Days is breaking ground in a new way by presenting the story of Allie Horton (Lindsay Arnold), who might be the first bisexual character in soapland…
By David-Elijah Nahmod
The long running soap opera Days of Our Lives has been a groundbreaker in terms of LGBTQ+ visibility. For several years the show highlighted the complicated love story of Sonny and Will, a popular gay super-couple. The characters were written out of the series in 2020 but have since returned to the fictional town of Salem. More recently Days explored the love between longtime character Dr. Craig Wesley and gay con artist Leo Stark, which culminated in a disastrous wedding in which Leo was revealed to already be married to a drag queen. Now, Days is breaking ground in a new way by presenting the story of Allie Horton (Lindsay Arnold), who might be the first bisexual character in soapland.
Allie was all set to marry longtime boyfriend Tripp (Lucas Adams), who was unaware of the fact that Allie had recently slept with her female best friend Chanel (Raven Bowens). When he found out, an enraged Tripp broke off their engagement. Allie and Chanel decide to make a go of having a relationship with each other as Allie, who still finds herself attracted to men, comes to the realization that she is bisexual.
Lindsay Arnold is quite active on Twitter and spoke to us about the reaction she’s gotten from fans regarding Allie’s newfound sexuality.
“I feel like it’s been from what I’ve seen mainly really positive,” she said. “People are really enjoying seeing this kind of storyline explored which is always nice to see because it’s a really important story that hasn’t been told so I’m glad it’s finally getting the spotlight on this show. And I think that there’s so many fans, specifically LGBTQ fans who are now getting to see something they’ve probably wanted to see for years.”
The actress reports that she’s received tweets from LGBTQ+ viewers who say that Allie’s coming out has made them feel seen. Unfortunately, there have also been negative responses, but Arnold says that she pays no mind to such comments. She feels it’s important to have representation on television, given Florida’s recent passing of the so-called “don’t say gay” bill, which forbids teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity to students from first through third grades.
“Seeing somebody who is a gay character, who is bi, who is uncovering these new parts of their sexuality, seeing that onscreen is so helpful and beneficial to ending the discomfort and fear that people have when it comes to LGBTQ issues,” she said.
Arnold added that she loves working with Raven Bowens, her onscreen female love interest.
“It’s really so easy to be in love with her,” Arnold said. “She’s just this magnetic person. She’s really similar to her character in that way. She’s so free, she’s so magnetic, she’s down for anything, she just loves living life. It’s so refreshing and exciting to be around when you find someone who just looks at life with so much enthusiasm, and it just makes her this really magnetic presence to be around. I love Raven, I find it very easy to play her best friend and more than her best friend.”
Unfortunately, Allie and Chanel’s love story didn’t last long due to a bizarre plot twist which is typical to the sometimes campy Days. In recent weeks Allie has been possessed by Satan himself, and for several weeks wreaked havoc upon the residents of Salem, though that story appears to be coming to a conclusion as of this writing. This amusing plot twist gave Arnold a wonderful opportunity to show off her versatility as a performer. She plays evil beautifully.
“I had so much fun being evil,” she said. “I think it showed through a lot.”
And while the devil possession storyline may come to an end, Allie’s bisexuality will remain a permanent part of the Days canvas. Arnold has a simple message for anyone who takes offense to Allie’s truth.
“This is not a sin for young people,” she said. “It’s actually very reflective of a lot of people in general and specifically a lot of young people who now live in a society that’s more accepting. A lot more young people are embracing these feelings and opening themselves up to having feelings for multiple genders, multiple people, and so it’s actually just reflective of society, and there’s nothing wrong with it at all. It’s all love.”
Days of Our Lives airs weekdays on Global TV, and streams on the Global TV website.
POST A COMMENT