Hey, I’m Ninise Modestin, and welcome to the Royal Blue Network. Whether you’re here because you follow @TheRoyalBlueNetwork on Instagram, or because you follow my personal Twitter account, @CyrusModestin; I want to thank you for coming.

As a kid, I spent a lot of time watching TV. Shows like CatDog, The Power Puff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Zoey 101, iCarly, and many more shows that all helped shape my childhood. When I think of these shows, I get so nostalgic.

Now that I’m older, I tend to watch more Netflix and Hulu.

When you search the acronym ‘LGBT’ on Netflix, you’re met with a few things. One of those is movies like Below Her Mouth, Loving Annabelle, Alex Strangelove, and a few more. These movies are… okay. I’ve seen two out of three I just mentioned, but I have a few problems with these movies. My first issue is the way the LGBT community is portrayed in these films. If you’ve ever seen Below Her Mouth then you know how it’s not the greatest of films. It’s basically a lesbian porn with extra scenes before and after the sex scenes. I’m not going to lie, I’ve seen it, several times, but not for the story. The characters simply lack depth. Dallas, ‘the love interest’, is super underdeveloped and quite predatory. Jasmine, the main character, seems to be the same, in terms of development. And as a viewer, I don’t feel attached to any of the characters.

However, underdeveloped characters and lackluster plots seem to plague LGBT content. Even in TV shows, LGBT characters tend to be side characters that are just gay. They have no real back story, they don’t really serve a purpose other than to either die, or to be sexualized. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing two ladies being in love on my screen, but do the gay characters really need to be diminished down to just their sexuality and relationships?

And keeping with that same theme, why are all the lesbians super fem, white women? I get it, fem white women like other fem white women, but what about representation. As a black, nonbinary person, I find it hard to see myself represented in films and TV shows. I have yet to see a black, gay, main character. I know Orange is The New Black features a lot of women of color and even a trans woman, but is that really all I get? One show?! Really?!

If that’s the case, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. I’ve decided to write the kind of stories that I would’ve liked to see when I was questioning my sexuality. As a person of color, who’s still somewhat unsure of their sexuality and gender, I want to create content that helps people like me. And at the same time, I want to let people know that it’s okay to not know. Life is constantly changing and we change along with it. So whether you’re a baby gay, a seasoned vet, or still questioning your sexually and identity, I hope that you’ll be able to find something on this site that speaks to you.

Thank you so much for visiting The Royal Blue Network. Consider giving the site a follow because I post new shorts every Tuesday and Friday.

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