Deaf U shouldn't have to represent all deaf people

Los Angeles Times

The Netflix docusoap has been criticized for its lack of diversity, including lack of Black deaf women. "As seems to be a pattern for films and TV series that represent marginalized groups, Deaf U....has attracted criticism, particularly from within the deaf community," says Shoshannah Stern. "Some of these concerns, addressed by executive producers Nyle DiMarco and Naimah Holmes in a Gallaudet University panel this week, are valid — particularly the lack of racial diversity among the women of the cast. But many critics’ apparent desire for the show to be an entirely different beast than what it actually is may have less to do with Deaf U itself, and more to do with its underrepresented and underserved audience. Though this frustration is understandable, given the embarrassingly few opportunities our community has had to see and be seen, it also sells short the central achievement of Deaf U: the students’ hopeful openness about issues like mental health and sexual positivity, even in the face of sexual trauma, and, most of all, their consistent refusal to feel shame about their choices — something unheard of (pun only slightly intended) even during my own stint at Gallaudet."