EastEnders has been at the forefront of combating homophobia since 1985, and the presence of homophobic characters has always been a key part of that. These characters exist to accurately represent the discrimination that LGBT people face, and, most importantly, to be challenged. 

When a character’s bigotry is left unchallenged, or framed as comedic, it can give the impression (often unintentionally) that the show endorses these attitudes. And EastEnders has historically managed to balance the reality of portraying bigoted characters with the necessary framing to counteract their bigotry.  

Zainab Masood, for example, was a fantastic character whose homophobia was overwhelmingly depicted as harmful and challenged by the characters around her. Even through the 80s and 90s, homophobia from characters like Nick Cotton and Irene Raymond was consistently called out by younger or more enlightened characters.

This is why the recent depiction of Violet Highway’s homophobia feels like such an out of character misstep for the show. 

Violet’s comments, from decrying that ‘the gays’ have ruined her favourite holiday spot to insisting on calling Ben ‘Whitney’ (mockingly feminising him as ‘the wife’ of the relationship and making light of Callum’s struggle with being closeted), have been nothing less than homophobic. And yet they have not been robustly challenged. 

When some LGBT fans raised concerns about the failure of other characters to condemn her homophobia, other viewers defended it as ‘harmless’ based on her age and suggested that people are being ‘too sensitive’. 

But studies have shown that microaggressions, which are defined as ‘brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental actions (whether intentional or unintentional) that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults toward members of oppressed or targeted groups’, can have a massive impact on mental health.    

Let’s not forget that Callum, her grandson, was so consumed with internalised homophobia that he was closeted until the age of 28.

And this isn’t just about fictional characters. In a world where almost a third of LGBT pupils report hearing negative language around LGBT people on a weekly basis, and where LGBT young people are twice as likely as their peers to contemplate suicide, it’s important that young LGBT people see such comments challenged in the media they consume. And, with a quarter of LGBT youth also reporting ‘daily tension’ at home, it’s just as vital to show that homophobia is unacceptable regardless of age or generation.

It’s also important to recognise that casual homophobia plays a role in upholding more extreme discrimination. In fact, the Anti-Defamation League has created the ‘Pyramid of Hate’, which excellently demonstrates how comments and ‘jokes’ are the foundation upon which violence is built. 

Although EastEnders has not addressed it, we can see this in how Violet’s casual homophobia has had a ripple effect through the generations of her family. Jonno, her son, became a violent, slur-slinging homophobe who has physically attacked both Ben and Callum. Even Stuart, who has since grown more accepting, viewed gay men as predators and consequently gay-bashed Ben at Pride in 2019.

Vi’s homophobia, and the lack of in-show accountability, is thrust into an even darker context as EastEnders revisits the 2016 hate crime that killed Ben’s boyfriend, Paul Coker. 

Paul’s death is a tragic example of how far unchecked homophobia can go. We know that the attack started as insults, but quickly turned violent. The actions of the gang of men, who no doubt grew up hearing casual homophobia from their older relatives, illustrate how easy it is to climb that Pyramid of Hate. 

The story, particularly the image of Ben and his loved ones wearing ‘End Hate Crime’ t-shirts in court, takes on even greater significance now as a 2020 study found that homophobic hate crime in the UK has tripled since 2015. 

The release of Paul’s killer is an excellent opportunity for EastEnders to address Vi’s homophobia, as Ben was (and still is) deeply traumatised by the attack. It would be realistic for Vi’s comments to become too much in the light of it all, and for Ben, or his husband Callum, to finally shut her down. 

Drawing the link between Vi’s casual homophobia and the homophobia that took Paul’s life would teach an important lesson on how microaggressions can both cause distress and escalate into violence. It would also reassure LGBT viewers that they are not being overly sensitive and that the show is unquestioningly in their corner.  

Characters like Violet should exist in soaps. They are an important part of representing what it is like to be LGBT in this world. But it is equally important that they are challenged, and that homophobia, fictional or not, has clear social consequences. 

And I hope that EastEnders will take the opportunity to add to it’s almost forty year record of taking a strong stand against homophobia. 

Erin Ekins is a Queer Autistic Writer and Speaker
Website: https://queerlyautistic.com/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/QueerlyAutistic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/queerlyautistic 
Queerly Autistic: The Ultimate Guide for LGBTQIA+ Teens on the Spectrum – AVAILABLE NOW

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