For the longest time, television has been telling stories of mostly white and mostly heterosexual characters, but is this really news to anyone? We have been fighting for representation to correct this, for the world is not made up of just straight white people. So, why shouldn't TV reflect real life? This is the question many of us in the LGBTQIA+ community have been asking as we fight and claw for every ounce of representation in the media.

Don't get me wrong, there are shows that are making strides and doing their best to tell real stories and accurately depict what real life looks like, but there are also some television programs that are run by people who just don't understand. If they write a non-heterosexual character, they give themselves a pat on the back and ask, "Why aren't you guys happy?" Well, I have an answer for those programs and their show runners: It's because you go ahead and kill these characters off once you think they've done their duty in getting you some diversity points.

Specifically, this has been a trend with lesbian or bisexual female characters in television. You may say, "Well, characters die all the time. What's the big deal?" The big deal is that imagine fighting to see yourself represented on television, and then one day, you do. There is a character who represents you and your sexuality. You get attached to this character, who you see so much of yourself in. Then, out of the blue, they die. So, you find another show, and they have a character who represents you. You fall in love with that character and you are so happy there is another character that resonates with you...and then they die, too. And everywhere you look, you see those characters, that are supposed to represent you, being cast aside and left to die. Every ounce of hope that you get when you see a successful lesbian character or relationship on television gets squashed. After seeing this over and over again, it really tends to hit you hard. Frankly, you tend to lose hope.

Yes, there are heterosexual characters that die too. It does happen, but the difference is, we aren't fighting to see more heterosexual representation. There is an abundance on our television screens already. We members of the LGBT community have to watch half of the representation that we do get be taken out by accidents and lame plot devices.

That leads me to another question. Why is this still happening in 2016? Do show runners view representation as a burden? Some of them sure as hell do. Is it sexism at play? Yes, that too. In 2015, more lesbian or bisexual female characters died than gay or bisexual male characters. That is also a problem. This is not representation.

Tara Maclay ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") being shot by a bullet that was meant for someone else is not representation.

Maya St. Germain ("Pretty Little Liars") being killed as a plot point is not representation.

Leslie Shay ("Chicago Fire") dying in a fire is not representation.

Charlie Bradbury ("Supernatural") being murdered in a bathtub is not representation.

Sara Lance ("Arrow") having arrows shot into her chest is not representation.

Lexa ("The 100") being shot by a stray bullet is not representation.

None of this is representation. It is sending a message that these characters don't matter, or they don't matter enough. They aren't as important, and their relationships aren't as legitimate as heterosexual ones. This is why just having lesbian characters is not enough. They need to be treated as people, not plot points. They need to be as important and as respected as any straight characters. A lesbian character is not a checkmark on a diversity checklist. Let me say it a little louder: A LESBIAN CHARACTER IS NOT A CHECKMARK ON A DIVERSITY CHECKLIST.

And to the show runners: no one is competing for points. I constantly see that you want to "tell real stories." Then tell real stories. Instead of dumping a lesbian character, write a lesbian character. And, yes, I understand that sometimes there are circumstances with the actors or the show that makes it hard to keep said lesbian character around. But do you have to kill them? Death is a pretty easy out in terms of writing, but it isn't the only way to send off a character. You don't have to take the easy way out. If you absolutely, can't avoid it and there is a character that just has to die for the story to move forward, write a death that is respectable. Enough with these stray bullets that seem like lesbian magnets or seriously stereotypical deaths. Write something substantial and powerful. Let them die fighting or saving a life. If you want us to accept that this is a character death that had to happen, respect us enough to give us a death worthy of the character that has been created.

This is not meant to be construed as hate. Rather, it is a plea. I speak for those who have waited and fought to see themselves represented, and I speak on behalf of all of those fans who have ever found hope in a lesbian or bisexual female character or relationship that has been crushed because of a death that could have been avoided, The trend has to stop here. We deserve to be represented, and we deserve to be respected. It is not my goal to threaten, harass, or offend any show runner, for 99 percent of the time, I am admiring your work, but I am asking you to give me something more to admire. There are good shows out there that have been ruined for me by mistreatment of an LGBT character or relationship. I don't want to boycott your shows, and I don't want to see such talent go to waste. I want to be heard. It is never too late to tell us that you finally understand where we are coming from and why we have felt so hurt. It is never too late for an apology or acknowledgment. And, it is never too late to stand up and say: please stop doing this. It's wrong.

So, this is me saying it to you: Please. Stop killing off the lesbians.