Sibbern is a massive part of why Tubi claims one of the biggest and best libraries in the streaming space. She’s one of the founding employees of the company, building the AVOD’s Content Partnerships team from the ground up, and it now serves more than 400 programming partners. Sibbern also spearheaded Tubi’s first Pride celebration, and has worked closely with content providers to ensure the service always has a meaningful amount of LGBTQ+ content. “We now see a significant number of movies and TV shows that have LGBTQ+ characters, but we still often see those titles referred to as ‘LGBT Movies’ as opposed to just ‘Romance Movies’ or ‘Drama Movies,’” she says. “The identity of the main characters shouldn’t necessarily dictate the genre or categorization of a title, so there’s still a level of representation normalization that we’re lacking in media.”
What is the state of LGBTQ+ representation in media? The state of LGBTQ+ representation in media has improved dramatically over the past several decades in terms of the number of titles that feature LGBTQ+ characters in some capacity, but we still have a ways to go in terms of the quality of that representation. We now see a significant number of Movies & TV shows that have LGBTQ+ characters, but we still often see those titles referred to as “LGBT Movies” as opposed to just “Romance Movies” or “Drama Movies.” The identity of the main characters shouldn’t necessarily dictate the genre or categorization of a title, so there’s still a level of representation normalization that we’re lacking in media.Social media is responsible for fueling considerable discourse around LGBTQ+ representation and it has helped to call attention to some of the issues still at hand. While representation may have improved, social media highlights where and when that representation is strategically removed. For example, this discourse called attention to the removal of an LGBTQ+ scene in the movie Booksmart on a Domestic airline. It also called attention to certain countries outright banning the movie Lightyear due to characters sharing a same-sex kiss. Representation may have improved in some situations, but protecting and growing that representation is still an ongoing battle.
How do benefits need to improve to become inclusive of all families and individuals? Every company and every path has a different benefit stack, but there are often similarities in the lack of inclusive support. There needs to be a better standard for the benefits offered and the transparency during interview processes. While a salary may be competitive, for example, the details of the benefits may not be. Some families or individuals have to consider fertility, some have to consider marital status (or even the ability for marital status), and some have to consider beyond that. My partner was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age thirteen and she likely cannot ever work outside of FAANG because of the medical costs she would incur just to stay alive; she has to plan her future and career based on the benefits she will receive. We all face adversity in different ways, but benefits for any family or individual shouldn’t be one of them.