How 'Strange World' troduc the first out gay teenager a Disney animated film

Contents:

• HERE'S HOW 'STRANGE WORLD' TRODUC THE FIRST OUT GAY TEENAGER A DISNEY ANIMATED FILM: 'IT WAS A BETIFUL THG TO BE A PART OF'
• LIST: 'STRANGE WORLD' REVIEWS ABOUT DISNEY'S FIRST OUT GAY, CHARACTER, BIRACIAL QUEER TEEN
• DISNEY'S 'STRANGE WORLD' FEATUR THEIR FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER — WHO IS BEHD THE VOICE?
• DISNEY’S “STRANGE WORLD” FEATUR GAY TEEN ROMANCE

HERE'S HOW 'STRANGE WORLD' TRODUC THE FIRST OUT GAY TEENAGER A DISNEY ANIMATED FILM: 'IT WAS A BETIFUL THG TO BE A PART OF'

But the scene sparked bate due to two issu: Florida’s ntroversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, which prohibs any class discsn about sexual orientatn and genr inty to stunts younger than ne years old, and Disney’s efforts as a pany to have repealed. His father supports him and giv him advice, not focg on whether his son is gay or not, but simply as a father who is by his son’s si matters of love. 23, the movie also monstrat the Moe Hoe's renewed mment to LGBTQ reprentatn by showsg the first out gay teenager a Disney rtoon feature.

That character is Ethan Cla, and he's voiced by out gay edian and actor Jaboie Young-Whe. "For her part, Unn not that her recent remake of Cheaper by the Dozen — which premiered on Disney+ March — featured one of Disney's first live actn gay teens (played by Caylee Blosensk), but says much of that storyle was downplayed the fished film. Both the 2020 animated feature, Onward, which featured Disney's first self-intified lbian character, and 2022's Lightyear, which featured the stud's first same-sex kiss, were banned Sdi Arabia and other Gulf natns where homosexual nduct is still illegal.

Incredibly, the same year jt-posed Disney CEO Bob Chapek earned backlash for the pany's rponse to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, the stud also released Strange World, which featur a ma character who is unniably gay. Strange World's Ethan Cla is Disney's first out gay teen hero.

LIST: 'STRANGE WORLD' REVIEWS ABOUT DISNEY'S FIRST OUT GAY, CHARACTER, BIRACIAL QUEER TEEN

So, when 's revealed that Ethan is gay, I braced for the evable generatn clash over queerns.

Sure, Searcher has no issu wh his son beg gay, and he even shows an earnt enthiasm when Ethan's csh Diazo by the farm.

" But stead, Nguyen's screenplay dodg this trope and, wh , homophobia altogether. When Ethan answers, his grandfather, whom he's never met before, isn't shocked to disver the boy is gay. Instead, Strange World acknowledg that gay kids n jt exist media and not have their inty treated like grounds for a teachable moment.

DISNEY'S 'STRANGE WORLD' FEATUR THEIR FIRST OPENLY GAY CHARACTER — WHO IS BEHD THE VOICE?

Alternately, there was the embarrassment that was Josh Gad as the live-actn ​​LeFou 2017's Bety and the Beast, which director Bill Condon proclaimed would have a "nice, exclively gay moment. This "exclively gay moment" earned eye rolls om the LGBTQ muny, as did the proclamatn that the Rso Bros. Would be troducg the MCU's first openly gay character Avengers: End Game.

DISNEY’S “STRANGE WORLD” FEATUR GAY TEEN ROMANCE

It wasn't until 2021's Eternals that the MCU offered a nonilly queer superhero wh Phastos, played by Brian Tyree even as Disney ma stris, the stud drew ire for their ial lack of actn agast the "Don't Say Gay" bill and for cuttg queer ntent om their projects. Outsi of the Disney landspe, stori of queer youth the media often center on moments of trma, be that the strs of g out, beg tranged om their fai, livg wh the creased risk of hate crim or partner vlence, or otherwise nontg homophobia. Even movi about gay romance, the threat of homophobia is often lurkg nearby, ready to squelch any ht of reee queer joy.

Ethan is biracial and gay, but the drama of his journey is not tied to the intifiers. "The news of this storyle Strange World amid an array of headle-makg velopments regardg Disney's public relatnship wh the LGBTQ+ muny, both terms of onscreen reprentatn and terms of a rponse (or lack thereof) to ntroversial legislatn like Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill.

It's the first Disney movie featurg an out-gay character named Ethan Cla, played by gay edian Jaboie Young-Whe. " Below are 11 excerpts om media webs and the different tak crics had on the gay character, characters Disney, Marvel?

Photos of 8 Disney, Marvel characters who are gay, lbian or bisexualUSA TODAY lls 'Strange World' 'extremely morn'"Fans of pulpy 1930s and ’40s hero such as Doc Savage and Flash Gordon will dig the over-the-top actn vibe, yet “Strange World” is extremely morn s them. It taps to real-world issu of nservatn and staabily of natural rourc, and there’s a strong sense of cln – Ethan’s a biracial gay teen, Legend mak up for a missg leg wh boundls energy – and the most wele aspect is that 's all pretty normal.

(Ethan tak after gramps the adventurg partment, but he’s also sensive and openly gay a way that has never been more explic a Disney movie. "Indie Wire: 'First ever gay character... Feels timid'"Ethan is the stud’s bajillnth 'first ever gay character' (and his fay is one of a few terracial fai all of Disney), but as progrsive as is, even that feels timid: His csh appears one scene at the begng of the movie, and apart om a short nversatn is not mentned aga — easily cut to appease the ternatnal censors that provi Disney wh so much of s revenue.