Nov 8, 2021 - Things to Do

Whose 'Tampa Baes' are these?

Selene San Felice

Jordan Whitley, Nelly Ramirez and Brianna Murphey in a shot from "Tampa Baes." Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios

👋 Selene here! "Tampa Baes" premiered on Amazon Prime over the weekend, and as a lesbian in Tampa Bay, I had to check it out.

The show isn't as bad as I anticipated, since I'm still reeling from "Life's Rewards."

My main gripe: If there wasn't so much b-roll footage of scenes around Tampa and St. Pete, I would have no idea where this show takes place. The queer culture they're talking about is definitely not what I've experienced.

Bae myth 1: One of the Baes, Cuppie, opens the show talking about the thriving lesbian scene in Tampa.

Where? I would like to see it. We don't even have a lesbian bar. Sure, lesbians are welcome at the gay bars in Ybor and St. Pete, but other lesbians agree we aren't what Tampa Bay is known for.

Bae myth 2: Jordan says there's "a culture of who knows who, who's the cutest couple, who's the most successful."

The show has gotten criticism for its lack of diversity. If the creators looked just a bit further into our community of trans and nonbinary folks, they'd have less nearly identical couples and way better drama.

Bae myth 3: Mel says she's "one of the only LGBTQ artists in the Tampa Bay region."

That is straight up false. Mel is actually one of the Baes I like best, but you can't act like the only gay muralist in town.

My solution: Give a Tampa Baes spinoff to the Gay Commie Skate Crew.

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Whose 'Tampa Baes' are these?

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