merlin absolutely could& #39;ve had lgbtq+ rep. the only problem was that the writers hated anyone that wasn& #39;t a cishet white man. the way they wrote characters showed that. that is the reason why there& #39;s no rep, I don& #39;t think it was because of the time.

for comparison, doctor who included jack in the first season in 2005, 3 years before merlin even started. it& #39;s very clear he& #39;s not straight in the first episode he& #39;s in. that& #39;s also a bbc show, so it& #39;s not an issue with the time or the channel. it& #39;s the writers.

lgbtq+ people have always existed, it& #39;s not unrealistic to include them in movies/shows no matter the time period. the writers could& #39;ve so easily included a non cishet character, even in passing, but they made the decision not to. they hate everyone who& #39;s not a cishet white man.