans made up [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/weekend-box-office-crazy-rich-asians-wins-265m-1135824/ almost 40%]] of the premiere weekend box office.

* ''Film/TheGodfather''. While it was instantly recognized as a classic by most, for Italian-Americans it was an especially pivotal film. Creator/{{Paramount}} went out of its way to hire Creator/FrancisFordCoppola to direct and co-write the film and a great many actors of Italian descent to play the Italian characters, knowing the long history that gangster movies had of relying on [[SpaghettiAndGondolas ethnic stereotypes]] in depictions of TheMafia. While the film was initially met with protests from Italian-American civil rights groups due to its subject matter, most of the community embraced the film for how it bucked lingering stereotypes of Italians as dimwitted thugs and instead portrayed its VillainProtagonist Michael Corleone as a ManOfWealthAndTaste, and in the long run it heralded a sea change not just in how Italians were depicted in Hollywood cinema but also in the integration of the Italian-American community.
* In TheSeventies, Hong Kong {{martial arts movie}}s experienced a variation on this. They proved [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff extraordinary popular in inner-city Black neighborhoods]] because, while they didn't have Black actors, they ''did'' have non-white actors in leading roles, which for many young Black men was the first time they saw action heroes who weren't the traditional WhiteMaleLead of mid-century Hollywood. This produced an enduring affection for martial arts movies among a generation of African-Americans.

* ''Film/TheRinger'' is a very popular among persons with disabilities, and those who work with individuals with disabilities as well. Due not only to having so many characters with disabilities having speaking parts but portraying them as human beings rather than objects of pity.

* ''Series/The100'': Season 2 drew in a lot of new fans with the introduction of Lexa, the cool and composed Grounder Commander who happened to be a lesbian. The character was seen as positive lesbian representation, and her tension with Clarke also revealed the latter was bisexual. Disappointment was loud [[spoiler:when Lexa died]], but the show continued to introduce more bisexual and lesbian characters.

* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': Besides the fact it has a diverse cast (including a Jewish-American lead, two Hispanic-American women, and two African-American men, alongside their families and a racially diverse supporting cast), B99 attracted a lot of attention for Captain Raymond Holt, a middle-aged gay black man, providing representation for the LGBTQ community outside of the typical young attractive white gay/lesbian sector. Adding to this, Holt avoided pretty much ''every'' gay stereotype, being TheStoic and ComicallySerious, MemeticBadass, and AFatherToHisMen, while also having a genuinely touching and romantic relationship with his husband Kevin, leading to Holt being applauded as one of the best sitcom characters in years and garnering the show a great deal of attention from the LGBTQ community. Later down the line, the show brought Rosa Diaz out as bisexual ([[ActorInspiredElement reflecting her actress, Stephanie Beatriz]]), to much applause, adding further to the show's LGBTFanbase.

** ''Series/LukeCage2016'' was considered an extremely timely series, starring an African-American superhero right at the beginnings of the UsefulNotes/BlackLivesMatterMovement, which helped gather tons of views and positive press. The creators acknowledged the serendipity, and the powerful symbolism of a bulletproof, heroic black man in a hoodie shortly after Treyvon Martin (a young black man in a hoodie) had been shot. However, they have also stated that this was just a case of extremely good timing, and the symbolism was not intentional.

* ''Series/{{Nevertheless}}'': Many fans of the show have admitted that they started to watch for the queer romance between Seo Ji-wan and Yoon Sol, which is often seen as well developed and more interesting than the main pairing between Yoo Na-bi and Park Jae-eon.
* ''Series/Nurses2020'' has become popular partly as a result of this, as it has an Indo-Canadian and a Black Canadian amongst the main characters, and also portrays sexual assault victims realistically, with the protagonist Grace Knight a victim of sexual harassment/assault. Its fanbase likes the fact that Ashley Collins, the Indo-Canadian character ''doesn't'' get portrayed as AsianAirhead, AsianRudeness or AsianSpeekeeEngrish, but a more realistic, nuanced take. Although it hasn't covered LGBT issues much, it's been praised for a diverse cast.

* ''Series/RutherfordFalls'' marketed itself on being the first sitcom with a majority-Native American writers room and a cast largely composed of Natives, and received positive feedback from Native media outlets for making Native issues and identity politics a central part of its narrative.

** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' was very popular with Black viewers when it came out, because it featured the character Uhura, who was one of the few Black characters on TV at the time not to be a walking stereotype. None other than UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr was a fan and went so far as to say it was the only primetime show he let his kids watch, and encouraged Creator/NichelleNichols to stay in the role when she was considering leaving to pursue a career on Broadway.
** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' got a lot of attention for featuring the franchise's first homosexual characters Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber, played by real life gay actors Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz, though unfortunately this got them in some hot water when Culber was temporarily killed, and the huge backlash forced them to spoil that he'd be coming back and the story wasn't just BuryYourGays. Jett Reno, a lesbian mechanic, was introduced in a supporting role as well. In Season 3 this increased with the introduction of non-binary Adira Tal, played by actual NB actor Blu del Bario, complete with a storyline of becoming comfortable enough to come out to the rest of the crew. Are were also played by actors [[QueerCharacterQueerActor of the same gender or orientation]].

* Many Deaf/Hard of Hearing people tuned in to ''Series/SwitchedAtBirth'' (a show that prominently features Deaf culture as several of its characters, including one of its protagonists, are Deaf) to see how the show would depict their mannerisms, culture and community. All Deaf and Hard of Hearing characters were [[DisabledCharacterDisabledActor played by actors with the same condition]] as well.

* ''Videogame/{{Celeste}}'': Quite a few folks decide to check it out not only due to its plot and gameplay, but also because it's a rare example of a greatly acclaimed indie hit with a transgender protagonist.
* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearStrive:'' The return of fan-favorite Bridget, and her subsequently coming out as a trans girl, brought a lot of attention the series from queer gamers who otherwise may not have been into fighting games.

* ''Webcomic/{{Acception}}'': One of the selling points of the comic as, while the main character is CampStraight, he supports the queer community with his clothes designs and isn't afraid to wear a dress now and then. The cast also also includes gays and trans as well and often tackling issues like bigotry and being comfortable with who you are despite peer pressure.

* ''Webcomic/{{Peritale}}'': Starts off as an underdog tale and deconstructing fairy tales tropes. But becomes obvious the main character has a crush on her charge and their blooming relationship. A later character that joins in is confirmed to be a transexual. And a spin-off book, "Life of Melody" focuses on two male creatures raising their adopted daughter. First out of concern for her well being, but eventually falling in love with each other. To say the least, the webcomic has been a hit in the queer community.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': With a cast of mostly female leads, it was no surprise one of them (Luna) eventually got a canon girlfriend. Clyde, Lincoln's Black friend, was also the adopted son of an interracial gay male couple. Both have been well received from their communities.

* ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'' included not just a racially diverse cast, but a Black gay character (Benson) who actually referred to himself as "gay," a rarity in children's television. This got the show a sizable LGBTFanbase who used Benson as a major selling point to animation fans.

* ''Series/Nurses2020'' has become popular partly as a result of this, as it has an Indo-Canadian and a Black Canadian amongst the main characters, and also portrays sexual assault victims realistically, with the protagonist Grace Knight a victim of sexual harassment/assault. Its fanbase likes the fact that Ashley Collins, the Indo-Canadian character ''doesn't'' get portrayed as AsianAirhead, AsianRudeness or AsianSpeekeeEngrish, but a more realistic, nuanced take. Although it hasn't covered LGBT/non-binary issues much, it's been praised for a diverse cast.

* ''WesternAnimation/TrickOrTreatScoobyDoo'' gained an unexpected LGBT fanbase once it was revealed that Velma had a crush on the BigBad, Coco Diablo, finally cementing Velma as lesbian after numerous attempts have failed.

[[folder:Videogames]]

-> ''"''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' finally showed me what people saw when they watched ''[[Film/BlackPanther2018 Black Panther]]'', ''[[Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings ShangChi]]'' [sic], and ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' on the big screen. I ugly cried so many times because I finally got to saw me, unfiltered, on screen. Even though I don’t have the comfort Meilin got, this movie sure gave me everything I needed to hear. Representation truly matters guys.''"

->Turning Red finally showed me what people saw when they watched ''[[Film/BlackPanther2018 Black Panther]]'', ''[[Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings Shang Chi]]'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' on the big screen. I ugly cried so many times because I finally got to saw me, unfiltered, on screen. Even though I don’t have the comfort Meilin got, this movie sure gave me everything I needed to hear. Representation truly matters guys.
-->-- This [[https://phoenixlionme.tumblr.com/post/678486116739022849 post]] about ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed''

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/{{Beyonce}}'s ''"Brown Skin Girl"'' music video became a universal hit for many women from other nationalities because of how the video empowered dark-skinned women.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Baymax}}'' obtained lots of viewers for having characters of color along with some minor LGBT representation, featuring a trans man in episode 3 buying menstrual products (which also made it gain attention, as that's an aspect of being a trans man that's often ignored) along with a gay black man mustering the courage to talk to his crush.

* While ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' was already popular, the fandom exploded after the premiere of "Jail Break", which revealed that Garnet is a RomanticFusion of two feminine Gems named Ruby and Sapphire. Then it became clear that Gems are actually a mono-gendered race where every single romantic attraction between them is homosexual by default. In fact, when Insider created a [[https://www.insider.com/lgbtq-cartoon-characters-kids-database-2021-06?page=explore-database database]] in 2021 of non-hetero characters in children's cartoons, ''Steven Universe'' absolutely dominated the list with 39 characters. Only the above-mentioned ''She-Ra'' came anywhere close with 23.

** ''Film/BlackPanther2018'' was the first MCU production to have a majority Black cast ''and'' crew. In addition to the superhero fare, Black fans tuned in for the Black AllStarCast, the way the film addressed real issues of colonialism and diasporic identity, and the film's celebration of African and African-American cultures. It grossed over a billion dollars, got absolutely glowing critical reviews, and was the first MCU film[[note]]and the ''second'' comic book film in history after ''Film/TheDarkKnight''[[/note]] to be nominated for Best Picture at the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Baymax}}'' obtained lots of viewers for having characters of color along with some minor LGBT representation, featuring a trans man in episode 3 buying menstrual products (which also made it gain attention, as that's an aspect of being a trans man that's often ignored) along with a gay man mustering the courage to talk to his crush.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Baymax}}'' obtained lots of viewers for having characters of color along with some minor LGBT representation with a trans man in a small scene in Episode 3 and a gay man mustering the courage to talk to his crush.

*** Phastos is the first official gay superhero in an MCU film, and is also a gay ''black'' man, making him a "twofer minority" who is almost never shown to exist in mainstream Hollywood. It helps that Phastos' sexuality is treated as completely normal, to the point where nobody ever questions it, and he averts virtually all negative stereotypes associated with members of the [=LGBT=] community.

* ''ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'': ''Right'' before this run launched, Loki's bisexuality and gender-fluidity, traits from the mythological character he was based on that had yet to be properly canonised for the Creator/MarvelComics version, were confirmed by the creative team and Marvel themselves, which helped to build hype for the book prior to release[[note]]that it was a SpiritualSuccessor to Kieron Gillen's highly-queer filled ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' helped[[/note]]. Within the book itself, it avoided Tokenism or playing into promiscuous bi stereotypes or ButNotTooBi by having Loki go sans love interest, and instead spend the run casually flirting with both genders and making their bisexual attraction clear without HaveIMentionedIAmGay style pandering, while their gender fluidity came up in natural ways, with Loki spending two different arcs primarily as a woman. The book also featured a sympathetic asexual character in the form of his best friend Verity Willis. It's remained Loki's most successful solo endeavor and has, likely, solidified Loki being recategorized as an antihero rather than a villain in Marvel.

** ''ComicBook/InvincibleIronMan'' (starring a Black girl) outsold the previous runs starring her predecessor, white guy Tony Stark.

* The popularity of ComicBook/HarleyQuinn and ComicBook/PoisonIvy ''exploded'' in 2015 after Creator/DCComics revealed that the two are in an open sexual relationship. This made them the most high-profile same-sex pairing in comics, and also made them popular amongst the UsefulNotes/{{Polyamory}} crowd as well.
* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'': Kamala Khan gained a lot of positive press and immediate popularity for being a teenage, Pakistani-American Muslim female superheroine. This made her popular amongst a ''multitude'' [[TwoferTokenMinority of different minority groups]], and she proved to be an interesting and refreshing character within her own right, due to her FunPersonified personality combined with tackling various real-life issues like body image and bigotry. Anecdotal accounts from comic book stores remarked how her introduction lead to people (specifically young Muslim girls) who had never once read a comic coming in to check out the character, which is virtually unheard of actually happening beforehand. Her success sparked a [[FollowTheLeader a new wave]] of [[AffirmativeActionLegacy female and/or minority heroes]], including ComicBook/{{Silk|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/{{Ironheart}} and [[ComicBook/YoungAvengers America Chavez]], as well as pushing others into the spotlight, such as [[ComicBook/{{Thor|2014}} Jane Foster]] and [[ComicBook/TotallyAwesomeHulk Amadeus Cho]].
** Likewise, the AffirmativeActionLegacy boom saw this among their more successful entries. The Ironheart-starring ''Invincible Iron Man'' and Jane Foster-lead ''The Mighty Thor'' runs both greatly outsold the previous runs on the title by the same creative team. Similarly, many people picked up the 2012-onward ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'' runs because they co-headlined Clint Barton and his LegacyCharacter protege, Kate Bishop, with the 2016 run particularly focusing entirely on Kate, though before that, the initial Matt Fraction run of this period got a retroactive boost after it restored Hawkeye's deafness.
* ''ComicBook/IAmNotStarfire'': The graphic novel heavily leaned into this in its marketing leading up to it's release. Quickly revealing that Mandy, Starfire's daughter, was a lesbian and had a crush on a fellow schoolmate. Indeed most of the plot of the story is Mandy growing close with said classmate till they become an OfficialCouple at the end of the book.
* OlderThanTheyThink example; Creator/StanLee has commented how, when they were first making ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'', he was unsure if the character would be deemed offensive to the blind community because the things Daredevil could do were well beyond plausibility and his DisabilitySuperpower might come off as InspirationallyDisadvantaged. He was pleasantly surprised however when he got letters from care assistants who worked with blind children and adults, applauding Marvel because their charges loved the character. Decades later, Matt's managed to survive being one of the most enduring and popular disabled superheroes in comics.
* ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'': Besides the fact it was a female-lead team book and, ostensibly, the main character was ComicBook/BlackCanary, but deuteragonist Barbara Gordon, the former ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} and then-current ComicBook/{{Oracle}}, was a huge draw in large part because she was a rare example of wheelchair-using characters in comic books who actually got character focus and development.

*** The show has been praised by Muslims and Pakistani-Americans for portraying Kamala Khan's faith, family, and community in a mundane manner rather than villainizing or exoticizing them. We see Kamala's home life and how both of her parents are Pakistani immigrants whose families were affected by the Partition, her brother Aamir's wedding, her friend Nakia's decision to wear hijab, and even mosque politics when Nakia runs for the mosque board to address issues with the women's side (poor maintanance, shoes going missing, etc.).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Baymax}} obtained lots of viewers for having characters of color along with some minor LGBT representation with a trans man in a small scene in Episode 3 and a gay man mustering the courage to talk to his crush.