13 Reasons Why The Gay Scene Sparked The Most Intense Debate: A Deep Dive Into Liberty High’s LGBTQ+ Storylines

The Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, which concluded its run in 2020, remains one of the most talked-about and controversial teen dramas of its generation. The show, which grappled with heavy themes like suicide, sexual assault, and mental health, also dedicated significant screen time to exploring the lives and struggles of its LGBTQ+ characters. As of December 2025, the show's portrayal of the gay scene at Liberty High continues to be a crucial point of discussion, with critics and fans alike dissecting its attempts at queer visibility against its frequent missteps in representation.

The series featured a diverse, though often criticized, range of queer characters, including the steady presence of Tony Padilla and the late-season development of Alex Standall. Understanding the "gay scene" in 13 Reasons Why requires looking beyond simple inclusion and examining the narrative choices that either uplifted or undermined the community, creating a complex legacy that is still being evaluated years after the final episode aired.

Key LGBTQ+ Characters and Their Controversial Storylines

The show introduced several characters whose sexual orientation was integral to their narrative arc. Their biographies provide the foundation for the series' LGBTQ+ representation.

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• Tony Padilla (Christian Navarro): Tony is one of the main characters and Clay Jensen's closest friend. He is openly gay from the start of the series. His relationship with his boyfriend, Ryan, is stable and a source of emotional support for him. His storyline in Season 3 involves a devastating ICE raid that targets his family, adding a layer of intersectional struggle.
• Alex Standall (Miles Heizer): Initially a straight character, Alex's sexuality is explored later in the series. He is portrayed as questioning his identity and later comes out as bisexual/gay, culminating in a relationship with Winston Williams in the final season. This development was often criticized as feeling "random" or poorly executed.
• Ryan Shaver (Tommy Dorfman): Ryan is a gay student who is on Hannah Baker's tapes for publishing her anonymous poem without her consent. He is a minor character in the later seasons, but his initial appearance highlights the theme of betrayal and the use of art.
• Montgomery "Monty" de la Cruz (Timothy Granaderos): Monty is the primary antagonist of Season 3, a homophobic bully and rapist. His character is revealed to be deeply closeted and struggling with his own repressed sexuality, which is implied to be a source of his rage and violence.
• Winston Williams (Deaken Bluman): Winston is a student from Hillcrest who has a secret relationship with Monty. He becomes a main character in Season 4, seeking justice for Monty's death and challenging the narrative of the main group.

13 Reasons Why the Queer Storylines Caused a Stir

The show's approach to its LGBTQ+ characters was rarely met with universal praise. Here are 13 critical points that define the debate surrounding the "gay scene" in 13 Reasons Why.

1. Tony Padilla: The Model of Stable Queer Representation

Tony Padilla was consistently praised for defying gay stereotypes. He was a fully realized character whose identity was only one facet of his life, and his relationship was portrayed as healthy and stable, providing a rare positive example amidst the show's pervasive trauma.

2. The 'Random' Alex Standall Twist

The sudden shift in Alex Standall's sexuality in Season 4, where he begins exploring relationships with men and ultimately dates Winston, was heavily criticized. Many viewers felt his coming out was unearned and "random," serving a plot function rather than an organic character development.

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3. The 'Bury Your Gays' Trope with Monty

Monty de la Cruz, a closeted gay character, was also a violent predator who was killed off-screen in jail. Critics argued that associating his repressed sexuality with extreme violence and then killing him perpetuates the harmful "bury your gays" trope and links queerness to toxicity.

4. The Problematic Intersection of Homophobia and Violence

The series explicitly links Monty's violent homophobia to his own internal struggle with his sexuality, a narrative device that, while attempting to show the source of his rage, can be seen as a simplistic and damaging explanation for a character's villainy.

5. The Lack of Lesbian and Bi-Female Visibility

A significant critique is the show's focus almost exclusively on gay male characters (Tony, Ryan, Monty, Winston, Alex), with a near-total absence of developed lesbian or bisexual female characters. Some critics even labeled the show as "anti-lesbian" for its erasure.

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6. Tony’s ICE Episode and Intersectionality

In Season 3, Tony's family is deported in an ICE raid, a storyline that brought a powerful, if brief, focus on the intersection of his identity as a gay, first-generation immigrant, adding depth to his character's struggles outside of the typical high school drama.

7. Ryan Shaver's Betrayal of Hannah Baker

Ryan's role on the tapes, where he exposed Hannah's private poetry, shows a queer character capable of causing significant emotional harm, complicating the idea that all LGBTQ+ characters must be morally good.

8. The Queer Erasure of Monty and Winston's Relationship

The show was slammed for "LGBTQ erasure" for skipping over the development and context of Monty and Winston's relationship, which was only shown in a single, pivotal scene. This lack of development made Winston's subsequent quest for justice feel less impactful.

9. The Pressure of 'Queer Visibility'

As a major Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why was under pressure to deliver on "queer visibility." While it included many characters, the quality of the representation often overshadowed the quantity, leading to more backlash than praise.

10. Winston Williams as the Moral Compass

Winston's character arc, seeking the truth about Monty's death, positioned a gay character as the moral compass of the final season, challenging the main group's cover-up and demanding accountability.

11. The Portrayal of a Spectrum of Masculinity

The series featured a range of gay male characters, from the masculine, protective Tony to the more sensitive Ryan, which was noted as a positive step in showing that homosexual males exist across a spectrum of gender expression.

12. The Normalization of Same-Sex Relationships

Despite the drama surrounding other plots, the simple, normalized depiction of Tony and his boyfriend's relationship throughout the series was a quiet but powerful statement on the acceptance of same-sex partnerships in a high school setting.

13. The Ongoing Debate Over 'Authenticity'

Years later, the core debate remains: did the show use its queer characters to add shock value and controversy, or did it genuinely attempt to represent the complex, often traumatic, realities of being a young LGBTQ+ person? The answer, for many, is that it did both, inconsistently.

Topical Authority: The Lasting Impact on Teen Drama

The "gay scene" in 13 Reasons Why ultimately serves as a cautionary tale in modern teen drama. While the inclusion of characters like Tony Padilla provided positive representation by showing a stable, non-stereotypical gay man, the show’s later seasons undermined this progress through controversial choices. The handling of Alex Standall's sexuality and the tragic, violent arc of Monty de la Cruz demonstrated the pitfalls of incorporating LGBTQ+ storylines without sufficient sensitivity or development.

The intense scrutiny the show faced from organizations and critics highlights a crucial shift in audience expectations. Today, viewers demand that queer visibility must be accompanied by authenticity and responsible storytelling, especially when dealing with sensitive topics like sexual identity, mental health, and violence. The legacy of Liberty High is one of complexity, where even the best intentions—like increasing representation—can be overshadowed by poor execution, leaving a mixed but undeniable mark on the landscape of young adult television.

The show's willingness to engage with these themes, however flawed, did force a wider conversation. It brought entities like queer identity, homophobia, and the struggle for acceptance into the mainstream dialogue, ensuring that the characters of Tony, Alex, Winston, and Monty will remain central to any discussion of LGBTQ+ representation in the streaming era.