The outpouring of discontent from fans after these deaths and other disappointments is culturally signifcant beyond the shows themselves: fans pointed toward the literary trope “ bury your gays ,” referring to the fact that queer characters are rarer on television than straight characters and then are killed (often visibly and brutally) at higher rates. To see a widely loved, trans-led, highly diverse, and genuinely high-quality show cancelled without reason was heartbreaking, leaving queer fans like me without the satisfying endings that we deserved we were left only with uncertainty and rejection. Other queer stories were left brutally unfinished, which was the case with Sense8’ s cancellation (until it was briefly resurrected for a finale episode after persistent begging from fans).
Lexa from The 100 died taking a bullet for her lover in a scene that too-closely mirrored the death of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ s Tara, another iconic queer character from 14 years earlier. In 2016, four high-profile, well-loved female queer TV characters were killed off in a period of only 30 days.
