DREW HUBBARD IS A WRITER AND TV SCRIPT WRITER AND EDITOR AND EXPERIENCED SENSIVITY READER
YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A “SENSITIVITY READER”. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND WHAT DOES THAT WORK INVOLVE?
A sensitivity reader helps writers bring out more authenticity in their story and characters, especially when writing people unlike themselves.
Sometimes it involves highlighting a moment that could come across as problematic or leans into a harmful stereotype or trope, though I always explain my reasoning, and offer alternatives. Mostly, I find myself encouraging the writer to dig deeper and go bigger, to make the characters leap off the page because they feel so real.
WHY DO YOU THINK THERE IS A NEED FOR A SENSITIVITY READER? CAN YOU PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE?
Because writers’ research is often just a quick Google, or they rely on what they remember from TV, film or books, the same outdated clichés and stereotypes keep getting recycled.
Even with the best intentions, if a writer isn’t queer, they often don’t know what they don’t know.
I’m always talking to the LGBTQ+ community, and staying up to date with current issues, so I can help my clients deepen their characters, and bring the nuances of their story up to date. Readers can be ruthless, and aren’t afraid to share their grievances online. Several authors have been called out for problematic characters, which would’ve been picked up by a sensitivity reader had they used one.
“EVEN WITH THE BEST INTENTIONS, IF A WRITER ISN’T QUEER, THEY OFTEN DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY DON’T KNOW”
YOU’VE WRITTEN FOR TV. TODAY WE’RE SEEN MORE LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION ON TV AND IN OTHER MEDIA THAN EVER BEFORE. HOW TRUE TO LIFE DO YOU THINK THESE REPRESENTATIONS ARE, AND WHAT ROOM IS THERE FOR IMPROVEMENT?
We are seeing more LGBTQ+ rep, but we are getting fewer LGBTQ+ characters than we were a few years ago, which is disappointing. However, we are seeing more diversity and intersectionality. Writers are learning that there’s a spectrum when it comes to queerness, and are creating characters who are flawed, messy and have questionable morals — a nice change from the perfect gay best friend stereotype we’ve seen too often. But many TV shows still feature just a single LGBTQ+ character, with zero queer community and only cis/het friends. We flock together!
I’d love to see more queer characters surrounded by other queers, even if they’re not central to the plot.
“POWERFUL FORCES ARE STILL TRYING TO ROLL BACK HARD-WON LGBTQ+ RIGHTS, AND UNFORTUNATELY THEIR INFLUENCES SNEAK INTO MEDIA”
IS THE MEDIA AND/ OR THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AS LGBTQ+-FRIENDLY AS MANY MIGHT SUPPOSE? OR ARE THEY CHALLENGES AND OBSTACLES EVEN IN THAT ENVIRONMENT THAT HAVE TO BE FACED AND OVERCOME?
There are lots of LGBTQ+ people in all creative sectors, but often those holding the power and the purse strings are not, and that’s where authenticity can get lost. Powerful forces are still trying to roll back hard-won LGBTQ+ rights, and unfortunately their influences sneak into media. This is why, more than ever, we need our cis/het allies to step up, speak out, and help empower queer voices.
I love encouraging all writers to include queer characters, because stories have the power to change hearts and minds, and we need that now more than ever.
YOU’RE GIVEN THREE WISHES. WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
That I could communicate with animals; that holo-decks were a real thing; and that I could travel to parallel universes.
PRIDE – PARTY OR POLITICS?
It’s gotta be both. It’s frustrating that we still need to fight, but we must remember the joy too. We deserve to party in spaces that are inclusive, safe and full of our community, and Pride is one of the few places where that’s possible.