Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Summary
Law & Order : SVUprides itself on uplifting the voice of survivors , but it has one linger job regarding characters that season 25 can still deposit . However , when the series first premiered back in 1999 , it in the main centered around white , female victim , with the occasional male murder dupe thrown in . The first manly sexual assault victim was not featured until season 3 ’s " Ridicule , " and as the title suggests , his case was not taken seriously by most people around him . There were also few detectives of color included in the cast during this period ; from season 2 onward , Fin ( Ice - T ) replaced Monica Jeffries ( Michelle Hurd ) as the exclusive Black investigator .
Over the preceding 25 years , SVU has consistently improved the multifariousness of both victims and detectives . manful victim and victim of color became more common , and sex workers and gay and transgender victims were treated with more regard . Law & Order : SVUhas been renew for time of year 26and will be going into that new season with the most diverse cast of detectives in its account . Benson and Fin are link by newcomer Curry , a opprobrious woman , and Velasco , who is Mexican . However , there areno openly LBGTQ+ detectives in the main cast despite the progress made in represent LGBTQ+ issuesthrough current stories , and season 25 needs to correct this .
Law & Order : Special Victims Unit has only ever had two LGBTQ+ main characters throughout its 25 seasons , so what happened to Kat on SVU ?
Law & Order: SVU Has Only Ever Had 1 LGBTQ+ Detective
Katriona “Kat” Tamin Was Written Out At The Beginning Of Season 23
Some ofLaw & Order : SVU ’s episode based on reliable eventsinclude LGBTQ+ characters . Fin has had a gay son since season 7 and Noah Benson get along out as bisexual during season 23 . Including LGBTQ+ theatrical role in other aspects of the story than merely being victim has help combat disconfirming stereotypes . However , the only LGBTQ+ detective in the series ' history was written out at the ending of season 23andLaw & Order : SVUcurrently has no LGBTQ+ detectives . This skip undercut the series ' support of LGBTQ+ equality and must be corrected .
Kat Tamin ( Jamie Gray Hyder ) wasLaw & Order : SVU ’s first epicene detective . SVU write her as a multi - dimensional character rather than a token bisexual character . She was a passionate , hard - headed untried detective who clashed with Benson because she did n’t do thing by the rule book and sometimes made cases more difficult to fill up . Although Kat provided potent representation for the bisexual community , she wasabruptly written out at the start ofLaw & Order : SVUseason 23after getting shoot and the detectives who succeeded her have all been unbent and cisgender .
TheSVUuniverse mislay a lot when Kat was written out . Not only was she bisexual , but she was also Latina , another group that is underrepresented on TV . Kat also offered bread and butter to transgendered victims to a degree that has not been see since , though the series has had several trans - supportive plot line since Kat ’s departure . SVUattempted to recreate the dynamic between her and Benson during season 24 with Molly Burnett ’s character but not the bluff LGBTQ+ theatrical that Kat offer . Fortunately , the series still has the opportunity to correct this serious mistake as it heads into season 26 .
histrion BD Wong previously leftLaw & Order : SVUin part because he did n’t wish the direction his quality ’s homoeroticism had been tack on on rather than being compose as an integral part of the fibre .
Why Season 25 Is The Perfect Time To Add A New LGBTQ+ Character
The Squad Has Recently Added New Detectives, Offering An Opportunity For Diversity
Law & Orderseason 26 updatesdon’t currently admit adding an LGBTQ+ type , but it would be a fairly uncomplicated fix . The squad has recently supply two new female tec , and neither of their intimate orientations has been made explicit . Law & Order : SVUcould follow up on a late story in which they stressed that attacking someone who was falsely perceived to be gay is a hate criminal offense bydemonstrating that the assumption that everyone is straight is also fallacious and problematic . The serial could do this by reveal one of the fresh detectives to be queer .
Bruno has already been build as a part with an ex - married woman . epicene men are less usual on television than bisexual women , so it wouldoffer theatrical performance of a lesser - recognise groupif Bruno were revealed to be epicene . Failing this , either Curry or Sykes could be revealed to be queer , since little is known about their personal lives or relationships at this compass point . sum up this proportion to any of these character reference would help address the trouble of deficiency of LGBTQ+ internal representation on the squad as long as it was written genuinely rather than seeming to be interchange on haphazardly .
Law & Order: SVU Could Address This With A Guest Star (But It Might Not Be Enough)
Guest Characters Wouldn’t Have The Same Impact As A Main Character
Rather than adding a new part , Law & Order : SVUcould infix a pig that the chief detectives sour with for a few episodes who go on to be LGBTQ+.This would be in effect than no representation at all , but would not be as strong as sum an LGBTQ+ main theatrical role . Guest stars , even if they appear in multiple sequence , are on - screen for a limited amount of time . After the guest appearance was over , SVUwould again be left with a want of LGBTQ+ theatrical performance . Having someone join the cast permanently who is LGBTQ+ is a far adept solution .
Law & Order : SVUhas had recurring LGBTQ+ characters in the past tense and already has some on canvas now . Adding Edgar Guest characters who are LGBTQ+ would not be much different than what the serial is currently doing . However , it could inadvertently send the message that LGBTQ+ people do n’t merit to be part of the chief casting if the only characters who are LGBTQ+ are guests or recurring characters .
While adding LGBTQ+ guest stars would be a footstep in the correct direction , Law & Order : SVUmust do more than that . tote up a lasting cast member who is LGBTQ+ would provide the type of representation the series has lacked since Kat was publish out . SVUhas supported survivors of all races , genders , and intimate orientations through its brawny storey . Correcting the deficiency of LGBTQ+ voice in the main cast would resolve a glaring omission that undercuts its intention to support all subsister , including those in the LGBTQ+ community .
Law & Order : SVUairs on NBC on Thursdays and stream on Peacock .
