While our cinematic landscape is changing for the better in terms of onscreen diversity for previously unrepresented groups, particularly women and people of color, there still exists a noticeable vacuum when it comes to LGBT representation in modern mainstream cinema.
In fact, more than simply not including Queer characters from the get-go, many films of late have pro-actively been removing them in the editing room. Most notably, two of Marvel's recent outings Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther both originally had acknowledgments of LGBT characters only for them to be cut from the final edit.
There are also franchises that have long promised LGBT representation but failed to do so textually on screen, recent examples being Star Wars with Solo: A Star Wars Story co-writer Jon Kasdan revealing outside of the film that Lando Calrissian is pansexual and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which will not depict its antagonist and protagonist as queer despite the two being former lovers and that element playing an integral part in their dynamic.
Now, you can add J.A.Bayona's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom to the list. In a recent interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, Daniella Pineda, who plays Dr. Zia Rodriguez in the film, detailed a scene that would have revealed her character to be a lesbian, which was left on the cutting room floor.
I look at Chris and I'm like; "Yeah, square jaw, good bone structure, tall, muscles. I don't date men, but if I did, it would be you. It would gross me out, but I'd do it." I love that I'm looking at Chris Pratt, the hottest guy in the world, and I'm like, "It would gross me out, but I guess I would do it!" It was also cool, because it was a little insight into my character. But they cut it.
While the manner in which this information is given may be seen as problematic to some, the reason Pineda gives for the removal is even more so and also typical when it comes to cut LGBT representation in cinema as The Originals actress explained that the moment was cut because it was deemed not “relevant to the story".
This is often the reason given and serves to do little more than exhaust a community who are constantly told that the acknowledgment of their existence in a film is "extra" or "needless" unless the entirety of the movie is built around that. It's obvious that we still have a ways to go before LGBT individuals are be able to exist in all forms of media without being deemed political or forced and not just permitted in depressing adult dramas about how their lives are a struggle due to their identity.
Still, with this summer's Love, Simon delivering one of the best romantic comedies in recent years and centered around a gay main character, that landscape might be slowly changing too.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is in cinemas now.
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