Queer Eye’s Tan France calls out lack of diversity in British TV: “It’s lip service”

Queer Eye’s Tan France calls out lack of diversity in British TV: “It’s lip service”

Queer Eye’s resident fashion expert Tan France has opened up about the lack of diversity in British TV.

In an interview with PA News Agency, the Netflix star revealed the difference of representation in the US versus the UK.

“America isn’t obviously where it needs to be as far as representing marginalized groups. But we’re light years ahead of the UK,” he said.

He went on to say that the UK entertainment industry pays “lip service” and “tokenism” when it comes to showcasing diversity and impactful social movements.

“I think so many networks said during the Black Lives Matter movement that, ‘we’re going to do better, we’re going to share more diverse stories,’ and it’s been a year and couple months, it doesn’t take that long to make a show. Where are they?” he said.

“Yes, there may have been a person who’s added into a primetime slot. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a version of tokenism, we don’t see enough.

“If you add one person, that’s not representation – that is tokenism. I think that the US does a much better job. And I’m not just saying this because I work for Netflix.”

France also said that Asian characters in UK media are often presented in a stereotypical context compared to US shows like Never Have I Ever – which follows an Indian-American family.

“In the UK, it is a fight for them to see me as a viable primetime entertainer,” he explained. “I don’t know if it’s because it’s a concern that they think that the audience won’t see me as an entertainer because they only ever see Asians in a few capacities.

“The taxi driver, the restaurant owner or the terrorist in the news, we are so much more than what we’re portrayed as in the media.”

The post Queer Eye’s Tan France calls out lack of diversity in British TV: “It’s lip service” appeared first on GAY TIMES.

Queer Eye’s Tan France calls out lack of diversity in British TV: “It’s lip service”

Queer Eye’s resident fashion expert Tan France has opened up about the lack of diversity in British TV.

In an interview with PA News Agency, the Netflix star revealed the difference of representation in the US versus the UK.

“America isn’t obviously where it needs to be as far as representing marginalized groups. But we’re light years ahead of the UK,” he said.

He went on to say that the UK entertainment industry pays “lip service” and “tokenism” when it comes to showcasing diversity and impactful social movements.

“I think so many networks said during the Black Lives Matter movement that, ‘we’re going to do better, we’re going to share more diverse stories,’ and it’s been a year and couple months, it doesn’t take that long to make a show. Where are they?” he said.

“Yes, there may have been a person who’s added into a primetime slot. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a version of tokenism, we don’t see enough.

“If you add one person, that’s not representation – that is tokenism. I think that the US does a much better job. And I’m not just saying this because I work for Netflix.”

France also said that Asian characters in UK media are often presented in a stereotypical context compared to US shows like Never Have I Ever – which follows an Indian-American family.

“In the UK, it is a fight for them to see me as a viable primetime entertainer,” he explained. “I don’t know if it’s because it’s a concern that they think that the audience won’t see me as an entertainer because they only ever see Asians in a few capacities.

“The taxi driver, the restaurant owner or the terrorist in the news, we are so much more than what we’re portrayed as in the media.”

The post Queer Eye’s Tan France calls out lack of diversity in British TV: “It’s lip service” appeared first on GAY TIMES.