HELP US FINISH FILMING "IT SHOULDN'T BE THIS HARD"

Queer media is notoriously underfunded and undersupported which only compounds the difficulty to be and feel seen. As a queer storyteller trying to tell queer stories about queer representation, I already feel my starting line is paces upon paces behind.

Fundraising is always difficult. It often keeps independent storytellers from being able to tell the exact story they feel is necessary to tell. Financial donations help in fueling the growth of these projects from amazing thoughts to well-executed ideas.

In this case, your donation will go directly into helping us finish filming so we can focus on completing the series in post production. Specifically, travel to/from Portland, accommodations, equipment rentals, wages, etc. We need your help. We need your support. Lift us up and we can tell these stories and eventually pay it forward.

SYNOPSIS: From a snowy day in Pittsburgh to the historic streets of New Orleans, basking in the southern Californian sun, back across and up into the hustle and bustle of Toronto, It Shouldn’t Be This Hard: LGBTQ+ Representation and The Fandoms Who Fight For It, explores the lives of the underrepresented LGBTQ+ community and the often misunderstood found families who are the beating heart of fandom culture. The continuous and predictable lack of representation in the media along with the unprecedented rate of queer television shows being canceled, often without a significant chance to succeed, is a harsh reminder that queer media hasn’t been given a seat at the table like once optimistically thought. Instead, their voices are frequently found at the proverbial kids table, often in a separate room.There are many undesired tropes found throughout queer media, most notably, “Bury Your Gays” which in 2016 the queer community had enough of watching their characters removed - killed off. If your representation is consistently viewed as disposable, after a while you might see yourself the same way. Disposable. Undeserving of happiness, love, and normalcy, among a never-ending list the cisgender heterosexual white community will never have to lose sleep contemplating. If you ask them when the first time they saw themselves represented in the media was, they often answer with a confused, quizzical look. It’s a trick question. The answer is… always. But imagine being a 72-year-old lesbian who looks at you just as confused because her answer is just as simple but far more disheartening. Never. Her answer is… never.The ‘21-’23 television seasons saw an unsettling number of LGBTQ+ shows canceled creating a wave of pain, anger, and distrust in tv executives and networks. At least nineteen wlw (women loving women) shows were canceled in the last two years, alone. Currently, 140 LGBTQ+ characters will not be returning next season due to cancellation. That’s a loss of 24%. A loss is an understatement. Seeing your stories consistently portrayed on screen shouldn’t be this difficult. It shouldn’t be this hard.It Shouldn’t Be This Hard explores through conversations, interviews, and glimpses into the lives of community members, why fandom exists, how crucial found family is, and where representation was, is, and needs to be.