It’s now ten years since the UK passed the Same-Sex Marriage Act, which made same-sex marriage legal in England and Wales.
Since then, there’s been an increase in LGBT+ characters onscreen, especially in television. But in film, this representation often follows a particular kind of narrative. A person struggles with their sexuality, feels the need to hide it and the film explores the (often) painful act of coming out.
Frequently these films are more concerned with showing us the homophobia characters face, than the realities of queer relationships (see, or rather don’t see, 2015’s truly terrible Jenny’s Wedding, for example). Alternatively, the idea of committed queer domesticity is played for laughs.
