Narrative Extraction & Real-World Scenarios
Once we defined the theoretical landscape, we moved on to collecting narrative data grounded in real-world media — specifically, teenage TV series featuring LGBTQ+ characters.
Our approach combined:
Prompting Large Language Models (LLMs) to extract narrative structure
Thematic clustering based on recurring tropes, roles, and resolutions
🎯 Domain Definition
"Portrayal of LGBTQ+ Characters in Teenage Dramas" refers to the way queer identities, relationships, and experiences are represented in television series targeted at a teenage audience.
This portrayal involves:
Character depth (Authentic vs. Stereotypical)
Narrative function (Dynamic Role vs. Static Role)
Plot significance (Tokenism vs. Well-developed Arc)
Resolution (Affirmation of Identity vs. Tragic Trope)
Fair representation fosters empathy and normalization. Unfair representation reinforces harmful tropes and marginalization.
🧪 Method: Prompting LLMs
We used LLMs to generate structured outputs from character descriptions and show summaries. This allowed us to:
Identify key traits and patterns across different media
Compare portrayals using a shared vocabulary
Formulate early versions of competency questions for the ontology
🎭 10 Sample Scenarios (Fair & Unfair Representation)
We selected 10 scenarios based on our dataset to illustrate the contrast between fair and unfair LGBTQ+ portrayals.
✅ Fair Representation
Jules Vaughn (Euphoria) — Authentic transgender representation
Jules is one of the most realistically written transgender characters in teenage dramas. Her storyline goes beyond just her transition—it explores love, mental health, self-identity, and personal struggles. She is portrayed as a fully developed individual rather than a token trans character. Her experiences with gender dysphoria, relationships, and self-discovery feel authentic and deeply human.
Fair portrayal: Her character is layered, complex, and deeply personal, allowing for a nuanced and emotionally resonant portrayal of a transgender teenager.
Adam Groff (Sex Education) — Journey of self-acceptance
Adam’s journey from repression to self-acceptance is detailed and emotionally rich. He starts as a bully struggling with internalized homophobia, then embarks on a slow journey of self-discovery. His bisexuality is shown with depth and complexity, making his storyline an example of careful and genuine queer representation.
Fair portrayal: His struggles and experiences are fully explored, and his sexuality is not treated as a side note or a one-time revelation.
Kelly (San Junipero – Black Mirror) — Happy ending for queer love
San Junipero is one of the few LGBTQ+ stories with a happy ending. The love story between Kelly and Yorkie is treated with depth, care, and emotion. Unlike the tragic trope often given to LGBTQ+ characters, their story ends with hope and fulfillment, showing that queer love can be joyful and lasting.
Fair portrayal: The show subverts the tragic trope and provides a beautiful, meaningful, and satisfying conclusion for an LGBTQ+ couple.
Connor Walsh (How to Get Away with Murder) — Affirmed queer identity
Connor is a complex, unapologetically queer character. His relationships, personal growth, and struggles are shown without shame or stereotyping. He is also one of the few LGBTQ+ main characters who are fully developed, ambitious, and emotionally rich. His relationship with Oliver is central to his arc, but he is never reduced to just "the gay character."
Fair portrayal: His character embraces his queerness proudly while also showing depth, emotional struggles, and ambition.
Eric Effiong (Sex Education) — Dynamic and complex role
Eric is a scene-stealer with a rich character arc. His journey from being a bullied gay teen to becoming a confident, proud queer individual is one of the most dynamic in modern teenage dramas. His experiences with religion, family pressure, friendship, and self-acceptance make him a well-rounded character who influences the story and drives his own narrative rather than just reacting to others.
Fair portrayal: He evolves and grows throughout the show, making him a dynamic and powerful representation of a queer teenager.
❌ Unfair Representation
Kevin Keller (Riverdale) — Static and undeveloped
Kevin starts off as an interesting LGBTQ+ character but never gets real development. His personality revolves around being "the gay friend" with little focus on his own emotions, growth, or romantic life. He exists mainly to react to the straight leads' drama, making him a static, underdeveloped queer character.
Unfair portrayal: He lacks depth, growth, and any significant storyline outside of supporting others.
Shane Harvey (Faking It) — Stereotypical gay best friend
Shane is a walking stereotype of the "sassy, dramatic gay friend" trope. He is flamboyant, constantly gossiping, and his main purpose is to provide comic relief. His storylines focus on exaggerated stereotypical behavior rather than giving him genuine emotional depth.
Unfair portrayal: He reinforces outdated stereotypes of LGBTQ+ men, making his representation feel shallow and exaggerated.
Theo Putnam (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) — Superficial trans storyline
Theo is a transgender character who was included for representation but lacks depth. His journey as a trans man is never fully developed, and his presence in the show feels more like a diversity checkbox than a meaningful exploration of transgender identity.
Unfair portrayal: His identity is acknowledged but not explored deeply, making it feel surface-level rather than authentic representation.
Kevin Keller (Riverdale) — Gay best friend
Again, Kevin is a sidekick with no real impact on the plot. He is constantly ignored, underdeveloped, and never given a meaningful romance. He reinforces the trope that LGBTQ+ characters exist only to support the straight protagonists.
Unfair portrayal: He is a disposable LGBTQ+ character with no agency in his own narrative.
Mickey Dobbs (Love) — Queerness mentioned but never explored
Mickey is technically bisexual, but the show never meaningfully explores her identity. Her queerness is mentioned once or twice but never becomes part of her character arc or relationships. This kind of representation feels forced—it exists to make the show look inclusive without actually giving LGBTQ+ experiences proper attention.
Unfair portrayal: The character’s queerness is used as a marketing tool rather than an integral part of the story.
A fair portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in teenage dramas ensures they are fully developed individuals with meaningful roles, relationships, and identities. Unfair portrayals, on the other hand, rely on stereotypes, lack depth, and fail to provide authentic representation.
👤 User Story Example: Jules Vaughn (Euphoria)
Character: Jules Vaughn Show: Euphoria Representation: Fair, authentic, and emotionally rich
User Story Jules Vaughn, a transgender teenage girl, is a main character in Euphoria. Her storyline focuses on self-discovery, relationships, mental health, and the complexities of being trans in a heteronormative world. The show portrays her with emotional nuance, offering both vulnerability and strength.
Euphoria avoids tokenism: Jules is not reduced to her identity. She is consulted, shaped, and brought to life with sensitivity by queer creators. Her portrayal resonates with queer viewers while remaining universally relatable — thanks to themes of loneliness, desire, rebellion, and connection.
Main topics extracted:
Tropes avoided: No tragedy or punishment
Relationship depth: Romantic and emotional arcs are taken seriously
Social impact: Seen as a role model for trans youth
🧠 Output for Ontology Design
From this phase, we extracted early candidates for:
Classes: Character, Portrayal, Relationship, Resolution
Properties: hasNarrativeRole, hasStereotype, hasResolution
Individual examples: e.g., JulesVaughn is a
TransgenderCharacterwithAuthenticPortrayal
This real-data-driven narrative base informed the first level of our ontology modeling — moving from storytelling to structured knowledge.
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