Next season the second eldest Bridgerton, Benedict, will be taking his place as the romantic focus. Since the trailer for season one of the show, there has been some desire to make Benedict a queer character, though his character is heterosexual in the books. The writers have been very vague about the idea of any queer leads amongst the Bridgertons, but I think with book three and season three they have the best opportunity.
Spoilers for Book 3 in the Bridgerton series: “An Offer From a Gentleman”
Our female lead for this novel is Sophie Beckett, the bastard daughter of an Earl who is trapped in a Cinderella-like story, with an evil stepmother and everything. On the night of the Bridgerton masquerade ball, she dresses up as a lady, sneaks out, and meets Benedict.
The two have an instant connection, but she leaves as the clock strikes midnight. Her stepmother figures it out quite quickly and casts Sophie out of the house. Sophie leaves for three years before being rescued by Benedict, who doesn’t recognize her, but still feels drawn to her in some way.
Pages and pages of angst and then happily ever after. Huzzah.
Bridgerton showrunner Chris Van Dusen has noted that there is a lot of discussion of Benedict’s sexuality due to him flirting with the gay character of Henry in one, but has hopped-scotched around the idea of Benny being bisexual or queer.
“I’ve seen a lot of discussion about Benedict’s sexuality in Season 1,” Van Dusen concedes to TVLine. “But the storyline [of him befriending] Henry was really about tolerance in a really intolerant time, and showing Benedict in that world. I love the story in Season 1 and would love to continue it into the future.”
In season two, there was no hint of this, and I found it frustrating—because while I love the visual representation in Bridgerton, it is sometimes easy to forget that this representation was not in the books. The novels are very white, very heterosexual, and Julia Quinn herself has said some pretty ignorant things about why she has avoided diversity in her work.
The idea that out of a family of eight, there are no gay or queer people is really ridiculous, and if the show would repeat that with its main character focus then it would be very shameful.
It has always been my belief that Sophie should be trans, especially considering there is such a great potential trans reading of Cinderella of the ball being a place to affirm gender, just like actual balls in cities.
Due to the Bridgerton Regency time period, we are slightly early for the historical relevancy of figures like Herculine Barbin, an intersex woman, but we have Anne Lister as an example of someone within nobility who had the ability to not live in a gender normative way in that era. And this is already a show that plays “Material Girl” at said fancy dress balls; there’s a lot of room to maneuver in the world of the TV Bridgerton.
Having Sophie be trans (and most importantly played by a trans actress) would give the show a chance to explore the historical reality of trans people, and to show a trans woman in one of the biggest romance shows get her happily ever after.
Trans people have always existed and they deserve to be shown in loving relationships. If Bridgerton wants to hold on to Benedict’s heterosexuality, well, being in love with a trans woman would still make him straight. So ha.
Moreso, I want Bridgerton to be better than its source material in going beyond the limits of what we have seen as historically possible. If we are supposed to see this as a color blind aristocracy, then let’s also go there when it comes to gender and sexuality.
Where it stands now, the way Sophie’s story is written on paper is just another very heteronormative bland relationship. It doesn’t even have the heat of Anthony and Kate. Benedict’s story needs to be about something more, and so does the woman he loves.
(image: Netflix)
