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Saturday, Jun 1, 2013 5:00 PM UTC
Why are there no gay Disney characters?
Unsurprisingly, the House of Mouse is way behind the curve when it comes to tackling LGBT issues
Topics: Disney, LGBT, Gay Rights, sexuality, Movies, TV, PolicyMic, Social News, Media News, Life News, Entertainment News, Politics News
This piece originally appeared on Policy Mic.
In an issue to go on sale in August, Archie Comics will feature a kiss between two openly gay characters, Kevin and his boyfriend Devon. The gay kiss (because just like “gay marriage,” it can’t be just a “kiss,” right?) shows how much the 72-year-old Archie Comics company has evolved amid America’s cultural changes. The comic book company showed Riverdale resident Kevin Keller “coming out” as gay in a sold-out 2011 issue of its “Veronica” series.
The issue proved to be so popular that Kevin soon acquired his very own title series. With Kevin’s much publicized wedding last winter also selling out, and his first “on-panel” kiss likely to continue the trend, one wonders when the Walt Disney Company will follow suit and present its first-ever queer character. While there are a number of theories on the queer sexuality of various Disney icons, the animation giant has never featured an openly gay character in any of its multimillion dollar films or cartoons, let alone present a (genuine) same-sex kiss. When Disney movies do allude to queer sexuality, including same-sex romance, this is usually in the context of a joke — a comical accident that leaves all parties disgusted and mortified.
While some might point to Disney’s branding as “child-friendly” to explain its lack of representations of queer sexuality, a 2009 study by University of Michigan sociologists Karin Martin and Emily Kazyak found that far from being asexual, Disney films are steeped in sexuality — heterosexuality. According to Martin and Kazyak, the plot of Disney films overwhelmingly revolve around heterosexual romance. Heterosexual love — including, of course, the highly esteemed heterosexual kiss — is presented as “exceptional, powerful, magical and transformative.”
When Beauty and the Beast kiss, the entire kingdom transforms from winter to spring, with snow melting, flowers blooming and teacups, clocks and candlesticks magically returning to their proper human states. In The Little Mermaid, the so-called “kiss of true (heterosexual) love,” as deemed by Ursula, is so powerful that it is the only way Ariel can remain human. When Nala and Simba kiss in The Lion King, the act is so pivotal that it empowers Simba to change his mind and decide to fight to save his kingdom. In each of these moments, Disney teaches us that heterosexual love, particularly as expressed through the prized heterosexual kiss, is fantastical, transformational and sublime: It can revive a person from death, awaken someone from a deep sleep, bring together cultures and create literal fireworks.
Unfortunately, Disney cartoons teach us that the opposite is true when it comes to the queer kiss. Far from breaking spells and sparking fireworks, signs of queer sexuality generate only ridicule and disgust. When Timon and Pumbaa accidentally touch lips in The Lion King, both immediately appear stunned, horrified and even queasy. The opening scene of Princess and the Frog similarly remarks on the laughable nature of queer sexuality. When Tiana exits a street car, she leaves a would-be suitor to make an advance on the man who’s taken her place (see the 1:00 mark), causing the man to frown with deep disapproval and the suitor to ashamedly shrink away.
Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph, which notoriously includes an allusion to a gay slur directed at aneffeminate villain, and Toy Story, which mocks effeminate men, are similarly guilty of ridiculing queer sexualities. Toy Story 3 presents its Ken Doll character as the ultimate gay stereotype — a fashion-obsessed “metrosexual” who loves disco, campy clothing and wearing Barbie’s clothes. His effeminate appearance, demeanor, and mannerisms are persistently mocked by the other toys, thereby sending the message that men who violate gender norms are worthy of ridicule.
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