Home and Away Criticized for Lack of LGBTQ+ Representation

Long-running Australian soap opera Home and Away received criticism for lacking LGBTQ+ characters.

TV Historian Criticizes Lack of Representation

TV historian Andrew Mercado stated in an interview with TV Tonight that soap operas carry a responsibility to reflect everyday life. Mercado noted that Home and Away currently features no LGBTQ+ characters on screen. Past representation on the program remained brief, involving characters such as Willow Harris, Alex Neilson, and Ty Anderson.

Mercado pointed out that because a program airs five nights a week, production teams should include elements of the broader community. He suggested that such storylines could provide viewers with education and foster social acceptance, comparing it to the impact reality television had on normalizing homosexuality for audiences.

Production Choices and Audience Expectations

Mercado expressed a wish for one of the show’s surf characters to be gay to observe the community response within Summer Bay. He accused producers of lacking imagination in their approach to inclusivity.

To me, you can take a lot more chances because, as David Sale says, “the audience is always far more sophisticated and clever than you give them credit for.”

Mercado also suggested that fear of alienating segments of the viewing audience drives programming decisions at the network level. He stated that someone at Channel 7 reviews the series and hesitates to introduce a gay character due to concerns about viewer reaction.

Mercado further criticized the soap for repeating familiar plotlines year after year. Home and Away drops new episodes on weekdays at 6:00 am on Channel 5’s streaming service, followed by a 6:30 pm screening on 5STAR. In Australia, the drama airs Monday through Thursday at 7:00 pm on Channel 7 and streams on 7Plus.