Amber Benson Reflects on Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Groundbreaking Lesbian Romance
Image: Image: Buffy the Vampire Slayer still
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Amber Benson has continued to celebrate the huge cultural impact of Willow and Tara’s lesbian relationship and wider LGBTQIA+ representation in the iconic 90s series.听
The 1990s supernatural teen drama series has long been considered a trailblazer for LGBTQIA+ representation, particularly via the beautiful relationship between Willow and Tara.
Their relationship made history as the first long-term lesbian romance on prime-time television.听
Amber Benson reflects on Willow and Tara’s history-making lesbian romance in Buffy
In celebration of the series鈥� release on streaming platform Tubi, Benson attended the streamer鈥檚 Buffy鈥檚 Biggest Slays event in West Hollywood.听
At the event, she reflected on why the relationship between core character Willow Rosenberg, played by Alyson Hannigan, and Tara Maclay, played by Benson, had such a groundbreaking impact on younger and older LGBTQIA+ viewers alike.听
鈥淎s an actor, you do a ton of work where you鈥檙e like, 鈥極kay, I did this thing and it鈥檚 fine and I paid my bills.鈥� But with Buffy, I felt like I was part of something important and that what we were doing was not just a television show,鈥� Benson .
鈥淚t was at hand to people who were living in places where there wasn鈥檛 a community. I know Aly[son Hannigan] felt the same way, that this relationship was iconic in so many ways. It was also about empathy and love,鈥� Benson said.听
Buffy actors and producers faced backlash over the lesbian representation
Willow and Tara鈥檚 romance was the show鈥檚 most-loved and healthiest relationship, yet during the time of the series鈥� release, the actors and producers faced some backlash from viewers and the network.听
The relationship received 鈥渁 lot of pushback from standards and practices,鈥� which resulted in a lack of on-screen intimacy for the couple, despite straight couples on the show being able to be intimate on-screen.
Due to the network鈥檚 concerns about showing queer intimacy on television, the witches鈥� first kiss didn鈥檛 occur until 鈥楾he Body鈥� in season five.
‘You are changing people鈥檚 perceptions of what it means to be queer’
Benson did recall a positive conversation with a member of the show鈥檚 art department who said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 stupid and annoying that you guys can鈥檛 kiss or you can鈥檛 be in the bed or whatever but what you have to understand is that this relationship, this positive relationship goes into people鈥檚 homes every week.鈥澨�
鈥淵ou are changing people鈥檚 perceptions of what it means to be queer. You are talking to people in other parts of the world, our crazy country especially, who are watching this show but have never met a queer couple in real life but love Tara and Willow,鈥� the crew member said.
Despite it all, she never received too much hate, besides a passive-aggressive gift, Benson said.
She also received some religious mail, but never any 鈥渘asty mail鈥� as Benson says she was sadly expecting.听
Willow & Tara rewritten into a couple because of actors’ ‘electric’ chemistry
Benson was introduced as Tara in Buffy鈥檚 season four as a shy university student who attends a Wicca meeting, which is where she meets Willow.
The producers and directors said that the chemistry between Benson and Hannigan was so electric that they rewrote their relationship to be more intimate.听
Tara quickly became an important character in the Buffy gang, until her controversial death in season six.听
Ever since the series鈥� airing, Buffy has been a pivotal piece of representation for LGBTQIA+ people spanning multiple generations.听
