A Brighton-based Babestation model has warned that Love Island could do “more harm than good” if it introduces LGBTQ+ contestants without making significant changes to the show's format.
Sabrina Jade, 27, who works with Babestation, one of the world's largest adult television and webcam platforms, said viewers are ready to see bisexual contestants and same-sex couples on the hit ITV dating show. However, she believes simply adding queer Islanders to the existing format risks creating poor representation.
The warning comes after Richard Cowles, chief executive of Love Island production company Lifted Entertainment, revealed that an LGBTQ+ spin-off is something producers have discussed over the years.
Speaking to Radio Times, Cowles said: "We already have Love Island and Love Island All Stars across the year, so quite a full quota of Love Island, but never say never in the future."
Sabrina, who has more than 13,000 followers on Instagram at @sxbrinajade, welcomed discussions around greater LGBTQ+ inclusion but said the community should not be used as a ratings tool. "A shake-up might help the mainstream show, but LGBTQ+ people should not be used as a token, or for shock value, to get higher ratings," she said.
"The community will detect if it is false and pull away. It needs to be handled really well and in a way that is safe for the people taking part.
"Harmful representation of the community can go a long way towards damaging public perception.
"I think I, and a lot of queer people, would rather Love Island stick to its format than put forward a harmful representation of our community."
The debate around LGBTQ+ representation on the show dates back several years. In 2021, ITV commissioner Amanda Stavri told Radio Times that including gay contestants in the main programme posed a "logistical difficulty".
But Sabrina argues that the problem is not queer relationships themselves, but the structure of Love Island. "It's more that the format of the show does not allow space for LGBTQ+ relationships," she said.
"Love Island is a very gender-dominant show. The men tend to stay together and behave in one way, and the women stay together and behave in another.
"If you were going to create a queer version, you would have to mix that up and create the dynamic in a different way."
She believes producers would need to rethink how contestants are introduced to the villa, rather than relying on the traditional balance of men and women. "At the moment it is easy to say, 'We have enough girls, so let's bring in a boy,' or, 'We have too many boys, so let's bring in a girl,'" she said.
"Instead, you might need to say, 'A lot of people here like tattoos, so our bombshell will have tattoos,' or look at the other qualities contestants are drawn to.
"That might feel difficult logistically, but the question is whether producers are willing to take that plunge.
"With queer influence behind the scenes, I don't think it would be impossible."
Several former Love Island contestants have publicly discussed their sexuality after leaving the villa, despite only pursuing heterosexual relationships during their time on the show.
Among them are Megan Barton Hanson and Amber Gill, who both came out as bisexual after appearing on the programme, while Curtis Pritchard recently described himself as sexually fluid.
Sabrina suggested that one possible solution could be a queer edition of Love Island All Stars, featuring former contestants who may have felt unable to fully express their sexuality during their original appearances. "LGBTQ+ people have been on Love Island before and some have felt pushed into the category of straight," she said.
"For those six weeks, they had to be straight-presenting and could not talk at length about their bisexuality.
"All Stars could bring back contestants who felt they had to erase that part of themselves the first time."
Sabrina pointed to the eighth season of the US dating show Are You The One?, which featured a sexually fluid cast, as evidence that audiences are open to queer dating formats.
However, she warned that Love Island should learn from mistakes made elsewhere. "Viewers are ready for bisexual contestants and same-sex couples because they have already seen them in other programmes," she said.
"Are You The One? season eight is a cult classic in the queer community because it gave representation to pansexual and bisexual people.
"But you could also see producers and matchmakers struggling to understand what each contestant wanted and what their type was.
"It was sad to see people my community identified with being mishandled.
"Inaccurate representation can cause more harm than carrying on with the status quo."
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