STD "more diverse than ever?"

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Weird thing about gay representation, I'm inclined to think it's a bit of a tightrope to walk considering how people don't like if there's any effeminate etc. stereotypes which intend to act as inexplicable homosexual culture, and the recourse tends to be overtly noticeable exposition that doesn't establish nuance very well.

Well written Gay or Bi characters aren't defined by they sexual orientation.

I'm not really sure how else they are. If they have no archetype to kinda soak into then what do you think are some, errr, approaches?

[Mecha82]

Weird thing about gay representation, I'm inclined to think it's a bit of a tightrope to walk considering how people don't like if there's any effeminate etc. stereotypes which intend to act as inexplicable homosexual culture, and the recourse tends to be overtly noticeable exposition that doesn't establish nuance very well.

Well written Gay or Bi characters aren't defined by they sexual orientation.

I'm not really sure how else they are. If they have no archetype to kinda soak into then what do you think are some, errr, approaches?

Show they sexual orientation through they relationship with another character and maybe have them talk about it ones and twice when it makes sense like with character they trust or they partner but treat them as characters first most of time so that they can be character first.

[Dargaron]

I think the diversity of DS9 should be a benchmark, with naturally a few alterations, like more LGBT representation...

If you truly believe that DS9 is the benchmark for the "proper" amount of diversity, then Discovery should be just about right. I did some counting of the bridge crew in both series. Discovery has:
-four white dudes (two of whom are gay): Ash, Culber, Stamets and Pike
-two white ladies (Tilly and first Landry, then that cyborg helmswoman who only becomes a speaking character in season 2, apparently)
-one black woman: Michael
-one asian man (I forgot him because I don't think he appears in SF Debris' reviews: he's the tactical officer)
-one alien (who's played by a white man): Saru

DS9, meanwhile, has:
-two white dudes: Bashir and O'brien
-two white women with fancy make-up: Kira and Dax (Yes, they're technically aliens, but their make-up is so minimal, I'm counting them as human)
-one black man: THE SISKO
-two aliens (wearing actual make-up): Worf and Odo (one white, one non-white)

Throw in Nog and Quark (since both of them fulfill bridge-crew-like functions at one point or another, and are played by white actors), and the only difference is that Discovery has a (forgettable) Asian guy and their black character has a different gender. The situation gets even more similar if you're an O'Brian/Bashir shipper, which I'm not, but is a semi-legitimate position.

The next several sentences of your post assume that I'm saying, "Discovery is more diverse because it has one of everything." No, I'm saying that it's within the margin of error for virtually every other Star Trek series, but with the bare minimum of gay representation, which is a new development. You assume that I'm arguing "Discovery is way better than previous Star Trek," when I'm saying it's pretty bog-standard with one interesting (and long-awaited) exception.

You say that "The majority of people in this country are whites, and straights." So? Last I looked, it's the United Federation of Planets, not "'Murica in SPACE!" Also, according to the latest census data (As of 2018), non-Hispanic or Latino Whites make up a bare 60% of the American population. So even from a demographics standpoint, both the Discovery Crew and DS9 still over-represent white ethnicities (which is to be expected, given the demographics of American actors).

Regarding your last sentence: you clearly do not believe that "nothing makes a difference, or ever does" because otherwise you would never take any action under any circumstances, including posting on this very forum to convince people that your way of thinking is correct. So that's nothing more than cheap nihilism masquerading as sagacity.

(Funnily enough, the most under-represented demographic in Starfleet is Hispanics: Asians are majorly over-represented, with at one Asian bridge-crew member in TOS, VOY, ENT, DISCO and Keiko in TNG, despite representing only some 5% of the United States population, while Hispanics make up nearly 20%, and have...nothing. No Hispanic main characters at all, in ANY series.)

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Weird thing about gay representation, I'm inclined to think it's a bit of a tightrope to walk considering how people don't like if there's any effeminate etc. stereotypes which intend to act as inexplicable homosexual culture, and the recourse tends to be overtly noticeable exposition that doesn't establish nuance very well.

Well written Gay or Bi characters aren't defined by they sexual orientation.

I'm not really sure how else they are. If they have no archetype to kinda soak into then what do you think are some, errr, approaches?

Show they sexual orientation through they relationship with another character and maybe have them talk about it ones and twice when it makes sense like with character they trust or they partner but treat them as characters first most of time so that they can be character first.

I don't see how showing it through their relationship is different than their sexual orientation.

And yeah they can talk about it sure, it works. I'm just saying that I don't feel it's very clear how representation's really supposed to work when a lot of cultural aspects are kinda abstract in history (unless through understandable persecution). And it sorta tends to stand out as a piece of exposition in the show itself given the particular circumstance.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

"How can it be DIVERSE if it doesn't have STRAIGHT WHITE MEN? WHat about them, huh?"

-Local Fanboy outraged, news at 8

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Weird thing about gay representation, I'm inclined to think it's a bit of a tightrope to walk considering how people don't like if there's any effeminate etc. stereotypes which intend to act as inexplicable homosexual culture, and the recourse tends to be overtly noticeable exposition that doesn't establish nuance very well.

I don't like that either. Gay people (and Bi people as well) aren't that different from Heterosexual people way they act and talk when not using any slang so they should be written that in mind without using any stereotypes. You know, as people instead of as stereotypes. Well written Gay or Bi characters aren't defined by they sexual orientation.

Speak for yourself. I'm a well-written bisexual character and I won't fucking shut up about my sexual orientation.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Weird thing about gay representation, I'm inclined to think it's a bit of a tightrope to walk considering how people don't like if there's any effeminate etc. stereotypes which intend to act as inexplicable homosexual culture, and the recourse tends to be overtly noticeable exposition that doesn't establish nuance very well.

I don't like that either. Gay people (and Bi people as well) aren't that different from Heterosexual people way they act and talk when not using any slang so they should be written that in mind without using any stereotypes. You know, as people instead of as stereotypes. Well written Gay or Bi characters aren't defined by they sexual orientation.

Speak for yourself. I'm a well-written bisexual character and I won't fucking shut up about my sexual orientation.

But you're a person in real life though.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Admittedly, I don't recall any Asian characters, but then, TNG didn't have any either (I'm not counting Keiko, because she's basically an extra in that series.

You're not counting the empress?

[Dargaron]

You're not counting the empress?

D'oh! I forgot the genocidal xenophage. That's dangerous. Good catch.

[Yukaphile]

That's not what I was saying, Fuzzy, and you know it. I'm just rolling my eyes at people who think that STD is somehow new at being "more diverse than ever" when going by what Daragon said, it's similar to DS9. It's just liberal feel-good back-patting.