"For me, Shadowhunters means love and pure acceptance": Shadowhunters fan Tasha Adamski on finally finding family
Shadowhunters is important for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is because despite it being a sci-fi/fantasy show, it deals with the real world and topical issues such as racism, homophobia, domestic violence, drug addiction, mental health, strong women, vulnerable men and more.
Another major reason why the show is important is its groundbreaking commitment to diversity, particularly in regards to its LGBTQ+ representation which "broke new ground by prominently featuring gay, lesbian, bisexual, and asexual characters in healthy, loving, non-stereotyped roles". Five of the 8 main characters (and many supporting characters) are people of color. Two of the 8 main characters (and many supporting characters) are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Three of the 8 main characters (two of whom are people of color) are in positions of leadership. The showrunners, cast, and crew have all been firm in breaking stereotypes in Shadowhunters particularly in regards to gender and sexuality stereotypes.
And despite being advertised as a "young adult" show, Shadowhunters has fans of all ages, ranging from children under the age of 10, to parents in their 80s and 90s which has been proven by multiple polls on twitter by various people in the past six months.
For me, Shadowhunters means love, family, and pure acceptance. From the moment I discovered the show, I felt a powerful and visceral connection to the show and characters that I have never felt before and cannot explain. It helped me understand and accept my sexuality, and gave me a loving and supportive family that I never expected nor had in my own life.
As soon as Shadowhunters was cancelled on June 4, I knew I had to join the fight to save it because it is so important, especially in today's world.
Despite having our show cancelled and not being given an honest answer as to why it was cancelled; dealing with complete silence from FreeformTV, other networks and the production company; being let down at every turn and fighting hard for over six months, the fandom as a whole has remained civil, cordial, and respectful towards the network, the production company, possible new homes, the media, and even those who have chosen to attack us on social media.
The fandom has politely educated those who choose to attack us, or those who have spread incorrect information (as can be seen by the recent #NotATweenGoth tweets). We have taken our anger and frustration to make the world a better place and spread love instead of anger and hate. To me this is incredible! There are very few fandoms that you could say have remained polite when put in a similar situation. And there is no other fandom that can say they have done as much as the Shadowhunters fandom has done in the past 6 months to save their show.
Tasha Adamski is part of the group planning and organizing promotional events for the #SaveShadowhunters campaign. You can follow them on twitter at @BoomBitchesSH .
If you have a positive story about how Shadowhunter changed your life, or would like to share fan pics and videos, please DM us on Twitter @meawwofficial or email dean@meawwworld.com.
