Law & Order SVU: repping the bisexual babes
NBC’s Law & Order SVU has been on television forever. The show is currently airing its twenty-third season, which posits it as the network’s longest-running show in history. Despite being on the air for so long, fans are still absolutely wild about this show.
After returning recently from their mid-season break, Law & Order SVU is dipping its toes back into the inclusivity pool once again. No stranger to queer storylines, SVU now says bisexual rights! with the introduction of its latest storyline. Captain Benson’s (Mariska Hargitay) eight-year-old kid Noah (Ryan Buggle) comes out as bisexual in what can only be described as one hell of a heartfelt scene.
Little Noah has been experiencing some wild bullying at school. Older kids were trying to force him to wear a dog collar and eat dog food while being filmed. Discussing the bullying with his mom stepped up their conversation towards Noah’s feelings about his sexuality, which in turn leads to his coming out.
Benson responds to the revelation in the way we hope all parents respond to such news about their own children: she hugs him, tells him she loves him and says she is proud of him for being brave enough to speak his truth. The whole thing is all very emotional but in the very best way.
This storyline is impactful for two main reasons. Noah is young and most queer coming-out stories aren’t depicted on television in characters as young as he is. Despite this, many queer folks as young, or younger, than Noah understand they don’t fit into the heterosexual paradigm, so seeing this representation on television is validating and important for young queer kids everywhere.
The way Benson dealt with the revelation is also crucial to changing the way in which the film and television industry shapes queer representation on our screens. Bisexuality gets a tough wrap when it comes to how it is portrayed on television. Bisexuality is often satirized as something comical and not to be taken seriously. Law & Order SVU did the exact opposite.
The fact that Benson didn’t question her son at all is a huge step forward. She didn’t ask him if he was actually gay, she didn’t ask him if he was sure, and she didn’t question his judgment at all; all of which are common things said when someone comes out as bisexual. At eight-years-old Noah had the vocabulary to explain to his mother how he feels inside himself, and it was accepted without hesitation like it was no big deal.
Will 2022 be the year where we see more of this? Will coming-out stories stop being portrayed as negative, traumatizing experiences for all involved? We hope so. It is definitely time to normalize everything that lays outside the heterosexual existence. Congratulations to Law & Order SVU for dealing with this issue in such a positive way. Hats off to you!
Law & Order SVU airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9pm EST/PST. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!
