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Conception
McGee hails from Derry, in Northern Ireland, in a large Catholic community. She recounts her own experiences growing up during The Troubles through Derry Girls. Drawing on familial dynamics, anecdotes from her time in Catholic School, and popular culture of the time, McGee paints a bright picture of what it meant to be a teen during a troubling period in Irish history.

While each of the friends reflects a facet of McGee’s time growing up in Derry, she points to the main character, Erin, as her stand-in. To a tee in regards to household relationships and her tight-knit group of friends, McGee drew heavily from her memories as a teenager in a tense political environment. Opting to focus on the minor inconveniences and struggles of the pubescent friends, political tension sits on the backburner while still looming over the characters and their stories.

McGee mentions the possible creative angles of a show like her own. As the creator told The New Yorker, “If you were, like, a serious filmmaker, or whatever, you could have had the same experience as me exactly, and it could be really, like, dark, bleak.” Receiving critical acclaim for her portrayal, McGee feels that she offered a raw and accurate portrayal of the period from her own lens.

LGBTQ+ Representation in Derry Girls
A major underlying theme of Derry Girls is LGBTQ+ representation through Clare, who comes out as a lesbian at the end of the first series. An open forum on teen sexuality through an often comical lens, Derry Girls weaves LGBTQ+ representation in a casual and normalized way. While the friends’ sentiment often goes unsaid, rainbow pins worn by each of them suggests the continued support of Clare. Avoiding classic dramatic coming out tropes, Derry Girls offers a modern take on sexuality in a historical context.

Clare Devlin's Story
While romance and sexuality is a constant source of laughs for the friends, it is nothing more than a punch line until the series one finale. Keen eyed viewers may pick up on hints of Clare’s disinterest in men in contrast with Michelle’s and Erin’s obsession. Coming out as a lesbian briefly puts strain on Clare’s relationship with Erin, reflecting her limited exposure with LGBTQ+ topics in her environment. Erin eventually comes around and shows support for her friend in a touching end to the first series featuring all five friends.

Clare’s sexuality plays no significant emotional role in the second series. A slight change from the first series, however, each of the friends don a rainbow pin in support of Clare and her identity. The main difference, however, comes from casual mentions and jokes surrounding Clare’s sexuality. Integrating this aspect of Clare into normal conversation is what Derry Girls does best, treating it like any other personality trait or quirk of one of the friends. Comments from a range of friends, guest characters, and family normalize her queerness.

This approach and attitude largely continues throughout the third series, until the sixth episode, “Halloween,” where Clare hits it off with a ticket seller, Laurie. Reconnecting at a concert later in the episode, Laurie and Clare share a kiss before Clare and the friends are escorted out by security. Clare’s bliss is quickly interrupted when she learns of the tragic and sudden passing of her father. This plotline, being the last mention of Clare’s sexuality in the show, was met with some criticism by fans. Feeling as though Clare’s kiss was interrupted and overshadowed by the sudden death of her father, some viewers saw it as cruel and a departure from how her identity was treated during the rest of the show.

Creation, Impact, and Reception
The show’s portrayal of LGBTQ+ topics and issues has been widely lauded for its normalization. Unlike many narratives in mainstream media featuring LGBTQ+ characters, Clare’s sexuality is not a lasting source of drama and conflict among the friends but is instead a facet of her, treated with unwavering acceptance by those close to her. Clare’s constant stressing over exams and freezing in the presence of authority contribute to her character just as much as her sexuality. This casualness is perceived as particularly refreshing, resonating with LGBTQ+ audiences who appreciate seeing authentic depictions of queer characters.

The creation of her character was taken with incredible care, writer and creator Lisa McGee telling Elle “I didn’t want it to be the [whole] story because I just thought this needs to be a gay character in an ensemble comedy, and that’s just one of the things she is.” McGee’s approach to Clare’s character and the aspects of her beyond her sexuality are widely praised and serve as a model for LGBTQ+ characters in media.

Even Clare’s actress, Nicola Coughlan, was made aware of her sexuality before the rest of the cast. Creating a raw and authentic experience for both the cast and the viewers was a special consideration by McGee. In an interview with Channel 4, Coughlan recounts “I knew Clare was gay from when I very first got the audition. So that was back in November 2016. But the other girls and Dylan didn’t know until they got episode 6, which would have been in May 2017.”

Criticisms and Considerations
While widely praised, Derry Girls has faced its fair share of criticism in regards to its representation of LGBTQ+ issues. The show takes place during a period when Northern Ireland was generally socially conservative. In addition, same sex marriage was not legalized until almost three decades after the show takes place. Offering a hopeful and light portrayal of the LGBTQ+ experience, some fans feel the show paints an inaccurate picture of life during The Troubles. One major aspect of this is the casual acceptance of Clare by her friends at the end of the first series. While many viewers praise this portrayal as progressive, some others criticize the same portrayal for inaccurately reflecting the social context and realities of the time.

Derry Girls ends with a very limited exploration of Clare’s sexuality. Becoming a main point of the first series, some viewers feel the show dropped the ball thereafter. Clare’s sexuality is only seriously mentioned a handful of times during the second and third series, and she never experiences a romantic relationship. Due to this, some viewers question whether the series fully explores the complexities of LGBTQ+ life in that specific context.

Overall Significance
Despite some criticisms, Derry Girls remains a significant and lauded example of LGBTQ+ representation in television. Presenting a well-rounded and relatable character comfortable in her identity and surrounded by supportive friends, the show offers a positive and refreshing take on queer stories in television. The normalized portrayal presents a rebuttal to the often-tragic and dramatic narratives associated LGBTQ+ characters, especially in period settings. Derry Girls lays the groundwork for more nuanced and complete portrayals of  LGBTQ+ experiences in mainstream media.