Pride Month 2020: Coop and Patience from ‘All American’ are lesbian goals, will they be endgame in The CW show?
With just two seasons, ‘All American’ on The CW has caught many eyeballs and has been billed as "one of the fan-favorites" on TV. With undercurrents of racism, mental health, drug addiction, sexism, and other teen troubles, the series has addressed some of the most relevant social issues.
Along with black representation, it also stars a lesbian couple — Tamia 'Coop' Cooper (Bre-Z) and Patience (Chelsea Tavares) — who have become goals for the queer community. As the world celebrates Pride Month in June, here's a look at the duo and how they inspired fans to come out of the closet.
Coop is Spencer James' (Daniel Ezra) lesbian friend from Crenshaw High who dreams to be a songwriter and DJ. Initially, she is hesitant to open up about her sexual orientation to her mother and her supportive church friends but soon earns her trust. Her love interest, Patience, is an aspiring lyricist who has a supportive family when she came out as a lesbian. It's beautiful how the series blends music into their bond.
In Season 2 Episode 2 'Speak Ya Clout', Coop tries to find her voice through music and her mom is happy to see her daughter experimenting with new tunes. However, when Coop asks her mom if she can take her girlfriend Patience's (Chelsea Tavares) help in penning down tracks, she is not too keen. Later, however, when Coop finally cracks a song with a cue from Patience's voice message and makes her mom listen to it, she accepts she was in the wrong and tells her, "I guess words really do matter." Confessing that she will try to accept her being gay, she adds, "I can't promise this will be easy but I promise I am going to try hard."
From her coming-out scene to wading through troubled times together, Coop and Patience's journey has been an iconic trajectory for viewers to take motivation from. "Oh Lord, Coop’s coming out scene broke my heart. 'You think Patience’s trouble because she’s gay? Because that would make ME trouble since...since I’m gay too' 'You’re not gay, you’re confused' Okay, I’m crying," one fan said and another posted, "A relationship like patience and coop... needed & wanted!"
One even went on to say, "Coop had the realest/best GIRLFRIEND! No cap. Patience is amazing in so many ways & real af. Love her #AllAmerican." Another posted, "COOP STILL CALLING PATIENCE BABY EVEN THOUGH THEY ARENT BACK TOGETHER I LOVE THEMMMM #allamerican." As the series comes back for Season 3, it will be interesting to see how their relationship moves forward and whether they are endgame or not.