[GIF of Stevie and David at a Party]. (n.d.). www.giphy.com
Common Popular Culture Portrayal of Queer Characters
The portrayal of LGBTQ characters in popular culture has been found to be either extremely positive, as a result of overcoming struggle, or extremely negative as a result of facing ongoing struggle (McInroy & Craig, 2017). More often than not, queer characters’ plotlines end in either “tragedy or farce” (Sharpe, 2020, p. 1). One major example of the tragedy aspect of this idea is the “Bury Your Gays” trope, a popular device in which queer characters are frequently killed off, often dying from suicide or assault due to their sexual orientation (Harris, 2017). Daniel Levy, a creator and star of Schitt’s Creek said that the motivation for the representation of his character David’s sexuality in a positive light was, that for him growing up as a gay man, he “didn't have the security of seeing a lot of people ... being celebrated in popular culture” (Sharpe, 2020, p. 1). Schitt’s Creek offers a new portrayal, one of celebration.
Normalization of Non-Binary Sexuality
Schitt’s Creek defies expectations by normalizing non-traditional sexual identities. In an interview, Dan Levy justifies the choice that David’s sexuality is not presented as a focal point in the show to normalize the way in which David’s sexual explorations (or some such) are presented to viewers (Ray, 2017). In the queer community, LGBTQ characters presented in media in a context in which their identity is portrayed as a “struggle” is not a favorable one (McInroy & Craig, 2017). This common portrayal is one that Schitt’s Creek played against. For example, the unremarked acceptance of David’s orientation in the small, rural town of Schitt’s Creek offers a counterpoint to the actual experience of gay youth: bullying is more highly prevalent for people with non-traditional gender or sexuality expression in smaller communities (Hulko & Hovanes, 2018).
Common narratives across media primarily focus on being LGBTQ as a defining factor in one’s life, rather than just an attribute (McInroy & Craig, 2017). A character’s queer identity in television is generally a focal point through which writers channel conflict and struggle. It is often heavily focused on as an aspect of a character's identity. Schitt’s Creek purposefully challenges this stereotype by working to make David’s sexuality an “aside” rather than the main aspect of his life or a major conflict in the show (Ray, 2017).
Pansexual Identity
There is a very strong focus on monosexualities (meaning, attracted to only one gender) over bisexual and pansexual identities in popular culture (Lapointe, 2017). Pansexuality is unique in that it is open to all members of the gender spectrum and, unlike bisexuality, deconstructs the standard gender binary of female and male genders (Lapointe, 2017). Bisexuality and pansexuality are not only often confused but are sometimes also used interchangeably (Barr & Petter, 2020). This kind of representation is rarer in mainstream media and television, though more recently there have been notable celebrities coming out as pansexual, including musicians Miley Cyrus and Janelle Monaé (Barr & Petter, 2020). Schitt’s Creek portrays David in this way and explains his sexuality so that the audience can deconstruct and normalize pansexuality. Dan Levy has noted that he has received feedback on this from viewers, stating that some have said that the show has helped them to “[understand] sexuality in a way that they never have before” (Ray, 2017, p. 1). The show also works to challenge heteronormativity, or the presentation of heterosexual characters as “normal” whilst othering queer characters (Harris, 2017).
[GIF of David singing ‘Simply the Best’]. (n.d.). www.giphy.com
Small Towns and Sexual Identity
Instead of portraying the small town of Schitt’s Creek as hateful or biased towards David’s sexuality, residents are shown allowing the Rose family to integrate into the community and find their place in the town, regardless of their differences (Cragg, 2020). In addition, the bulk of research relating to queerness and LGBTQ attributes has been focused around urban areas, rather than the small, rural town we see in Schitt’s Creek (Hulko & Hovanes, 2018). Schitt’s Creek itself discusses and affirms national identities in both Canada, through its writing and primary show demographic, and the United States of America, through its portrayal of a small, rural American town (Patrick, 2018). It shows the more “unique and disparate” regions of a country (Patrick, 2018), though also turning the ideas that viewers often have about small towns in regards to their perception of urban members of the town by showing the “open-minded and loving” nature of the residents (Cragg, 2020).