Remembering Naya Rivera as a Pioneer for Representation
Most of you know that DiKayo Data is here to provide you content about both data science and representation. Often, I write tutorials focusing solely on data science. This post focuses solely on representation.
When I heard that former Glee star Naya Rivera was missing and later confirmed dead, my heart sank. Though touched by the fact that Naya was able to save her four-year-old son as her last living act, I can’t believe that the world has lost such an amazing advocate and force of talent, still living in her prime.
Honestly, I feel a little bit guilty for only remembering and recognizing the impact Naya Rivera had on me when faced with her death. Even now, conversations about representation are far and few to come by - not on our timelines perhaps - but overall I know it’s the case. So it’s no secret that in 2009, when Glee emerged on the scene, Naya Rivera was a pioneer, portraying not only a strong woman of color but also a Queer character with a genuine and meaningful relationship with another bisexual character.
What do I mean by this? Naya’s character Santana and her co-star Heather Morris’ character Brittany struggled with every issue that their heterosexual counterparts did. They explored ways to improve their communication, navigated the difficulties of a long distance relationship and supported one another through individual challenges, even when such challenges involved Brittany’s relationships with men, such as with their fellow Glee-club member Arty. Brittany was never tasked with explaining her bisexuality to Santana - only the feelings that she was experiencing towards both individuals. And when Santana struggled with opening up about her lesbian identity, Brittany in her adorable way encouraged her to do so, while remaining patient with Santana’s timeline.
And though Santana and Brittany’s relationship lacked the performance for male voyeurism typically seen in queer relationships on TV, their relationship served as a platform to discuss issues of bias and unfairness. For example, Santana is quick to point out that while she and Brittany were warned by the principal to check their PDA, Rachel and Finn, the show’s leading heterosexual couple, were never told such a thing. And needless to say, all action surrounding Santana and Brittany’s relationship was amplified wholeheartedly by Naya and Heather’s brilliant performances of Britney Spears covers to my personal favorite: Naya’s cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” accompanied by dueling cellos.
All this is to say, I know I am not the only one affected by Naya Rivera’s impact on the Queer community, especially on those of us from non-white backgrounds. At the time I came across Naya’s character, I had definitely experienced feelings for other women, but never considered those feelings to be of equal significance to the ones I had for men. I often attribute this to the fact that I always had male interest and it was simply “easier” to go that route, but I know that I was also very afraid. By the time I did fall truly in love with a woman about two years after my introduction to Glee, I had witnessed Glee’s portrayal of a lesbian relationship’s having all the same features of heterosexual ones. I was definitely strengthened by that, even though my road towards self acceptance was and is far from done.
Wherever Naya’s soul is now, I hope that she continues to make beautiful music and challenge social oppression. We have lost a powerful advocate way before her time, and that just means the rest of us have to work harder to ensure that her impact produces the social change it’s meant to produce.
RIP Naya Rivera. You will be missed.