Naomi Handled Its LGBTQ+ Story Worse Than Superman & Lois (Spoilers)
One of the most impressive aspects of the Arrowverse is how it's embraced LGBTQ+ characters, bringing a much-needed inclusivity into the superhero TV genre. Black Lightning, Batwoman and Supergirl really stepped up with queer or bisexual characters. That precedent made fans excited when Superman & Lois started toward an LGBTQ+ story arc with Sarah Cortez -- but that storyline was terribly mishandled.
Superman & Lois didn't even detail any backstory that would lead to Sarah exploring her sexuality, then quickly negated the subplot by having her run back to her ex-boyfriend Jordan Kent (who she broke up with anyway). It seemed like Naomi might make amends for that poor piece of storytelling by introducing its own LGBTQ+ story. Unfortunately, not only did it repeat Superman & Lois' mistakes, the story actually turned out worse.
Both series depicted an LGBT experience as a fling, a mistake and cheating on someone's true partner. In Superman & Lois, Sarah cheated on Jordan with Aubrey, and while she clearly still held feelings for her, she still decided to get back with Jordan and keep Aubrey as a friend. The show made her queer arc feel like a gimmick and treated Audrey like a plot point instead of a character. The fact that the forbidden romance happened off-screen and was spoken of so flippantly afterward also felt disrespectful.
Unfortunately, the idea of the protagonist only getting with someone of the same sex as part of a cheating subplot reoccured in Naomi, and in an even more tasteless manner. Naomi and Lourdes clearly had chemistry earl iny Season 1, yet Naomi sidelined her and went back to Nathan -- the guy she dumped before the series started. All Naomi has done with Lourdes since is use her to help investigate her alien origins, and in "Fallout," to take selfies, party and make Nathan jealous on social media. Lourdes eventually called her out when Naomi rebuffed a kiss, but the show made Lourdes the villain.
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Looks CW superhero shows are going backwards in regard to LGBT identities. Of course, "Supergirl" took it to another extreme that was just absurd. Shame. One step forward, two back...toward the closet.
