Whos gay in the summer i turned pretty

They are an original character created to serve the plot of the second season, which expands the show’s story by bringing more characters into the fore. I had my first crush at the age of five; in 8th grade, I had my first girlfriend. But when it comes to The Summer I Turned Pretty, this series commits the cardinal sin of portraying queer characters in a healthy and informative way: it’s performative.

Well, most of the time.

The Summer I Turned

The series technically features a bisexual character in its main cast. A personal story of identity, acceptance, and growth. It was a refreshingly modern portrayal, and queer viewers were eager to see how this change would impact the story — and then they were confused.

I remember being a curious kid, looking up "girls kissing girls" on YouTube for reasons I couldn't explain at the time. The following characters canonically identify as LGBTQIA+.Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.

The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s third and final season is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday. Jeremiah is bisexual, a change from the Jenny Han book that inspired the series. That might've been my only exposure, and even that wasn't intentional.

They applauded this approach to inclusion. Skye, the cousin of the Fisher brothers, sadly did not return for the third season. I even explored a bit myself, kissing a couple of girls while playing house, and I was always the boyfriend.

Even more disappointing, the show saddles him with bisexual stereotypes. Discover Kai's journey of self-discovery and embracing queerness beyond labels. The Summer I Turned Pretty author Jenny Han decided to change Jeremiah's sexuality from the books in the show.

While ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ is based on the book series of the same name, Skye is not pulled from the source material. Rather than some embittered coming-out journey, Jeremiah is already out when the series begins, and his identity is accepted by everyone around him.

TSITP treats bisexuality as an unserious quirk rather than an identity, using it for the occasional joke but ignoring it the moment it could impact the narrative. There was real potential here, which is why it was hard to see them disappear in season three.

Not only does it portray him as selfish and unfaithful — harmful tropes this community has been fighting against for years — but his attraction to men disappears the moment he falls for a girl. However, the show refused to ever acknowledge this core aspect of him outside of the occasional joke.

Since the finale, Amazon Studios has announced that while the series has concluded, a movie directed by Han is on the way to wrap up the story. It did make strides, though, with the introduction of a nonbinary character, Skye played by nonbinary actor Elsie Fisherin the second season.

Belly even discovers his bisexuality at the same time as viewers when she stumbles upon him kissing another boy at a party. This issue comes into sharper focus with the season 2 character, Skye.

The queer frat bro

I grew up in a religious Christian household. All of which make its missteps even more bittersweet. I wasn't exposed to queerness, except maybe a scene from The Color Purple where Celie and Shug kissed — and even then, my mom would skip that part, though I'd already seen it once on my own.

Very telling. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. And I have thoughts.