In the case of Stranger Things, the latest instance in the ongoing conversation, the issue seems to be less about the character’s sexuality and more about the task of asking queer people to discern queerness where it’s merely implicit, or in some instances, promised without follow-through. But we’re not there yet.” That was 2015, 10 years after Brokeback Mountain won three Academy Awards. You start small and then you get bigger and bigger and bigger, and one day you have a gay character as the lead and nobody will wonder at it no more. “We have a gay couple in the film,” he said. I’m reminded of a quote that director Roland Emmerich gave during a press round for Independence Day: Resurgence. Would we have known we’d been wronged had we not been hyped to anticipate more? Star Trek Beyond creators, for instance, were eager to make their Sulu (a character first created by out gay actor George Takei) gay, but then edited out a gay kiss.
Perhaps the outrage was less about the film and more about the contextualization of it as something bigger than it was.īut time and time again, even the best of intentions seem to fail. He’s somebody who’s just realizing that he has these feelings.” The moment, in actuality, consisted of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment of LeFou dancing with a man (by accident, no less) during the final ball sequence. “LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston.
I’m reminded too of the controversy over what was promised as an “ exclusively gay moment” in the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast film. “ Luca proves Disney’s Pixar wasn’t brave enough to fully commit to its first queer animated film,” read one headline. Many were quick to examine the film as a queer allegory. Safety resonates with the LGBTQIA+ community and is a reason why many don’t come out.
Luca must conceal his true identity, that of a sea monster from another world, in order to (or so he thinks) stay safe in the human world. The coming-of-age story centers around Luca and his newfound best friend, Alberto. Take Disney and Pixar’s Luca, released in June 2021. The outrage may be less about Will Byers and Stranger Things and more around a trend in Hollywood. “Leaving it up to the audience’s interpretation is manipulative, crass, and cynical exploitation for queer credibility while doing nothing,” read another. There’s been rampant speculation about Will since a Season 3 scene in which his best friend Mike shouts, “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” (“It’s really up to interpretation,” actor Noah Schnapp said at the time when asked.) “I immediately had gay panic vibes,” one viral tweet reads in response to the seemingly throwaway moment. He looks at her meekly and quickly retracts his foot, turning his attention abruptly forward. A classmate of Will’s rubs her shoe up against his in an overt attempt at deskside flirtation. I got a familiar ping about 25 minutes into the Season 4 premiere of Stranger Things - that of the unspoken truth. “I don’t tell you you’re ugly, but I don’t have to tell you because you know you’re ugly.” In short: What is known need not always be stated. There’s a famous line from Jennie Livingston’s Paris Is Burning when drag performer Dorian Corey is explaining what it means to throw shade. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram for more. I am sure there will be plenty of people who enjoy this sort of thing - even if it seems more suited for a comedy skit than a fast-food restaurant.Evan Ross Katz is In The Know’s pop culture contributor. It's a sad commentary on the world's sociopolitical climate that companies are resorting to fast food to try to make a misguided point about celebrating homosexual relationships. No matter where you come from, no matter who you love, no matter what you look like or what you believe in: Time to be proud." "We are setting an example for individuality and freedom and stand for a respectful interaction with each other," Burger King Austria's original Instagram post read. The impromptu creation is pictured above. The only stipulation was that I had to order two of them so they could take a top bun from one and put it on the other and do the same with the bottom bun. Fortunately, due to the excellent customer service of an employee at my local Burger King, I was able to get a makeshift version of the big, gay whopper.