Where are the LGBTQ+ dating shows?!

[GoldenRose]

I never really got into dating shows like ‘The Bachelor’ or ‘Love Island’ and was almost against them as they are obviously heavily scripted and staged. But recently I have gotten really into them with the help of my housemates and have been following the most recent one ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ on TV.

One thing that does really stand out to me and bug me quite a bit about these shows is that they only ever display heterosexual relationships usually only between very slim people with not a lot of racial diversity. I would love to see more inclusion of same-sex couples and people of all different body types.

I did see on Netflix that there is a dating show for people with autism which I think is a great idea!

Have you noticed this too? Do you know of any dating shows out there that do display more inclusivity? Would you watch them?

[stephaniaaaah]

I’ve got to admit I’ve been a sucker for the Bachelor / Bachelorette franchise in the past but totally agree with the lack of representation of race and bodies and sexuality.

My friend has just got me to pop Indian Matchmaking on my watch list (Netflix) but I haven’t viewed it yet. I did binge Finding Prince Charming (Stan) which is a gay man in search for love (and hosted by Lance Bass if you are old enough to remember NSYNC!), but again mostly white people.

I would LOVE to see a queer dating show and yes include all bodies. I would be there 100% for it. I am so tired of that boy-meets-girl on reality TV story line. I am even more annoyed at this seasons Bachelor (as a survivor super-fan) because of what Lockie did to Brooke but that’s a thread for hanging out channel maybe haha.

I am overall frustrated by the lack of representation of race and culture on Australian TV – here’s a 2016 study on diversity on Australian TV.

Also, Slutever (Viceland, SBS on Demand) is good viewing for gender and sexual diversity but it get’s quite niche. It’s a docu-series not reality TV but I definitely enjoyed the representation there.

[Aunt_Flo]

Are you talking about Dating on the Spectrum, @GoldenRose? Because that is a SUCH a good show.

I’m also a sucker for the Bachelor franchise, but the lack of diversity is pretty ridiculous, and it’s not very representative of what Australia actually looks like. There’s no excuse for it.

I remember in one particular season of the Bachelor, they used a contestant’s bisexuality for drama, and built it up that she had a ‘big secret’ that she had to reveal. It was pretty disappointing to see sexuality used as a dramatic device, and to see that they’ve made no meaningful attempts to represent diverse sexualities in a positive light.

I would definitely watch a dating show that had more diversity – it’s much more reflective of what I see every day, and I’d like to see it on my TV.

[Raincoat]

Hey @goldenrose and @aunt_flo

I am a reality TV junky so loved reading this thread.

Totally agree on dating shows having a massive lack of representation across sexuality, body types and race.

I did recently watch a MTV US series called Are you the One? (Season 8 – Come One, Come All)

Which was the first-ever season of the show where all cast members were sexually fluid, and a mix of LGBTQ+.

The premise of the show is your usual cheesy, scripted to hell format – 16 singles who are secretly paired into couples by producers (LOL!), via a questionable matchmaking algorithm. They live in a house together and have to identify their ‘perfect match’ which could be any of the other 15 people in there, if they all guess the 8 couples correctly they all shares a prize of $1 mil.

It’s absolute trash TV but I loved it as a breath of fresh air from the stagnant DAting shows out there at the moment with the hetero male female representation. Check it out 🙂

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