Creator explains why Sterling Point is so queer, as Ramona and Oona’s romance gets messy AF

Sterling Point has loads going on with family secrets, a love triangle, surprise siblings, and a very queer romance at the centre of its teen drama.

Ramona (Amélie Hoeferle) and Oona (Bo Bragason) have a complicated relationship throughout the Prime Video series, but being queer isn’t what causes all their problems. Instead, the show lets them deal with the same messy communication, heartbreak and romantic confusion as everyone else. And that was very much intentional.

So, is Sterling Point queer?

Sterling Point has several queer characters and relationships woven into its story, rather than treating LGBTQ+ representation as a separate storyline.

Creator Megan Park has said that making the show queer felt completely natural to her. “It just feels like queer representation just makes sense,” Park told Out. She added that she was “always trying to make things feel authentic and character-driven first and foremost.”

Park’s own experience working in teen TV also influenced how she approached Sterling Point. Before becoming a writer and director, she acted in The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

“I come from the acting side of the early 2000s TV space, which was incredibly tropey and definitely didn’t feel to me always like the most reflective of what I was actually experiencing or the people around me,” she said.

So, rather than making queer characters feel like they’re simply there to tick a box, Park wanted LGBTQ+ characters and relationships to feel like a natural part of the world.

Ramona and Oona’s romance gets messy

The main queer romance is, of course, Ramona and Oona. There’s clearly a lot of love between them, but things don’t exactly go smoothly. By the end of season one, their relationship has broken down as Ramona decides to spend time in New York with her newly discovered family.

Bragason, who plays Oona, actually likes that their relationship isn’t presented as perfect. “I think it’s so important to have that representation onscreen, and for it to be as real and messy as a straight relationship,” she told Teen Vogue.

“With Ramona and Oona, their hardship isn’t solely based on the fact that they are women loving women,” Bragason said. “They love each other. They love loving women, and it’s not a massive talking point. It is what it is.”

She also said, “The actual hardship that comes with the attraction is just normal communication styles between people and figuring out what works best; the best way to navigate through really difficult situations and stuff.”

Why did Megan Park make Sterling Point so queer?

Basically, Park wanted LGBTQ+ characters to exist in the story without their sexuality becoming their entire storyline. She described her approach as adding “a layer of nuance with what is hopefully just the reality of the world today.”

That’s particularly clear with Ramona and Oona. Their relationship can be romantic, funny, awkward and painful without the show constantly stopping to explain why they’re together.

Bragason said that’s one of the things she loves most about the storyline. “I just love the fact that it’s not awful coming-out stories, and you get to see some light and some love, and that it can be good,” she said. “I think that’s just important to see.”

Ramona and Oona aren’t the only LGBTQ+ characters in Sterling Point, either. There’s more queer representation in Sterling Point, too. The series includes Sully, played by Nikko Angelo Hinayo, as part of the wider friendship group. Annie also starts the series with a gay boyfriend, although their relationship is actually more of a friendship.

Park explained, “We wanted Annie to feel like a character who was a little afraid to explore her sexuality and wasn’t quite ready. They do have a real, genuine love and respect for each other. It’s just obviously a friend situation, but there’s a safety there for her, at least, in not having to actually take the leap and actually date somebody for real.”

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