MTV’s Catfish Hosts Promote Queer Relationships

There’s something about the possibility of strangers meeting online and falling in love that completely fascinates some people. And if that’s not enough, the hosts of MTV’s Catfish–Nev and Max—embracing of queer individuals and promotion of human rights campaigns is what television and its viewers desperately needs.

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A post shared by Nev Schulman (@nevschulman) on Mar 13, 2018 at 3:11pm PDT

The show first aired in 2012, following the Catfish film, which tracked Nev’s own online romance. While eventually he found out that the person he was talking to was faking a persona, the film turned into a widely popular television series. Currently in the midst of their eighth season, the docu-series follows the pair as they travel around the country helping individuals find out the truth behind their cyber relationships.

Often the episodes end in heartache; however the hosts never fail to create a positive message for those involved and the millions of viewers at home.

The best part of Catfish is their inclusion of LGBTQ stories, whether that means queer relationships or an individual pretending to be a different gender to the person they are “catfishing” online. Also, many of the narratives the show promotes include people coming out for the first time or highlights the challenges queer people face from hiding their gender or sexuality to their loved ones and their community.

Not only does the series create a platform where anti-normative folks can bring LGBTQ issues to the public’s attention, it normalizes queer narratives because the hosts do not treat these stories differently than cis, heterosexual ones. The hosts refuse to treat anyone differently from one another and instead produce a space that shows people’s commitment to finding love–in whatever form that may be.

And as if Nev and Max needed to be even more positive, in recent seasons they have used their visibility in the show to wear t-shirts with phrases such as “feminism,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “Planned Parenthood.” Without going into a discussion about the importance of these movements and organizations, they provide subtle signs of their support—and these don’t go unnoticed.

2.5 million men and women depend on Planned Parenthood annually for way more than just abortions. We stand with Planned Parenthood today and everyday. #IStandwithPP #StandwithPP. From @voxdotcom: Vice President Mike Pence stepped in as the tie-breaking vote in the Senate Thursday to pass a bill that would allow states to deny federal funding to family planning clinics like Planned Parenthood. The bill is a reversal of former President Barack Obama’s last-ditch effort to protect Planned Parenthood’s funding from conservative governors and state legislatures. It will now head to President Donald Trump’s desk, where it will likely be signed into law.

A post shared by Max Joseph (@maxjoseph) on Mar 30, 2017 at 2:51pm PDT

As the series continues, it is cherished as being culturally relevant and all-encompassing, thanks to Nev and Max, who will hopefully continue to de-stigmatize queer relationships for many more years.