Why Benedict Bridgerton’s Sexuality Reveal is Causing Drama: Explained

TV Series UK

2024-06-17
09:54

Dear sweet reader, BLTai is here to quench your thirst for queer tea and drama!

For those who have been living under the rock, the third season of the much-loved regency-era set series ‘Bridgerton’ has revealed not just one but two Bridgertons who are gay, gay, gay! Indeed, Benedict Bridgerton who has been tagged as the token bisexual (confirmed pansexual) ever since the 1st season of the series has finally kissed a man and Francesca Bridgerton’s future beau is certainly a belle.

But because the gays can’t have it all, the reveal has incited a huge discourse on X (formerly Twitter), revealing diverse opinions both from fans and spectators regarding the queer identity of the beloved characters.

As mentioned, Benedict’s sexuality in particular has been a popular topic of discourse since the debut of the series in 2020 alongside his sister Eloise (who is rooted to be bisexual by a lot of people).

watching benedict realising he likes men when i knew he was bi since day one pic.twitter.com/aYxNBcMiUV

— jules | iwtv spoilers (@vampsbian) June 13, 2024

While a lot of fans feel vindicated about him finally acknowledging his attraction to men, some are concerned regarding fans viewing Benedict’s sexuality as a fetish rather than a piece of his self.

This issue is compounded by two main things.

the fact that they can’t view benedict as queer even though he’s confirmed bisexual just because he’s gonna end up with a woman 😭 disliking wlw ships yet needing a mlm ship to view a man as queer is biphobic, homophobic AND misogynistic 😭 and seems like a fetish as well! https://t.co/sCDy97B97k

— ۟ (@scthchen) June 14, 2024

First is that the reveal of Benedict’s Pansexuality is juxtaposed with Francesca’s eventual bisexuality (or pansexuality) discovery. To provide you with context, Francesca’s supposed partner in the books is gender-bent in the series, as she is introduced as Michaela Stirling (as opposed to Michael of the book series). The apparent negative reception of Francesca being attracted to the same sex because of the reveal of Michaela has been pointed out as misogynistic and homophobic for it seemed as if people were more open to accepting a pansexual man rather than a bisexual/pansexual woman.

So they scrapped michael stirling aka the best bridgerton man and francesca’s struggles with infertility for some diversity pic.twitter.com/8Q8ysxMAHE

— safa (@duydezi) June 13, 2024

However, fans explain that they are mad because of the erasure of Michael’s character and Francesca’s eventual problems with infertility rather than her sexuality and the inclusion of a black female partner.

As an avid book fan, this just pisses me off!!! Michaela is Michael in the books! Francesca’s struggle with fertility and so desperately wanting a baby is what makes hers the best BRIDGERTON story!!!! #WTF #BRIDGERTON pic.twitter.com/jyikGASiKP

— Cate Capiak (@catecapiak) June 13, 2024

Nevertheless, fans are critical of such claims because Michael’s characterization in the book leans towards problematic (allegedly) and genderbending his character is not as unimaginable as the other fans think.

The second reason is that some Benedict fans are fearful of the erasure of Sophie Beckett (Benedict’s original partner in the book series).

bitch don’t stress me, the only way benedict should go is towards sophie https://t.co/FTgTVe8L2p

— julia (@blondeinromance) June 11, 2024

Now that the series has shown that genderbending is not impossible, fans are on their toes with the possibility of Benedict ending up with a man and disregarding Sophie’s story and everything that the character represents.

sophie beckett is by far the most important character bridgerton could ever introduce, she is the only character that will make the show go deep into the REAL LIFE struggles of working class women, into what truly was like to be a woman and the sexism and misogyny women suffer

— flora (@vengerb3rg) June 14, 2024

However, some fans are quick to dispel the concern, saying that changing Sophie’s gender is not possible as the integrity of her story and struggles are rooted in her being a working-class woman.

sophie cannot be genderbent because her story depends on her being a woman. michael’s storyline does not depend on him being a man and frankly NEEDED to be retconned because of how problematic it was. how many times does this need to be said.

— kaz ☽☾ (@lqvekanthony) June 13, 2024

Regardless, the reveal of the gay siblings continues to spark discussions on X. But in the spirit of Pride month, we welcome these representations, especially in a blockbuster show like ‘Bridgerton’ with open arms.

We only wish, however, that the characters are not just there for token representation but are handled and received (yes fans, we are looking at you) with attention, care, and respect!

Weigh in on the discussion, dear reader! Let us know what you think!

RELATED ARTICLE: