Love Island’s Megan Barton Hanson urges producers to launch LGBTQ+ season: ‘Speed this s**t up’
Former Love Island star Megan Barton-Hanson is pushing for a more inclusive LGBT+ series. (Credit: Getty Images)
Former Love Island star Megan Barton Hanson is tired of waiting for an LGBTQ-inclusive version of the show and is urging producers to get a move on.
In an interview with Bustle, the reality star doubled down on her desire for a “fully” LGBTQ+ cast on the notorious reality dating show. Barton-Hanson came out publicly as bisexual after her split from Love Island beau Wes Nelson, but now identifies as “more pansexual”, as per Bustle.
She said: “We definitely need a fully LGBTQ+ Love Island cast one day… we need to speed this s**t up.”
This isn’t the first time Barton Hanson has expressed support for a queer season of Love Island. In 2021 in conversation with the Cambridge Union debating society, she said that she would return if there was a proper “gay season”.
“If you’re going to do it, do it properly. I mean, I’d definitely go back on there [Love Island] if there’s a gay season,” she explained. “We need a whole gay season, I feel, because it just wouldn’t work chucking a few gay guys and gay girls into a straight show.”
Since exiting the villa, Barton-Hanson has dated two women publicly: Demi Sims and Chelcee Grimes.
Megan Barton-Hanson and Wes Anderson dated briefly following their season of Love Island. ( Credit: Getty Images)
Producers have released multiple statements on an LGBTQ+ season of the show, and the most common excuse as to why it cannot go forward is that there is a “logistical” issue.
ITV commissioner Amada Stavri previously said in an interview with RadioTimes: “There’s a sort of logistical difficulty, because although Islanders don’t have to be 100 per cent straight, the format must sort of give [the] Islanders an equal choice when coupling up.
“With our dating shows, such as The Cabins, there is much more sexual diversity. The formats don’t have as much restrictions as Love Island. So we’re very sort of mindful of that across our programming on ITV and dating series. But that’s the difficulty with Love Island.”
Despite producers reluctance and delay in creating a Love Island that would represent more sexualities and genders, this years Love Island did cause a stir when islanders Tasha Ghouri and Amber Beckford shared a kiss during a challenge which sent fans into a tizzy.
It’s apparent that there is an appetite for a queer, rainbow-soaked spin-off of Love Island – but it seems that the LGBTQ+ community may be waiting a little while longer.
