Out of the Shadows: LGBTQ+ representation in the Television Show Shadowhunters

Abstract

When the Television Show Shadowhunters was cancelled in its third season, it brought about an upheaval in the fandom. Never has a worldwide campaign of this magnitude been seen before. The show included a lot of characters belonging to the LGBTQ+ community; a line-up such as this was very rare at the time. This thesis looks into the effects LGBTQ+ representation might have, using Shadowhunters as an example. It looks at how the fandom made a community centring the show, spreading information about LGBTQ+ not easily found in mainstream society. The thesis also explores how the campaign to save the show spread the LGBTQ+ knowledge to a broader audience, making it a part of changing the world to become a more accepting one.