Categories degrassi next class diversity fandom fans homophobia lgbt season 11 season 12

In Defense of… Tristan Milligan

This year I’m planning on doing an “In Defense Of” series in which I choose a Degrassi character who is controversial in the Degrassi fandom and write about why they are a great character. And who better to start with than Tristan Milligan? Tristan is a character who went through a lot during his time on Degrassi. He was always the kind of character that people had very strong feelings about, but since the end of Degrassi: Next Class I personally feel that the fan hatred towards Tristan has only intensified. A lot of people don’t like Tristan because of the way in which he lashes out at other characters. Hopefully this post will help to bring some compassion and understanding to people who feel like they can relate to Tristan.

As a little disclaimer, this post is not meant to shame or criticize anyone who doesn’t like Tristan. We all bring our own experiences and points of view when watching Degrassi, and therefore we all have different interpretations of the characters and storylines. I firmly believe that this is what makes Degrassi so beautiful.

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Categories diversity fandom issues

5 International Teen Dramas Degrassi Can Learn From

Since Degrassi Next Class ended in 2017, the teen drama genre has changed dramatically. Traditional TV networks are under increasing competition from streaming giants. And many of the players have shifted their focus to older demographics that are more appealing to advertisers. However, as North American teen shows become more and more rare (especially on network television), we have seen a rise in popularity for teen shows in languages other than English set and filmed outside of North America. While these series typically do not make a ton of money or get a lot of views, they have passionate and loyal fanbases on social media. When Degrassi does return, the producers will need to think about where Degrassi fits in with this modern teen drama landscape. Here are 5 superb international teen dramas that I think Degrassi can learn from when deciding on a new direction for the franchise.

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Categories awards diversity jordan todosey lgbt

Degrassi Nominated for a GLAAD Award!!

Big congratulations goes out to the cast & crew of Degrassi this morning, as it was just announced that the show has been nominated for a GLAAD Media Award!!

Degrassi is nominated in the Outstanding Dramatic Series category. The show is up against Brothers & Sisters, Grey’s Anatomy, Pretty Little Liars, and True Blood.

You might remember that Degrassi has been nominated in this category before. In 2004, Degrassi was nominated for Marco’s coming out storyline. 4 years later, in 2008, they received a nomination for the Paige/Alex storyline. This year, Degrassi is receiving recognition for the groundbreaking Adam storyline, as well as the ongoing Riley/Zane saga.

The GLAAD Media Awards are an annual awards show organized by GLAAD to promote fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the LGBT community in the media to build support for equality. Click here for the full list of nominations!

UPDATE: Stefan did a little interview talking about the nomination. Here’s some of what he had to say –
For the people in this building, it’s almost like getting nominated for an Emmy or an Oscar … It’s big news around here. We do pride ourselves on trying to tell really truthful stories.

I think there’s no doubt that more and more shows are introducing gay characters and I don’t think for any other reason except that there’s a large part of the audience that wants to relate to something