Former 'Jeopardy!' Champ Mattea Roach Explains Why LGBTQ 'Representation' Is Not Enough

Former "Jeopardy!" Champion Mattea Roach opens up on the importance of the LGBTQ social movement as Pride Month comes to an end.

Former ‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Mattea Roach Explains Why LGBTQ ‘Representation’ Is Not Enough

Former “Jeopardy!” Champion Mattea Roach is opening up on the LGBTQ social movement as Pride Month came to an end.

Earlier this year, the 23-year-old tutor for Toronto, Canada won 23 games in a row on”Jeopardy!” and became an Internet sensation for her hand gestures and positive attitude. Although she didn’t discuss her sexuality on the show, NBC came under fire for a tweet where they praised Mattea’s success on the show by referring to her as a “lesbian tutor” and not by her actual name.

Although Mattea seemed to take the incident in stride, she has actually partnered with NBC for a series promoting young LGBTQ voices in the media.

NBC Gives Mattea Roach A Spotlight During Pride Month

As Pride Month comes to a close, I wanted to share this set of interviews with young LGBTQ activists, artists, public figures, etc from NBC. I was so thrilled to be a part of this feature alongside a number of people whose work I’ve followed for years! (thread incoming) https://t.co/6ENLfw9mZo
— Mattea Roach (@mattearoach) June 30, 2022

In the article focused on Mattea, she explained that she felt more comfortable on the “Jeopardy!” stage than she expected.

“It’s rare in real life that I’m in a situation where I’m enjoying myself so much that it just sort of comes out like that,” Roach said. “But I do remember thinking like, OK, I knew people were probably going to pick up on the fact that I was gay, because people have been picking up on the fact that I’m gay since before I knew I was gay.”

Mattea also answered questions about the criticism that some fans of the show had concerning her hand gestures and her quirky personality.

“I went on the show very familiar with people disliking me for kind of arbitrary aspects of my personality. And I was like, ‘Well, I’ve tried doing things to suit other people’s preconceptions of how a young woman should behave, and it hasn’t worked for me, and it makes me uncomfortable,’” she said. “So, I’m just going to do things my way and then people will have to deal with it.”

Regardless of what fans at home thought of her, Mattea felt that she represented herself well on stage.

“When you have somebody that goes on a long run, what it shows is that these are people are multifaceted and have different interests than what you might expect. In some ways, I’m exactly what you would expect a young gay person to act like, but in other ways, I’m not,” she said. “And that’s true of any individual queer person.”

‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Mattea Roach Explains Why Representation Is Not A ‘Sufficient Standalone Goal for Social Movements’

I’ve talked about the value of media representation for LGBTQ people in my interview here as well as elsewhere, but it feels a bit ridiculous to me to not also acknowledge the political reality facing our communities at the moment
— Mattea Roach (@mattearoach) June 30, 2022

Mattea’s comments didn’t stop at her article. While promoting the NBC Out series, she also explained why the social movement needs to go beyond representation.

“I’ve talked about the value of media representation for LGBTQ people in my interview here as well as elsewhere, but it feels a bit ridiculous to me to not also acknowledge the political reality facing our communities at the moment,” she began.

These struggles are fundamentally about the right of women and trans people to exercise bodily autonomy. Without this right, we lose so much of our ability to carve out life paths for ourselves that allow us to find fulfillment and meaning
— Mattea Roach (@mattearoach) June 30, 2022

“This has been said better and in more detail elsewhere, but it’s not surprising that Roe v Wade has been overturned in the same political context in which trans people (kids, particularly) are being denied the right to transition and live as their true selves in dozens of states,” she continued.

“These struggles are fundamentally about the right of women and trans people to exercise bodily autonomy,” she added. “Without this right, we lose so much of our ability to carve out life paths for ourselves that allow us to find fulfillment and meaning.”

I also hope that recent developments in the US have helped remind Canadians that we can’t be complacent about the legal rights/protections that women and LGBTQ people have here
— Mattea Roach (@mattearoach) June 30, 2022

“The goals of feminist and queer/trans liberation movements have never been fully realized, and I hope that the legislative and judicial violence that our communities are experiencing will breed a renewed sense of solidarity and a will to push for a better and freer future,” she went on.

“I also hope that recent developments in the US have helped remind Canadians that we can’t be complacent about the legal rights/protections that women and LGBTQ people have here,” she added.

tl;dr, “representation” has never been a sufficient standalone goal for social movements, and it certainly isn’t now. As I settle into having “a platform” (gross) and hopefully have the opportunity to read, think, and write more, I expect I’ll have more to say on this subject ✨
— Mattea Roach (@mattearoach) June 30, 2022

“Roe v Wade didn’t get overturned overnight, and although our political system is very different and probably less susceptible to capture by the far-right, there’s absolutely room for things to get worse in Canada, and we should do our best to protect against that possibility,” she went on.

“tl;dr, ‘representation’ has never been a sufficient standalone goal for social movements, and it certainly isn’t now,” she continued. “As I settle into having ‘a platform’ (gross) and hopefully have the opportunity to read, think, and write more, I expect I’ll have more to say on this subject ✨”

I hope that by the time you are forty, the Jeopardy streak will be a minor part of your Wikipedia entry after all the other achievements in public service, activism, and policy making.
Thanks for the thread.
— Diganta Das (@das_diganta) June 30, 2022

Many fans showed nothing but support for Mattea. As one fan wrote, “I hope that by the time you are forty, the Jeopardy streak will be a minor part of your Wikipedia entry after all the other achievements in public service, activism, and policy making. Thanks for the thread.”