Bisexuality gets very little public visibility. And with the media’s default response to sexualize women in order to sell a commodity – which often includes blatant exploitation of female bisexuality – bisexual men get even less public visibility. To ask for a realistic, positive representation on top of that, apparently seems to ask a bit too much.
But every now and then, the media actually gets it right.
The main character roster of Freeform’s Shadowhunters includes Magnus Bane. a powerful, centuries-old immortal warlock, who happens to be bisexual. What the show achieves with his character manages to take a metaphoric bat to the negative connotations and typical stereotypes often attached to the bisexual label. In doing so, Shadowhunters was recognized at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards, winning Outstanding Drama Series for its depiction of LGBT characters and related storytelling.
Not Your Stereotypical Bi
Those within the bisexual spectrum typically have to deal with the usual unwanted stereotypical commentary of those outside it. Bisexuality, being neither one or the other, tends to get a bad rap. Bisexual men and women are simply unsettled heathens in limbo, waiting to be sorted into the house of gay or straight. They’re lying or confused. It’s a phase. It doesn’t exist. Bisexuality means you’re greedy, promiscuous, harmful, attracted to anything that moves. It means you’re afraid of committed, faithful relationships and incapable of monogamy. Not only do bisexuals encounter these stereotypes in everyday life, they are also often constantly and carelessly re-enforced in fiction.
Magnus Bane is a welcome reprieve for any bisexual. As an immortal being, the concept of a bisexual “phase” is dismantled by the fact that he has been bisexual for hundreds of years. As such, the number of his sexual partners is, realistically, on the high end. He is, however, primarily after profound connection. His first experience with love – that of his parents, of his mother’s suicide to effectively remove herself from him, his step-father’s hatred and Magnus’ violent, confused, emotional response to it – traumatized him so implicitly that it colored the way he has sought out love ever since.
He’s also monogamous. While his entire life hasn’t yet been disclosed, Magnus has experienced the devastation of an unfaithful lover. Revealed in the first season’s finale, his centuries-long relationship with vampire Camille Belcourt ended when she cheated on him with a mundane man, and the subtle sprinklings of that pain in earlier episodes was suddenly given a cause. He is also later confronted with the opportunity to rekindle what he once had with a previous lover, fellow warlock Dorothea, after a night of few too many drinks. He adamantly, respectfully declines, honoring his current committed relationship with Alec Lightwood and his love for him. Magnus lives by a “one-soul-at-a-time kind of guy” motto, and his actions readily reflect that.
And when it comes to his heart, he’s in it for the long haul. As an immortal eternally frozen in youth, he has had relationships with mortals and immortals alike, spanning decades. He has also been known to commit long-term in relationships with human lovers, even remaining with them as they grow older and eventually die. Commitment in love is something Magnus has actively sought throughout his life, which could be read as a response to his traumatic childhood and his parents’ emotional abandonment of him.
Magnus is particularly interesting in the way he exists in the middle of typical bisexual representation in media, without falling into negative tropes. His sexual history is unapologetically various and vast, he doesn’t justify or excuse his sexual nature to be anything but what it is – a healthy, curious sex life – and he doesn’t downplay this history to make others comfortable. But he’s also a sincerely chivalrous, respectful, deeply romantic man who likes to woo and be wooed in the process of seeking committed love. In addition, he also simultaneously challenges the stereotypes of Asian men in media, who are rarely given the opportunity to exist as romantic main characters on-screen, let alone as complex, sexual, desirable beings.
Magnus’ Bisexuality and How It Affects the Way He Is Seen by Others
Magnus Bane is a character that directly conflicts with the traditional, militant, insular world of Shadowhunter society, purely by existing. He belongs to an oppressed racial minority, both in real-world and Shadow World standards. He has demonic blood. He’s outspoken. He challenges authority. He knows the sordid history and workings of these Nephilim and reminds them of their indiscretions when they’d rather pretend they don’t exist. His sexuality, like others on the LGBTQA+ spectrum, have no place in Shadowhunter culture and simply aren’t discussed or are ignored and kept secret entirely. Naturally, he’s viewed by the Shadowhunters’ governing body as a threat to their society at large, both in power and knowledge, which means he gets controlled by the laws they create.
But beyond that ingrained prejudice, his sexuality is rarely commented on. In fact, it wasn’t his sexuality, but his romantic past that was an issue for the concerned parents of his current lover, Alec. And it was his romantic past, again, that was an issue for Alec’s concerned best friend and Parabatai, Jace Herondale. Both these instances were eventually put to rest when they understood the sincerity and commitment of the relationship between the two men.
Alec, his gay lover, is largely unfazed. While the show’s original source material – The Mortal Instruments book series – depicts Alec as struggling with Magnus’ bisexuality, Shadowhunters’ Alec is more overwhelmed at Magnus’ experience in romance in comparison to how he has none, and how that may affect his compatibility with Magnus as a partner. It doesn’t stop him from wanting to be with him, and it certainly didn’t deter his attraction or respect of Magnus in any way.
Magnus’ Bisexuality Shows No Preference
The show highlights merely a handful of the relationships he’s had, but neither his female or male lovers are viewed by him, or by the narrative, with more preference – even rarer still, both sides of his bisexuality are explored and given screen presence. His relationship with Camille was substantial, lasting over a century. He revisits his memories with her often, disclosing snippets of their relationship and how deeply it impacted him. His relationship with Dorothea has been pleasantly consistent throughout the series as a friend, confidante, and former lover. He treats her well, looks after her where needed and enjoys her company.
While much can be speculated on his fictitious flings with historical figures Michelangelo, Casanova, and fellow rockstar bisexual Freddie Mercury of Queen fame (yes, you read that right), he goes a little deeper into the frame of his relationship with mundane musician Imasu. Influenced by the pain of his relationship with Camille and unable to meet Imasu’s emotional needs halfway, Magnus loved him, lost him, and failed to reconcile with him – one of the many stepping stones that would later lead him to shun emotional romantic relationships altogether…until he meets Alec. Being one of his central character arcs of the overall series, his current relationship with Alec is depicted as one so powerfully rare and life-changing that it leaves all those that have come before it in the dust; despite this, great lengths have been made to give Magnus’ previous relationships with either gender significance.
He’s More Than Just His Sexuality
Magnus is not defined solely by his sexuality. His character is vastly shaped by the various sufferings he has endured throughout his long life: his essential abandonment by his parental models, his continued abandonment by lovers, a history of depression which led to a suicide attempt, and various instances of racial prejudice and profiling – none of which relate to his bisexuality. The show allows his character to be defined and depicted via his wisdom, intellect, power, compassion, selflessness, and his very human flaws. The fact that he is bisexual on top of that then presents the audience the kind of LGBTQA+ champion most are seeking out – someone who is inherently human and relatable first, and unapologetically, openly, proudly living the truth of his sexuality in addition.
By having done its homework and making a proactive effort to understand its LGBTQA+ characters, Shadowhunters has set a new standard in creating a positive, reaffirming representation of bisexuality that helps to inform, re-educate, and validate.
Shadowhunters is available for streaming via Freeform for U.S. residents and internationally on Netflix. Shadowhunters returns with Season 3 early 2018.
