When Che Diaz was introduced to the Sex And The City universe they were met with an onslaught of criticism. From their stand-up set in episode three, which became the marmite of the internet with its love-it-or-hate-it reaction, to their musical number in the season finale—every plot point and piece of dialogue Sara Ramirez’s character has undertaken has suffered detailed disapproval.
‘I'm very aware of the hate that exists online, but I have to protect my own mental health and my own artistry. That’s way more important to me because I’m a real human being’ Ramirez told The New York Times of their reaction to the backlash.
Ramirez has faced numerous comparisons to her character Che because they and Cynthia Nixon both left their marriages with men to later come out as queer. But Ramirez has maintained in previous interviews that they don’t see themselves as their divisive character, despite having had some input in their development.
‘I’m really proud of the representation that we’ve created,’ they explained to NYT. ‘We have built a character who is a human being, who is imperfect, who’s complex, who is not here to be liked, who’s not here for anybody’s approval. They’re here to be themselves,’ they said.
Che’s character has also faced unrelenting criticism that their representation of non-binary identity in AJLT has been ‘shallow’ and a ‘caricature’ of reality – something that Ramirez appears open to acknowledge: ‘I welcome the passion that folks are bringing to the table around this representation,’ they said.
‘But in real life, there are a lot of different human beings who show up to the table, speaking truth to power in myriad ways… and they all land differently with different people,’ they continued. ‘Che Diaz has their own audience that they speak to who really get a kick out of what they're doing.’
While aspects of Che’s dialogue have been clunky or ‘cringe’, as Twitter readily pointed out with every new episode that aired, their on-screen representation of a queer and non-binary character is still significant.
Hopefully, the discourse that has surrounded Che's AJLT storyline will inform and demonstrate to writers how to tell these narratives with authenticity in the second season of And Just Like That, or a different show altogether.
Hypothesising her character’s reaction to the public’s criticism of her, Ramirez said: 'I imagine Che would have something very witty and silly and funny as a rebuttal; something that ultimately reminds everyone that they are human, and maybe just a little reminder that no one’s perfect.’
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