Bachelor in Paradise's first same-sex couple hailed as "groundbreaking" and "vital'

Indiewire

Tuesday's introduction of Demi Burnett's girlfriend Kristian Haggerty, a Bachelor franchise outsider, is a big deal for the often-traditional franchise. “Tens of millions of people around the world watch The Bachelor and The Bachelorette franchises and this move to include a same-sex relationship in an honest fashion has the power to upend preconceived notions of LGBTQ people like Demi who are attracted to more than one gender," GLAAD Head of Talent Anthony Ramos said in a statement to Indiewire. Transgender filmmaker Alex Schmider added: "I never thought in my lifetime I would see any LGBTQ representation on The Bachelor franchise. It’s vital for LGBTQ people to see that we, too, are deserving of love both in reality and on reality television.