Yes, the representation of LGBTQ+ characters on television has gotten much better over the last decade or so. But in musicals, even new ones, argues Dom O’Hanlon, “you can usually spot the token gay character a mile off. Reduced to a supporting role and often aligned with such stereotypical gay professions as dress designers, makeup artists, personal assistants and cabin crew, contemporary writers use gay characters for quick quips and a ‘sashay away’ for light comic relief.”