Debatable is a column written by the Otago University Debating Society. The Debating Society welcomes new members and meets at the Business School every Tuesday at 6pm.
For: Hannah Mitchell
In almost 50 seasons combined, The Bachelor/Bachelorette USA has yet to produce what Critic Te Ārohi did in its ‘2nd’ season: a queer bachelor. As a former contestant on the latter, though only making it through one round (thanks Joel), I can 100% say it was a worthwhile experience that TVNZ should take to the mainstream. New Zealand had its first The Bachelor season almost a decade ago, which ended up only lasting a few seasons. Clearly, it needs a revamp, and what better way to bring back a beloved reality TV show than with some much-needed representation? Currently, the most prevalent personal stories in LGBTQ+ reality TV come from RuPaul’s Drag Race. While I’m an avid fan of the show, I think it's time for queer individuals to have representation on a show about love.
The argument against a queer bachelor or bachelorette is that the contestants would fall for each other, rather than the titular bachelor, and therefore defeating the premise of the show. Sure, this could theoretically happen but it’s probably pretty unlikely unless the bachelor has pretty serious personality flaws to stop others from falling in love with them. And let’s be real, if contestants started falling for each other, that makes for some pretty golden reality TV for viewers.
At its heart, The Bachelor is about finding ‘the one'. Although there’s all the drama and flair surrounding any reality TV experience, truthfully, the show is about love, and I think now is the time for queer individuals to have their love stories enter the mainstream. Some of the most interesting parts of the show are the backstories that pull on your heartstrings. Home visits with people's biological or chosen family will have a greater impact, and hearing coming-out stories and other stories only relevant to queer individuals can be influential and important for young queer viewers. Therefore, I believe it's time for TVNZ to take the step that we’ve all been waiting for and introduce the first queer bachelor or bachelorette.
Against: Ollie Thorns
Heterosexual relationships are plagued by heteronormative social norms; cishet men have to do all the asking out and pay for dates, while cishet women are expected to look and dress a certain way for the male gaze. These stereotypes are harmful but are played up to the max on reality dating shows, such as The Bachelor.
Without ignoring the way heteronormativity harms queer people, queer relationships often have a healthy degree of fluidity. Televising these relationships, and dramatising them, only creates negative and unrealistic stereotypes with corresponding expectations. And there’s perhaps nothing more unrealistic than The Bachelor, which I couldn’t say for certain isn’t entirely scripted. It doesn’t reflect how people actually behave in relationships.
Queer people have been prejudiced by society for far too long and have made substantial progress in defeating harmful stereotypes. Now is not the time to create new ones. Showing fake queer relationships and standards only works to harm people entering queer relationships and those who are already in them. The way that media portrays relationships is deeply influential, and so the competitive and potentially toxic environment of The Bachelor will not have the right sort of impact or influence as it may initially seem.