Reflections on Dear Evan Hansen and poor representation

The award-winning show had a chance to represent authentic responses to teen suicide, but it failed at nearly every turn.

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to see Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. Even though I was crying by the end of Act I and I adore the composer Alex Lacamoire, I couldn’t get behind Act 2 or the show’s resolution. I’ve been uncomfortable with this since I saw the show, but I figured it would be out of the cultural zeitgeist soon. This evening, as I watched the Tony Awards, Dear Evan Hansen was still advertising. It premiered late in 2016 and remains open, which is a huge deal in Broadway terms — but it fails to give a voice to most kids living with mental illness.

First, let me give some background. I’m Autistic and I’ve struggled with mental illness for over a decade. In May 2014, at the end of my junior year of high school, I was hospitalized for suicidal ideation. One of the medications I started during that hospitalization caused serious side effects and I had to stop taking it, which led to two more hospitalizations in the first two months of my senior year.

I attempted to take my life again after the last hospitalization, but didn’t go back into the hospital. This was the right decision for me because the hospital staff couldn’t figure out how to respect my gender identity. The same hospital was later sued for discrimination against a 14 year-old trans patient…