(originally an Instagram Post on May 3, 2021)
Screenshot from the Webtoon page: Always Human
Growing up in the early 2000s up in till now, I remember the media surrounding me. The TV shows, the movies; most of them had to do with love, but specially male-female romances, heteronormative storylines. It’s cute, yea, but also it was very limited to me and other queer folks growing up. It tells us what normal is and denies us the ability to figure out things for ourselves. I can’t really blame anyone or anything, but I remember having this fantasy while growing up of meeting my prince charming and everything will be good, I’ll be happy. It led me to believe that I had to find a man to be happy. That mindset affected me. During middle school and high school, I was always on the lookout for that man, that boy that could save me, that could grant me happiness. But I never found him there. Even in my middle school, where there were much more boys than girls in my grade...he was never there. Even in my high school, he was never there. It led me to believe there was something wrong with me, and because there was something wrong with me, I could not be happy. That leads to a downward spiral, a never ending cycle of self hate. Luckily, after I dropped out of college and was able to find my own place in the world, I was able to start my recovery procsss.
I am so happy to see more and more queer stories into light. More queer cartoons, such as She-Ra, more TV shows oriented on gay couples...I’m so grateful I got to read this Webtoon, when I was a teen, which I think was my first experience of diving into a world of queer romance. It’s called “Always Human” and it’s about two girls living in a futuristic society who fall in love. ❤️🌈🏳️🌈