13 Factors Why Revealed a Gay Character—And Then They Killed Him

Trigger and spoiler warnings.

After final period’s horrific finale where Tyler Down is graphically intimately assaulted having a broom, we vowed to myself that i mightn’t watch any longer of Netflix’s controversial show 13 explanations why, that will be problematic at most useful and a flaming heap of trash at worst.

We planned on maintaining that promise—that is, until i got to my home Friday evening and my roomie had been an episodes that are few. We quickly binged it all so I decided to settle in, and.

And I also be sorry.

Nearly all of period three reads as an apology trip for the rapist that is serial. We find away in episode the one that Bryce Walker, the jock that is vile raped Hannah Baker in period one, happens to be murdered and any one of many major castmates had likely cause to destroy him. Through flashbacks, we are obligated to look at “good part” of Bryce where he attempts to make amends for their “mistakes,” but fails therefore spectacularly which he ultimately ends up dead.

Throughout all that nonsense, 13 main reasons why manages to introduce and bury a homosexual character in a matter of some episodes.

We came across Montgomery de la Cruz final period, but we did not understand much about him besides his All-American asshole jock demeanor that took a change for the even worse as he graphically sodomized Tyler against their might. The attack stayed a key and lingers over Monty’s character all season very long.

In episode five with this period, Monty attends celebration with Bryce. We later learn is named Winston as they walk up to the mansion that these high schoolers are partying in, Monty makes intense ukrainianbrides.us safe eye contact with a boy.

“that is the Latinx?” Winston leans up to their buddy as Monty walks previous, though We have no clue A) exactly exactly how anybody would assume this guy ended up being any such thing except that caucasian and B) why this kid means somebody as “the Latinx.” Is it a racist pejorative? Some modern slang that is new? Why don’t you just Latino? I’m not sure things to feel in this brief minute besides amused confusion. The truth is, the star whom plays Monty, Timothy Granaderos, is half Filipino, but We digress.

After several beverages and much more lingering attention contact, Monty and Winston uncomfortably attach in a upstairs room the way in which closeted young ones struggling making use of their sexuality do. But as Bryce and Monty leave the celebration, Winston gets up and states bye to him in the front of everybody. Incorrect move. Monty calls the kid a faggot and quickly beats the shit away from him.

As Monty’s repressed sex is obviously playing a task inside the rage and violence, the scene adds an upsetting brand new layer of homophobia and self-loathing to their previous intimate attack of Tyler.

Very little else happens with Monty’s sex before the period finale, where this period’s irritating new narrator that is british structures Monty for Bryce’s murder through “process of elimination.” Literally. She describes to a deputy that since everybody else had an alibi, it might simply be Monty. No proof needed. Completely rational.

But while Ani is weaving her internet of lies, we come across just exactly what Monty had been really as much as that evening. He bumped into Winston once again, apologized for his actions, as well as the two boys find yourself spending the evening together, an infinitely more tender scene compared to one before.

Watching them explore their attraction to one another therefore lightly is truly quite touching, making their terrible actions also tougher to consume. He seems like he can not be whom he really wants to be, so Monty lashes down in disgusting means. We even get yourself a scene where Monty’s daddy visits him in prison and spits on him to be homosexual. Perhaps We have a soft spot for LGBTQ figures, but Monty’s tale hit a lot more of a chord for the reason that ten-minute period that Bryce’s storyline had all period.

Whenever Ani completes telling lies on Monty, the deputy she is sharing her murder concept with reveals that Monty had been really been murdered in their cell earlier that day. Then he agrees to implicate Monty to protect the involvement up of his or her own son.

So another homosexual is hidden. And our gang of “heroes” successfully pinned Bryce’s murder on a kid that is dead.

There is a great deal with this plot that requires unpacking.

Physically, i am fed up with the storyline that is pretty-thereforeftboi-falls-for-the-abusive-closeted-jock therefore numerous gay coming-of-age tales revolve around. Possibly the Perks to be a Wallflower achieved it well, but it is become a little bit of a cliche that is dangerous this aspect. Numerous queer tales center violence in early relationships that people ultimately need certainly to ask when we’re simply telling tales or perpetuating stereotypes and producing harmful objectives for young audiences that are queer. Specially when the injury of these have been mistreated isn’t explored in every way that is meaningful and additionally they nevertheless wind up dating their abuser.

Bryce Walker’s storyline is similar to Brock Turner and several white male rapists for the reason that he’s pathologically humanized. He is simply a young child. He made some mistakes that are awful. He even gets a love interest this year. But although this white man gets to inquire of for understanding and forgiveness, nobody attempts to understand any such thing in regards to the queer person-of-color that has been just falsely accused of murder and eventually ends up dead in a jail cellular. That is probably the most upsetting dual standard regarding the period.

13 Factors why demanded us to determine if abusers deserve forgiveness this year but—either accidentally or purposefully—decided that this queer individual of color did not deserve an identical sort of nuanced discussion, and rather kills him down before we have had the opportunity to ask the question for ourselves.

Within the last moments associated with finale, Winston confronts Ani on framing Monty for Bryce’s murder. “He had been a person,” he states forebodingly, guaranteeing a return season that is next. “He did not deserve to perish that way.” In which he’s right. Utilising the hardships of LGBTQ teens as a plot unit, then swiftly killing from the character, reinforces the indisputable fact that our storylines—and lives—are inconsequential and disposable.