Arts & Entertainment
LGBT fans of ‘The 100’ launch fundraiser after lesbian character killed off
fandom creates #LGBTFansDeserveBetter hashtag
Fans of “The 100” aren’t happy with the show runners for killing off popular lesbian character Lexa, sparking a social media campaign and a fundraiser for The Trevor Project.
Lexa, played by Australian actress Alycia Debnam-Carey, was a fan favorite on the show set in a post-apocalyptic world. Her relationship with Clarke, played by Eliza Taylor, starts as a rivalry between two clans but eventually becomes romantic causing the fandom to create the ship name “Clexa.” In the seventh episode of the third season, which aired earlier this month, Lexa was killed off the show.
The death caused the birth of a social media campaign with the hashtag #LGBTFansDeserveBetter trending on Twitter with more than 250,000 posts. A more tangible effort was also made in a fundraiser for The Trevor Project, which has raised more than $40,000 of its $45,000 goal.
“The passion behind this collective disbelief and the sheer callousness of those involved in selectively elevating the Queer representation of its character(s) only to backtrack in the most disingenuous of manners, has left many with a feeling of emptiness and betrayal. This is not something ‘sorry’ can fix,” the fundraiser reads.
“There is not much we can do in the way of changing what’s already been written. What we can do however, is unite to help those who are hurting and despondent through this. We now have the means to reach a large audience, individuals who need to be heard, who need to be understood and who ask for our help,” the fundraiser continues.
“The 100” creator Jason Rothenberg responded to the outrage by saying he loved Lexa’s character, but she had to be written off the show.
“I adore [Lexa], I think she’s amazing, I miss her more than anybody else,” Rothenberg told IGN. “I only had the use of her as an actor for seven episodes, six really. There was a date for certain at which we were going to lose her and after that it would be very difficult to arrange to see her again and that definitely played a big role in my decision to have the story go in that direction.”
Rothenberg continued that Carey’s starring role on AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead” possibly affected his decision.
“Were she not on another show, would I have not had this story play out? It’s hard for me to say yes or no … this is a world where, we’ve done it before, no one is safe … there are no happy endings in the sense of easy way outs,” Rothenberg says.
Arts & Entertainment
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The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)










a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
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