Supergirl’s Sanvers Supporters Show Us Representation Is a Superpower
There’s been a lot of talk about Supergirl’s storyline between Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) and Maggie Sawyer (Florina Lima) but one thing is certain – it means a lot to a lot of people. Once again fans remind us why representation is so important.
We knew someone in the DCTV sphere was going to explore their sexuality this season and it was blatantly obvious from the get-go on Supergirl Season 2 that it would be Alex. The Sanvers (Sawyer + Danvers) story has been revelatory for so many people out there, myself included, and has made an incredible impact. You may recall seeing a story floating around on Twitter late last year about a fan who had the luck of running into exactly the kind of person she needed at that moment in time. (Click on the original tweet to read the whole thread.)
@sapphicgeek Mary…This story. This right here is what Heroes are made of. You are AMAZING!! I absolutely admire you and will share this!
— Chyler Leigh (@chy_leigh) December 3, 2016
There was another incident recently of a fan watching Supergirl on an airplane and getting an awfully bigoted reaction from their seat neighbor. But it has an uplifting end and message as well.
Friends, please read this thread. So important and powerful❤ @Hajabeg You're a real deal #Supergirl Thank YOU for sharing! #sanversmatters https://t.co/QVxPaMy5YC
— Chyler Leigh (@chy_leigh) January 5, 2017
The latest is a video put together by EmilyAnne (@ladyintheTV on Twitter) called “The Sanvers Thank You Project.” It pulls together a few fans to share what the Sanvers storyline means to them. Here’s a little more info:
Sanvers quickly made strides to save 2016 from the momentous failures in the world of LGBT representation in media, and Alex Danvers and Maggie Sawyer quickly soared into the fandom’s collective heart, and lifted us up from what felt like one of the worst years for the LGBT community in recent history.
In my call for submissions, I asked the fans two questions:
1) Why do you love Sanvers?
2) What does Sanvers mean to you?Through this project I truly understand the far reaching influence of this couple in a way that I wasn’t privy to before, and the answers that I received, or rather, the stories I received were equal parts heartwarming, elating, inspiring, and moving.
Here it is, might want to grab a tissue first…
And yes, Leigh has once again responded to the sentiments.
@ladyintheTV @florianalima @AJKreisberg @GBerlanti @AliAdler @YouTube This is just amazing. Like sit somewhere quiet and wipe your tears away amazing. So touched by everyone's stories❤ #RepresentationMatters
— Chyler Leigh (@chy_leigh) January 5, 2017
More and more we’re getting examples of why representation of all kinds is so important. It’s nice to see.
(Thanks to That Which Dreams for bringing the video to my attention!)
I still don’t get why MAGLEX didn’t become the most prominent portmanteau.
Whoa, like, synchronicity. I just posted this on another page.
:-D Thanks again for bringing it to my attention!