Around the world, LGBTQ+ characters in movies, shows, and books are routinely censored and removed. This kind of erasure forces queer communities to stay in the dark, fueling prejudice and violence that affects people even beyond the screen. As long as queer media censorship continues to persist, LGBTQ+ communities will stay ostracized and invisible.
In November 2024, Netflix released season two of Arcane. The popular show, based on video game League of Legends, features a queer relationship between two major characters: Violet and Caitlyn. Their love became celebrated by LGBTQ+ fans across the United States, but not all viewers had the opportunity to see the same story.
For the release of Arcane’s second season in China, Cait and Vi’s relationship faced significant censorship. Scenes alluding to their romance were either heavily edited or removed entirely, all queer representation stripped away.
Arcane is just one example of how LGBTQ+ characters in movies, books, and more continue to face stigmatization and erasure in international markets. The censorship of queer characters contributes to ongoing discrimination of LGBTQ+ communities, describing the broader challenges queer people face on a global scale.
LGBTQ+ media censorship reveals a history of discrimination.
Media censorship of queer characters is not new. For decades, queer characters have faced entire erasure from mainstream storytelling. Today, queer censorship reinforces an idea about what kinds of identities are considered acceptable vs. abnormal. It forces LGBTQ+ communities to stay in the dark.
Arcane itself remains a particularly significant example. When the series released in China, the few scenes that weren’t completely cut out became reframed to the point of indistinguishability.
Denial of queer representation in China’s release of Arcane reflects a more comprehensive LGBTQ+ struggle. In China, queer communities face social and political problems. Same sex marriage remains illegal, and LGBTQ+ citizens have no protections against discrimination.
In a national survey spanning 31 Chinese provinces, heterosexual participants reported a low level of acceptance towards having LGBTQ+ children. The average score was 46.4 out of 100, with 0 being acceptable and 100 being unacceptable. Furthermore, LGBTQ+ responders reported a high level of perceived discrimination, averaging 49.9 out of 100.
While Arcane in China describes a modern day example of queer censorship, it only scratches the surface of prejudice throughout the history of LGBTQ+ media erasure. Shows such as Steven Universe, a kids’ cartoon that depicts a fully non-binary cast, have had scenes censored when aired globally.
Even within the United States, censorship threatens to undermine LGBTQ+ representation within the media. One such example is I Am Jazz, a story about a transgender child’s experience that faced extreme backlash and was challenged in 2017. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, over 10,000 books were either banned or challenged in school districts across the US. 44% of the books included LGBTQ+ themes.
Like Arcane, the general censorship of queer media across the world reinforces a stigma against LGBTQ+ people. When mass media erases or distorts queer relationships, it sends a clear message: LGBTQ+ identities are incompatible with public life and unworthy of visibility.
Censorship controls the narrative.
Censorship, or the suppression of media considered obscene or politically unacceptable, serves the purpose of repressing a certain perspective. When it comes to LGBTQ+ representation, censorship is justified as a way of shielding audiences from so-called “inappropriate” content.
While stronger efforts to create a more inclusive environment for gay and transgender people exist in the present, an idea of queerness as perverted or mentally ill continues to drive discrimination. Today, 64 countries criminalize homosexuality, only 38 countries allow same sex marriage, and only 31% of regions across the world have made gender affirming care fully legal. Living as a member of the LGBTQ+ community often means existing in fear of criminalization, denial of existence, or even death.
It is no surprise that a correlation exists between censorship laws and lack of LGBTQ+ rights. Some countries with the strongest censorship laws include Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkmenistan. In Iran and Saudi Arabia, homosexuality is punishable by death. In Turkmenistan, same sex relationships are illegal between men.
Even in the United States, Censorship remains one of the easiest ways to reinforce this bias in modern society. In a performance by the American Civil Liberties Union, an LGBTQ+ advocate described the effects of book bans and censorship bills.
“When a community says a book is being banned from the library because of its LGBTQ themes, it’s telling students ‘there’s something wrong with you, there’s something that needs to be legislated or challenged, there’s something about you that is up for debate, that shouldn’t even be in a book.’ It tells LGBTQ students they don’t even deserve to be on the shelf.”
Jared Fox, Director of Strategic Projects at Cleveland School District in Ohio
No recognition means no visibility. No visibility denies LGBTQ+ groups the opportunity to challenge stereotypes or perspectives that continue to exclude them. At its core, censorship of queer media aids in pushing a stigmatized agenda of queer people, making it harder for these communities to find acceptance and normalcy.
Lack of representation drives hatred against LGBTQ+ people.
For many, censorship can sometimes result in much more serious consequences than just non-visibility. Hate crimes and violence affect the livelihood of gay or transgender people around the world.
According to data collected by the FBI, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ communities are on the rise in America. In 2023 compared to 2022, hate crimes against queer people rose from 15.7% to 18.1%. Additionally, the American Civil Liberties Union has reported over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills currently in circulation.
This problem persists even outside of the U.S. On May 1, 2025, Colombian police arrested a suspect accused of brutally murdering 32 a 32-year-old transgender woman, Sara Millerey. The suspect had broken Sara’s limbs and thrown her into a creek, a move that sparked outrage among members of the South American trans community. Cases like Sara’s death demonstrate the real world stakes behind queer visibility.
Protesters rallied in front of the Colombian Embassy in Mexico to demand justice for Sara Millerey Gonzalez, a trans woman who was tortured and killed in Colombia in April. pic.twitter.com/9qsXrjsoUt
— DW News (@dwnews) April 14, 2025
Growing concerns over LGBTQ+ safety around the world demonstrate why queer representation matters so much. Queer people disproportionately face discrimination and violence that affects them even beyond the screen.
Representation has the power to affirm identities by offering visibility to those who rarely see themselves reflected on screen or page. Without this, an idea of queer lives as disposable or unacceptable will continue to fuel hate induced violence.
Queer media censorship needs to stop.
Gay and trans people already exist as a marginalized community. In a world dominated by heteronormativity (the belief that heterosexuality is the default or ‘normal’ orientation) censorship in the media only acts tool continuing to represses LGBTQ+ groups. Institutions that forcefully erase the identity of LGBTQ+ individuals condone discrimination and hate crimes targeting queer people.
While representation cannot solve every injustice, the media has the power to challenge harmful perspectives and stereotypes. Genuine portrayals of queer characters can offer hope and validation for a freer and more accepting future. As long as media censorship persists, however, these possibilities remain out of reach.
The fight for LGBTQ+ visibility in the media is far from over. Serious efforts towards inclusion and representation must be made before the chapter of queer erasure can truly come to a close. It’s time for media industries, governments, and audiences alike to recognize that these stories are just as deserving of being seen and protected. It’s time for queer media censorship to end.
