Broadway continues to liberate communities via its common use of sex and sexuality. 

     My experience with the theatrical community has been that if you are an outcast—or you’re not exactly ostracized but you don’t feel like you quite fit in anywhere else—you’ll be whisked into the wings with much affection. 

     This has happened to me, but I’ve seen it happen to many others, and it is how I gained many of my closest friends. 

     But this also applies within the world of representation. If you don’t see anyone like you represented in any other media, Broadway might just have a play or musical for you. 

     “Fun Home” (2013) is about a young woman’s journey in figuring out her sexuality. 

     “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (2005) is about a group of brilliant children with no social skills. 

     “Spring Awakening” (2006) showcases a group of depressed, stressed and sexually repressed students. 

      “Anastasia” (2016) and “Cinderella” (2013) are both princess love stories. 

      “Fiddler On the Roof” (1964) was a groundbreaking musical because it was the first written by Jewish immigrants for the Jewish community, even though many Broadway writers at the time were Jewish. 

      “The Band’s Visit” (2018) is a critically-acclaimed story about an Egyptian band that accidentally ends up stranded in Bet Hatikvah, Israel, which the locals call “nowhere.” 

     And the catch is that most of these characters are either sexually repressed, trying to figure out their sexuality or dissolve some sort of sexual tension because that is how Broadway is able to do all of this for its fans: sex sells. 

     And sex sells especially when it’s your repression, your sexuality, your tension that you see up onstage. Writers know this, and because Broadway is one of the most liberal platforms for which to create, they’re able to go so much deeper with the characters and themes than a mass-produced movie or television show. 

     So as long as Broadway remains America’s Greatest Sex symbol, it will be able to continue to produce liberating content for all audiences.