Contents:
- GHOSTBTERS: PL FEIG NFIRMS KATE MCKNON CHARACTER IS GAY BUT STUD STOPPED HIM OM SAYG SO
- 'GHOSTBTERS' JILLIAN HOLTZMANN AND THE NOT-QUE-GAY CHARACTERS OF SUMMER 2016
- YEP, KATE MCKNON'S GHOSTBTERS CHARACTER IS GAY
- FROM GHOSTBTERS TO STAR TREK BEYOND: GAY CHARACTERS ARE THERE, BUT ONLY JT
- IS KATE MCKNON’S GHOSTBTERS CHARACTER GAY? PL FEIG ISN’T SAYG
- GHOSTBTERS TRAILER SPARKS HOPE FOR LONG-OVERDUE GAY BLOCKBTER COUPLEA FLIRTAT WK AND A SE LEFT MANY WISHG FOR MORE.BY JOANNA ROBSONMARCH 3, 2016SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVETHE FIRST OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR PL FEIG’S ALL-FEMALE GHOSTBTERS TEAM SET THE INTER ON FIRE THURSDAY MORNG, AND IF SOCIAL-MEDIA FEEDBACK IS ANY DITN, THE BIG H OF THE TRAILER WAS KATE MCKNON’S JILLIAN HOLTZMANN. THOUGH SHE HAD THE FEWT L OUT OF THE RE GHOSTBTG TEAM, THE STYLISH CHARACTER SEEMS TO HAVE MA THE STRONGT IMPRSN.MCKNON, WHO IS SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’S FIRST OPENLY LBIAN ST MEMBER, ISN’T NECSARILY PLAYG A LBIAN HERE. BUT WH HER SHORT, EDGY QUIFF AND HER PARA OF CUTE LEATHER JACKETS AND JUMPSUS, SHE’S GOTTEN SOME FANS’ HOP UP—AND AFTER TWO PARTICULARLY FLIRTAT MOMENTS THE TRAILER, SOME ARE HOPG NOT JT THAT HOLTZMANN ULD BE THE RARE OPENLY GAY CHARACTER A MAJOR BLOCKBTER, BUT THE STIGATOR OF THE FIRST-EVER GAY ROMANCE A SUMMER TENTPOLE MOVIE.FOR THE MOST PART, HOLLYWOOD STILL TREATS GAY CHARACTERS AS ART-HOE DIE FARE (THK THE DANISH GIRL OR CAROL), AND WHEN GAY CHARACTERS DO SHOW UP LARGER STUD FILMS, THEY’RE EHER MOR SUPPORTG ROL OR AS FODR FOR CRGE-WORTHY JOK. BUT IS PL FEIG’S GHOSTBTERS PREPARED TO PH THE ENVELOPE EVEN FURTHER? THE EXISTENCE OF THIS CHEEKY WK . . .. . . AND THIS FLEETG SE . . .. . . TRODUCE, FOR SOME, THE POSSIBILY THAT THERE ULD BE A ROMANCE BREWG BETWEEN MCKNON’S HOLTZMANN AND KRISTEN WIIG’S BUTTONED-UP ER GILBERT. IT IS, ADMTEDLY, NOT MUCH TO GO ON. IN FACT, ’S EXACTLY THE KDS OF CMBS AND SUBTEXTUAL CLU THAT DIENC WHO ARE MORE THAN READY FOR A SAME-SEX ROMANCE BIG-BUDGET STUD FILMS HAVE HAD TO NTENT THEMSELV WH FOR YEARS. WH ZERO GAY UPL AT THE FOREONT OF ANCHIS, FANS HAVE HAD TO CREATE THEM OUT OF GEL AS TH AS A LGERG HUG BETWEEN FN AND POE DAMERON STAR WARS, SWEATY MACHO POSTURG, OR JT EP IENDSHIP. IT’S WISHFUL THKG, BUT ’S A WISH THAT’S LONG OVERDUE FOR FULFILLMENT—AND ONE THAT HOLLYWOOD, AS S DIENC GROW CREASGLY PROGRSIVE, MAY BE READY TO FULFILL AT LAST.KATE LETH, THOR OF MARVEL’S PATSY WALKER, A.K.A. HELLT! AND HOST OF THE LS THAN LIVE WH KATE OR DIE! PODST WAS ONE OF SEVERAL PEOPLE TO RPOND POSIVELY TO HTS OF A POSSIBLE GAY ROMANCE THE GHOSTBTERS TRAILER. “I SPENT A GOOD PORTN OF THIS MORNG IMAGG KATE MCKNON FLIRTG WH KRISTEN WIIG, HAVG HER EVENTUALLY REVEAL THAT THE FEELGS ARE MUTUAL, BETWEEN FIGHTING ACTUAL GHOSTS,” SHE TOLD VANY FAIR. “I LOVE QUEER FILMS, BUT I WANT TO SEE MY EXPERIENCE NORMALIZED, TOO. I WANT TO FEEL LIKE I N BE THE PROTAGONIST, NOT JT THE SIKICK OR FILM-FTIVAL DARLG.”ECHOG THE WISH OF MANY TRATED MOVIEGOERS, ER WHNEY, SENR EDOR AT SCREENCSH, TOLD VANY FAIR, “THE FACT THAT SAME-SEX UPL N NOW GET MARRIED THIS UNTRY, BUT STILL FAIL TO BE REPRENTED MASTREAM FILM ISN’T JT DISAPPOTG, BUT UNACCEPTABLE. AS A CRIC, I SEE HOLLYWOOD NTUG TO IGNORE THE EXISTENCE OF S QUEER DIENCE WH ANCHIS THAT SIST ON OUTDATED NOTNS OF HETERONORMATIVY. AND AS A GENRQUEER GAY MOVIE FAN, I’VE YET TO FD A RELATABLE VERSN OF MYSELF PICTED ON-SCREEN. THOUGH FILMMAKERS AND STUD HEADS MAY FOREE A FUTURE WH GAY CHARACTERS ANCHIS, THE TTH IS WE’VE WAED LONG ENOUGH.”AND MAYBE, JT MAYBE, SHE’S RIGHT. RPONDG TO THE CLAMOR FOR A ROMANCE BETWEEN FN AND POE (OR THE PRENCE OF ANY GAY CHARACTER) FUTURE STAR WARS FILMS, DIRECTOR J.J. ABRAMS SAID LAST WEEKEND, “WHEN I TALK ABOUT CLIVY ’S NOT EXCLUDG GAY CHARACTERS. IT’S ABOUT CLIVY. SO OF URSE . . . I WOULD LOVE . TO ME, THE FUN OF STAR WARS IS THE GLORY OF POSSIBILY. SO SEEMS SANELY NARROW-MD AND UNTERTUIVE TO SAY THAT THERE WOULDN’T BE A HOMOSEXUAL CHARACTER THAT WORLD.”IF ANYONE WOULD BE UP FOR PHG THAT ENVELOPE A BIG-BUDGET ANCHISE, WOULD BE A DIRECTOR LIKE FEIG, WHO HAD ELLIE KEMPER AND WENDI MCLENDON-COVEY HOOK UP BRISMAIDS FOUR YEARS BEFORE GAY MARRIAGE BEME LEGAL THE U.S. BUT WHILE ACCEPTANCE OF HOMOSEXUALY IS HIGHER THAN EVER ACROSS THE GENERATNAL BOARD, THIS PARTICULAR BIG-BUDGET FILM WOULD BE AN PECIALLY LOAD PLACE TO FALLY PULL THE TRIGGER. GHOSTBTERS IS ALREADY AT THE CENTER OF A GENRED NTROVERSY WH MANY (MOSTLY MALE) FANS UPSET THAT THE TRADNALLY ALL-MALE TEAM WAS REST WH WOMEN. TO MAKE TWO WOMEN AT THE CENTER OF THE TEAM LOVE WH EACH OTHER LEAV EVEN LS ROOM FOR MEN THIS GHOSTBTG GAME. (FEIG DID NOT RPOND TO REQUT FOR MENT.)WOULD GHOSTBTERS WHO ARE FEMALE AND GAY ALIENATE SOME OF THE SAME FANS WHO ARE ALREADY MAD ABOUT THIS MOVIE? PROBABLY, BUT SHOULD BE WORTH THE RISK. AFTER-THE-FACT NCSNS LIKE DUMBLEDORE BEG GAY HAVE LIMED VALUE FOR FANS SPERATE TO SEE THEMSELV ON-SCREEN, AND FEELS BEYOND TIME FOR THE HERO OF A SUMMER BLOCKBTER TO HAVE A CLCH WH A SAME-SEX PARTNER AS THE CREDS ROLL.IT’S VERY POSSIBLE THAT GHOSTBTERS WILL NOT BE THE MOVIE THAT DO THAT; A WK AND A SE A TRAILER ARE NOT A LOT TO GO ON, AND HOLLYWOOD MATH STILL MAK DIFFICULT FOR ANY MAJOR FILM TO PH THE ENVELOPE. EVEN THE MOST WISHFUL THKERS OUT THERE ARE PREPARED FOR THAT EVENTUALY. “I TRY NOT TO GET EXCED, BUT MY HEART CERTALY FLUTTERED AT KATE MCKNON’S SUGGTIVE WK,” LETH SAID. “I’LL GO WH MY EXPECTATNS LOW, BUT I N’T HELP THKG... WOULDN’T BE NICE?”MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYNETFLIX’S MURDGH MURRS IS OFFICIALLY RETURNG FOR SEASON 2: EXCLIVEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSONJOANNA ROBSON
GHOSTBTERS: PL FEIG NFIRMS KATE MCKNON CHARACTER IS GAY BUT STUD STOPPED HIM OM SAYG SO
”Yet, unfortunately, don't look as if Sony will be makg Holtzmann a non gay character anytime soon.
"Ined, any terpretatns of Holtzmann's character seemed fuelled by the fact the actrs who plays her is also gay; wh McKnon beg the first openly lbian st member to appear on Saturday Night Live. Ined, the only other klgs of romance the film e om Er's shamels flirtg wh the team's ptetant secretary Kev (Chris Hemsworth); choosg stead to make female iendship the central glue of the film's, short, if you want Holtzmann to be gay? Then, she's gay.
2016's latt maybe-gay character Ghostbters, and more specifilly the form of Jillian Holtzmann, played by Kate McKnon. I ask Feig: Is Holtzmann gay? Like the movie self, Feig tipto jt up to the edge of nfirmg Holtzmann is gay, but won't actually cross that le.
'GHOSTBTERS' JILLIAN HOLTZMANN AND THE NOT-QUE-GAY CHARACTERS OF SUMMER 2016
Even when we did get an actual, nfirmed gay uple this summer Inpennce Day: Rurgence, their prentatn was so subtle that personally, I did not realize they were a uple until the very end of the movie. No Gay Superhero? Meanwhile, the multiplex are clogged wh movi that seem to go out of their way to avoid havg gay characters.
Much has been ma of the X-Men beg a metaphor for gay rights — jt thk back to that "g out scene" om X2.
To be clear, I am not argug that Capta Ameri is "secretly" gay or bi, nor that he necsarily should be. Why Can't The Characters Be Openly Gay?
YEP, KATE MCKNON'S GHOSTBTERS CHARACTER IS GAY
Marvel's Kev Feige has said there is "no reason" we n't see a gay character the MCU, and Star Wars' J. Abrams has said there will absolutely be gay characters that galaxy.
Bryan Sger has reportedly pared the X-Men's stggle to that of gay me and women.
Roland Emmerich talked up Inpennce Day: Rurgence's gay uple months before the film h theaters. It's not hard to gus why, when huge swaths of the world are still eply unfortable wh homosexualy. Even Ameri, where gay marriage is legal, policians are currently throwg temper tantms to keep trans people om g rtrooms.
FROM GHOSTBTERS TO STAR TREK BEYOND: GAY CHARACTERS ARE THERE, BUT ONLY JT
As of now, feels like the real song of the summer might be Popstar: Never Stop Stoppg's "Equal Rights, " which Conner4real raps about how he totally supports gay rights while shoutg thgs like "tti" and "sports" so we know he's absolutely, adamantly, fely 100% straight. In 2015, Emmerich discsed his cisn to feature a gay uple Inpennce Day: Rurgence:. We have a gay uple the film.
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 wonr at no more. But when you have five characters, they allow [one of them to be gay] bee they're super-smart, you know? Y, the gay uple Inpennce Day: Rurgence uld've been more obv.
Recently, the st and crew of Star Trek Beyond nfirmed that Sulu is gay the Kelv timele. People hoped the trailer that McKnon’s character was gay gog back to the trailer: her flirtat performance wh Wiig’s character (lots of wks and not-so-subtle pickup l) left many fans wonrg if Jillian Holtzmann was a lbian.
IS KATE MCKNON’S GHOSTBTERS CHARACTER GAY? PL FEIG ISN’T SAYG
“It’s one thg for a stud executive to support gay marriage. It’s another to risk $200 ln on a movie wh a gay protagonist that needs to play Cha and Rsia, untri where LGBT cizens face discrimatn, legal challeng, and vlence, ” Brent Lang wrote. Feig said that was natural for McKnon’s character to be gay: “You know, Kate is who she is and I love the relatnship between Kate and Melissa’s characters.
To quote the tagle of another ntered 2016 blockbter, Inpennce Day: Rurgence, we were LGBT characters have mataed some form of visibily wh pennt cema, they have been parodied, stereotyped and ed for tirome gay-panic humour their rare appearanc stud films.
GHOSTBTERS TRAILER SPARKS HOPE FOR LONG-OVERDUE GAY BLOCKBTER COUPLEA FLIRTAT WK AND A SE LEFT MANY WISHG FOR MORE.BY JOANNA ROBSONMARCH 3, 2016SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVETHE FIRST OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR PL FEIG’S ALL-FEMALE GHOSTBTERS TEAM SET THE INTER ON FIRE THURSDAY MORNG, AND IF SOCIAL-MEDIA FEEDBACK IS ANY DITN, THE BIG H OF THE TRAILER WAS KATE MCKNON’S JILLIAN HOLTZMANN. THOUGH SHE HAD THE FEWT L OUT OF THE RE GHOSTBTG TEAM, THE STYLISH CHARACTER SEEMS TO HAVE MA THE STRONGT IMPRSN.MCKNON, WHO IS SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’S FIRST OPENLY LBIAN ST MEMBER, ISN’T NECSARILY PLAYG A LBIAN HERE. BUT WH HER SHORT, EDGY QUIFF AND HER PARA OF CUTE LEATHER JACKETS AND JUMPSUS, SHE’S GOTTEN SOME FANS’ HOP UP—AND AFTER TWO PARTICULARLY FLIRTAT MOMENTS THE TRAILER, SOME ARE HOPG NOT JT THAT HOLTZMANN ULD BE THE RARE OPENLY GAY CHARACTER A MAJOR BLOCKBTER, BUT THE STIGATOR OF THE FIRST-EVER GAY ROMANCE A SUMMER TENTPOLE MOVIE.FOR THE MOST PART, HOLLYWOOD STILL TREATS GAY CHARACTERS AS ART-HOE DIE FARE (THK THE DANISH GIRL OR CAROL), AND WHEN GAY CHARACTERS DO SHOW UP LARGER STUD FILMS, THEY’RE EHER MOR SUPPORTG ROL OR AS FODR FOR CRGE-WORTHY JOK. BUT IS PL FEIG’S GHOSTBTERS PREPARED TO PH THE ENVELOPE EVEN FURTHER? THE EXISTENCE OF THIS CHEEKY WK . . .. . . AND THIS FLEETG SE . . .. . . TRODUCE, FOR SOME, THE POSSIBILY THAT THERE ULD BE A ROMANCE BREWG BETWEEN MCKNON’S HOLTZMANN AND KRISTEN WIIG’S BUTTONED-UP ER GILBERT. IT IS, ADMTEDLY, NOT MUCH TO GO ON. IN FACT, ’S EXACTLY THE KDS OF CMBS AND SUBTEXTUAL CLU THAT DIENC WHO ARE MORE THAN READY FOR A SAME-SEX ROMANCE BIG-BUDGET STUD FILMS HAVE HAD TO NTENT THEMSELV WH FOR YEARS. WH ZERO GAY UPL AT THE FOREONT OF ANCHIS, FANS HAVE HAD TO CREATE THEM OUT OF GEL AS TH AS A LGERG HUG BETWEEN FN AND POE DAMERON STAR WARS, SWEATY MACHO POSTURG, OR JT EP IENDSHIP. IT’S WISHFUL THKG, BUT ’S A WISH THAT’S LONG OVERDUE FOR FULFILLMENT—AND ONE THAT HOLLYWOOD, AS S DIENC GROW CREASGLY PROGRSIVE, MAY BE READY TO FULFILL AT LAST.KATE LETH, THOR OF MARVEL’S PATSY WALKER, A.K.A. HELLT! AND HOST OF THE LS THAN LIVE WH KATE OR DIE! PODST WAS ONE OF SEVERAL PEOPLE TO RPOND POSIVELY TO HTS OF A POSSIBLE GAY ROMANCE THE GHOSTBTERS TRAILER. “I SPENT A GOOD PORTN OF THIS MORNG IMAGG KATE MCKNON FLIRTG WH KRISTEN WIIG, HAVG HER EVENTUALLY REVEAL THAT THE FEELGS ARE MUTUAL, BETWEEN FIGHTING ACTUAL GHOSTS,” SHE TOLD VANY FAIR. “I LOVE QUEER FILMS, BUT I WANT TO SEE MY EXPERIENCE NORMALIZED, TOO. I WANT TO FEEL LIKE I N BE THE PROTAGONIST, NOT JT THE SIKICK OR FILM-FTIVAL DARLG.”ECHOG THE WISH OF MANY TRATED MOVIEGOERS, ER WHNEY, SENR EDOR AT SCREENCSH, TOLD VANY FAIR, “THE FACT THAT SAME-SEX UPL N NOW GET MARRIED THIS UNTRY, BUT STILL FAIL TO BE REPRENTED MASTREAM FILM ISN’T JT DISAPPOTG, BUT UNACCEPTABLE. AS A CRIC, I SEE HOLLYWOOD NTUG TO IGNORE THE EXISTENCE OF S QUEER DIENCE WH ANCHIS THAT SIST ON OUTDATED NOTNS OF HETERONORMATIVY. AND AS A GENRQUEER GAY MOVIE FAN, I’VE YET TO FD A RELATABLE VERSN OF MYSELF PICTED ON-SCREEN. THOUGH FILMMAKERS AND STUD HEADS MAY FOREE A FUTURE WH GAY CHARACTERS ANCHIS, THE TTH IS WE’VE WAED LONG ENOUGH.”AND MAYBE, JT MAYBE, SHE’S RIGHT. RPONDG TO THE CLAMOR FOR A ROMANCE BETWEEN FN AND POE (OR THE PRENCE OF ANY GAY CHARACTER) FUTURE STAR WARS FILMS, DIRECTOR J.J. ABRAMS SAID LAST WEEKEND, “WHEN I TALK ABOUT CLIVY ’S NOT EXCLUDG GAY CHARACTERS. IT’S ABOUT CLIVY. SO OF URSE . . . I WOULD LOVE . TO ME, THE FUN OF STAR WARS IS THE GLORY OF POSSIBILY. SO SEEMS SANELY NARROW-MD AND UNTERTUIVE TO SAY THAT THERE WOULDN’T BE A HOMOSEXUAL CHARACTER THAT WORLD.”IF ANYONE WOULD BE UP FOR PHG THAT ENVELOPE A BIG-BUDGET ANCHISE, WOULD BE A DIRECTOR LIKE FEIG, WHO HAD ELLIE KEMPER AND WENDI MCLENDON-COVEY HOOK UP BRISMAIDS FOUR YEARS BEFORE GAY MARRIAGE BEME LEGAL THE U.S. BUT WHILE ACCEPTANCE OF HOMOSEXUALY IS HIGHER THAN EVER ACROSS THE GENERATNAL BOARD, THIS PARTICULAR BIG-BUDGET FILM WOULD BE AN PECIALLY LOAD PLACE TO FALLY PULL THE TRIGGER. GHOSTBTERS IS ALREADY AT THE CENTER OF A GENRED NTROVERSY WH MANY (MOSTLY MALE) FANS UPSET THAT THE TRADNALLY ALL-MALE TEAM WAS REST WH WOMEN. TO MAKE TWO WOMEN AT THE CENTER OF THE TEAM LOVE WH EACH OTHER LEAV EVEN LS ROOM FOR MEN THIS GHOSTBTG GAME. (FEIG DID NOT RPOND TO REQUT FOR MENT.)WOULD GHOSTBTERS WHO ARE FEMALE AND GAY ALIENATE SOME OF THE SAME FANS WHO ARE ALREADY MAD ABOUT THIS MOVIE? PROBABLY, BUT SHOULD BE WORTH THE RISK. AFTER-THE-FACT NCSNS LIKE DUMBLEDORE BEG GAY HAVE LIMED VALUE FOR FANS SPERATE TO SEE THEMSELV ON-SCREEN, AND FEELS BEYOND TIME FOR THE HERO OF A SUMMER BLOCKBTER TO HAVE A CLCH WH A SAME-SEX PARTNER AS THE CREDS ROLL.IT’S VERY POSSIBLE THAT GHOSTBTERS WILL NOT BE THE MOVIE THAT DO THAT; A WK AND A SE A TRAILER ARE NOT A LOT TO GO ON, AND HOLLYWOOD MATH STILL MAK DIFFICULT FOR ANY MAJOR FILM TO PH THE ENVELOPE. EVEN THE MOST WISHFUL THKERS OUT THERE ARE PREPARED FOR THAT EVENTUALY. “I TRY NOT TO GET EXCED, BUT MY HEART CERTALY FLUTTERED AT KATE MCKNON’S SUGGTIVE WK,” LETH SAID. “I’LL GO WH MY EXPECTATNS LOW, BUT I N’T HELP THKG... WOULDN’T BE NICE?”MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYNETFLIX’S MURDGH MURRS IS OFFICIALLY RETURNG FOR SEASON 2: EXCLIVEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSONJOANNA ROBSON
In June, gay director Roland Emmerich clud a same-sex uple his aforementned alien vasn sequel, while last month we saw John Cho’s rebooted Sulu ga a hband Star Trek Beyond and Kate McKnon play cema’s first lbian ghostbter Pl Feig’s bro-bag redo. “Insofar as the characters are beg regnised as LGBTQ by dience and crics alike, you n say that is some progrs, ” says Ray Bradford, director of programs for entertament media at Glaad (formerly known as the Gay and Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn). Siarly, gay SNL star McKnon’s Ghostbters character is never explicly outed, but a few l ht at her sexualy, while director Feig gave a “grng, silent nod” an terview wh the Daily Beast when asked if she was gay, prefacg wh the ment: “When you’re alg wh the studs...
Photograph: Movitore/Rex/ShutterstockWhy, 2016, are we treatg homosexualy wh kid glov? When same-sex marriage has been legalised most of the wtern world, should a gay character really be seen as problematic?