Intersex Representation in “Faking It”
In an article on the website for interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, Amanda Saenz, an intersex activist, wrote about the television show Faking It, on which they had a role. In a groundbreaking step, the MTV show featured an intersex character named Lauren. Saenz’s article is a personal reflection on the show and the importance of media representation for the intersex community.
Part of what makes the portrayal of Lauren so interesting is that the writers of Faking It worked with interACT to make sure that the intersex representation on the show would be accurate and respectful. Members of the organization had input on the scripts, and the experiences they shared helped to inform the writers’ portrayal of Lauren. The show also offered Saenz a role as part of their efforts. In accepting their role, Saenz became the first openly intersex person to play an intersex character on television.
Saenz remarks that the relationship fostered between the writers of Faking It and the advocates at interACT “provides a model for writers, studios, and show runners to create characters whose storylines are honest reflections of the experiences of marginalized identities.” Saenz brings up how important it is to listen to the experiences and opinions of many members of a community, rather than taking one person’s experiences as representative. This is a better approach for minimizing negative stereotypes and one-dimensional portrayals of these characters. Saenz also encourages intersex individuals to speak out and fight for more and better representation, as well as creating art of their own.
As Saenz puts it, it is very encouraging that the makers of Faking It took the time and effort to connect with members of the community that they were representing. Too often, it seems like the feelings of marginalized groups are not respected and taken into account when portraying them. This seems especially painful when one considers the fact that intersex people’s humanity, privacy, and agency are frequently compromised from the time they are born. Hopefully more shows and movies will follow (and are following) Faking It’s lead by casting intersex actors as intersex characters, and either giving intersex writers a chance to tell the stories they want to tell or consulting with intersex people when writing these characters.
