“These girls are in love, and that’s lightness within that darkness”
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGE BY SHOWTIME
There is a lot of darkness and trauma in Yellowjackets, from plane crashes and starvation to cannibalism and cults. But, amidst all the horror, there is a lesbian love story that defies the “Bury Your Gays” trope. Against all odds and the power of the wilderness, teens Van (Liv Hewson) and Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) have a romance that, according to the actors who play them, is the “bright spot” of the show.
“Our characters are the bright spot in a show about trauma,” Jasmin told The Advocate. She added that, often, the queer characters are the vehicle in which trauma is discussed in television, whether that is the trauma of coming out or the trauma of a parent kicking you out for your sexuality. “But [in Yellowjackets] the trauma is this plane crash, and these girls are in love, and that’s lightness within that darkness.”
Jasmin also expressed gratitude towards the writers for creating something so positively sapphic. Her co-star, Liv, added that the visibility Van and Taissa provide for the queer community is incredibly important to both of them. “It’s incredibly significant. It’s not lost on either of us and it never has been. It’s always mattered to us both very much.”
LGBTQIA characters have often either died or been left heartbroken and alone in mainstream TV shows, so much so that it became a well-known trope, called “Bury Your Gays”. From 2016-2017 alone, there were 62 queer characters who died on our screens. As such, shows like Yellowjackets, which defy the trope, are a welcome change.
When the show began in 2021, it premiered alongside a rise in anti-LGBTQIA legislation throughout the United States, from “don’t say gay” to drag bans. Its third season started in February, less than a month after Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office and the series of attacks on the queer community that has come with it. Van and Taissa’s romance remains as crucial and radical as it ever was.
DIVA magazine celebrates 31 years in print in 2025. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
