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data-ttid="ContentHearContaer" class="ContentHearContaer-cGKRbE knDxNq"><div class="ContentHearHedAccredatnWrapper-GFiQf cDNVlV"><div data-ttid="ContentHearTleBlockWrapper" class="ContentHearTleBlockWrapper-cjmSKp eiGjZk"><div data-ttid="ContentHearRubric" class="ContentHearRubricBlock-LmpbT tPofh"><div data-ttid="ContentHearRubricDateBlock" class="ContentHearRubricDateBlock-kAQcZP fTFWxD"><div class="RubricWrapper-dKmCNX gPBNpL bric ContentHearRubricContaer-eTudtt iRsSlw"><a class="RubricLk-gRWSOU cwyjHY bric__lk" href="/culture"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">Culture</span></a></div></div></div><h1 data-ttid="ContentHearHed" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearHed-NCyCC iUEiRd jdcWfa isouMH">Why We Stan Ethan: The REAL Hero of <em>Love, Simon</em></h1></div><div class="ContentHearAccredatn-lfctVB etVsnJ ntent-hear__accredatn" data-ttid="ContentHearAccredatn"><div class="ContentHearDek-bIqFFZ eijTxK">Tasteful sweaters, credible ebacks, lc hair and self-actualized queerns. Ethan is an in.</div><div class="ContentHearByle-kmPyCa emiglw"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW jvZaPI rponsive-asset ContentHearContributorImage-cvjZXn epCAJC"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa ContentHearContributorImage-cvjZXn epCAJC rponsive-image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 80w" siz="66px"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 90w" siz="66px"/><img alt="" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src="></picture></span><div class="ContentHearByleContent-dpPmNn DRFq"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl ContentHearByl-cZqgyJ bHLeKI"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH hdWCIC byle byl__byle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU byle__name"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd bCbgyH gnILss byle__preamble">By </span><a class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM ByleLk-gEnFiw iUEiRd hSmufO skIR eErqIx byle__name-lk button" href="/ntributor/naveen-kumar">Naveen Kumar</a></span></span></p></div><time data-ttid="ContentHearPublishDate" dateTime="2018-03-15T12:51:28-04:00" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearPublishDate-eIBicG iUEiRd dCoEhu bDGyxQ">March 15, 2018</time></div></div><div class="SocialInsWrapper-hKMEXV ffgPVr social-ins social-ins--standard ContentHearAccredatnSocialIns-jorO fPzfaa ntent-hear__social-share"><ul data-ttid="socialInslist" class="SocialInsList-cHVTIA ivmblD social-ins__list"><li class="SocialInsListItem-mbhR fxaFQj social-ins__list-em social-ins__list-em--twter social-ins__list-em--standard"><a aria-label="Share on Twter" class="external-lk SocialInExternalLk-huuzOU blkfJb social-ins__lk social-ins__lk--twter" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><div class="SocialInContaer-huXzUC pMzVC 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siz="100vw"/><img alt="Image may nta Face Human Se Person Glass Accsori Accsory Female Clothg and Apparel" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src="></picture></div></div></span><div class="CaptnWrapper-jSZdqE hTTfoq ptn ContentHearLeadAssetCaptn-hPWmSN hfnsqH"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptnText-bHjzlu iUEiRd kvieLQ iXWezO ptn__text">Ethan om 'Love, Simon'</span><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptnCred-ejegDm iUEiRd eNhSMp fNaHcW ptn__cred">Ben Rothste/20th Century Fox</span></div></div></figure></div></div><asi class="PersistentAsiWrapper-VGrR oEIBz persistent-asi persistent-asi--align-left" style="posn:absolute;top:to;height:to" data-ttid="PersistentAsiWrapper"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jNgrSF sticky-box ContentHearPersistentAsi-fsnAmQ dFzKzm"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="SocialInsWrapper-hKMEXV ffgPVr social-ins social-ins--has-background 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class="external-lk SocialInExternalLk-huuzOU etOOvH social-ins__lk social-ins__lk--email" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"mailto:?subject=Why%20We%20Stan%20Ethan%3A%20The%20REAL%20Hero%20of%20'Love%2C%20Simon'&" href="mailto:?subject=Why%20We%20Stan%20Ethan%3A%20The%20REAL%20Hero%20of%20'Love%2C%20Simon'& rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><div class="SocialInContaer-huXzUC pMzVC social-ins__in-ntaer"><svg class="SocialInNetworkInComponent-cZaKGz dlOAhZ in in-email" focable="false" viewBox="0 0 32 32" width="32" height="32" xmlns="><tle>Email</tle><path d="M6 23h20V9H6v14zm3.631-12H22.37l-6.368 5.661L9.631 11zM24 12.227V21H8v-8.773l8.002 7.109L24 12.227z" fill-le="evenodd"></path></svg></div></a></li></ul></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></asi></hear></div><div data-attribute-verso-pattern="article-body" class="ArticlePageContentBackGround-cNiFNN kJkLmH article-body__ntent"><div class="ArticlePageChunksContent-etcMtP bwyLBj"><div data-ttid="ArticlePageChunks" class="ArticlePageChunks-fLyCVG eOdfIs"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa bectqB body body__ntaer article__body" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="body__ner-ntaer"><p><em>This article ntas spoilers for the film Love, Simon.</em></p><p>“I wish he wouldn’t make so easy for them,” Simon mutters to his iends as they wns bulli badger Ethan on their way to school.</p><p>By this pot <em>Love, Simon</em>, the young adult dramedy theaters this Friday, we already know Simon is the closet, and terrified of spoilg what he lls his “totally, perfectly normal life” by g out. Ethan, a visibly queer — and out — kid wh dark sk, a shoulr-length bob, and a flare for tasteful sweaters, don’t have Simon’s privilege of blendg wh other kids. What he do have is the poise of Naomi Campbell, urage to be himself, and pockets full of sick burns for ignorant high school trolls. And bee he embrac every part of himself wh no apologi, Ethan, played by scene stealer Clark Moore, is the real queer role mol of <em>Love, Simon.</em></p><div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--article-mid-ntent" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--article-mid-ntent nsumer-marketg-un__slot---ntent"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><p>In the movie’s openg voice-over, Simon tells he’s “jt like you,” amg himself as a sort of Every Kid om Anytown, U.S.A. As embodied by a charmg Nick Robson, he’s whe (of urse), affluent, and pretty straight-actg — a non-threateng entry pot for mastream dienc to sympathize wh the trials of g out one’s adolcence. He even has heartthrob parents (played by Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel) for the adults the crowd. All that’s missg is a whe picket fence around the Spier fay’s suburban dream.</p><div class="Contaer-bkChBi byNLHx"></div><p>In other words, Simon is the textbook fn of a mol mory. He don’t want to be different; he nsirs his life to be perfect as is, m one “huge-ass secret,” as he puts . Whether Simon’s g out story rembl anyone’s real life hardly seems the pot; this is a movie about adolcent queerns Netflix might remend to fans of <em>13 Gog on 30</em> or <em>The Flt Our Stars</em>. Based on Becky Albertalli’s YA novel and directed by Greg Berlanti, the prolific Hollywood producer who’s helmed stapl of the genre om D<em>awson’s Creek</em> to <em>Riverdale</em>, <em>Love, Simon</em> is pure high school rom-. (Berlanti’s 2000 gay rom-, <em>The Broken Hearts Club</em>, remas a classic for an earlier generatn.)</p></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layout__asi"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB kNleGZ sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="Contaer-bkChBi byNLHx"></div><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="70ajrv"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan full-bleed-ad row-mid-ntent-ad"><div class="StickyMidContentAdWrapper-fSBzwl drzyIa ad-stickymidntent"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--mid-ntent should-hold-space"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--mid-ntent" data-no-id="g95url"></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa bectqB body body__ntaer article__body" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="body__ner-ntaer"><figure class="AssetEmbedWrapper-eVDQiB byBkf asset-embed"><div class="AssetEmbedAssetContaer-eJxoAx dBHGoQ asset-embed__asset-ntaer"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset AssetEmbedRponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__rponsive-asset"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa AssetEmbedRponsiveAsset-cXBNxi eCxVQK asset-embed__rponsive-asset rponsive-image"><noscript><img alt="Ethan and Simon om 'Love Simon'" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src=" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w, 960w, 1280w, 1600w" siz="100vw"/></noscript></picture></span></div><div class="CaptnWrapper-jSZdqE hTTfoq ptn AssetEmbedCaptn-fNQBPI fmQnYP asset-embed__ptn"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptnCred-ejegDm iUEiRd eNhSMp fNaHcW ptn__cred">Ben Rothste/20th Century Fox</span></div></figure><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad---ntent"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot---ntent" data-no-id="su05wb8"></div></div><p>And there <em>is</em> somethg to be said for isolatg Simon’s sexualy as his sole pot of difference, to highlight the trials of g out when beg gay is somethg one n believably hi. Even Simon’s ternalized homophobia, as evinced by his attu toward Ethan, will be relatable to anyone who’s supprsed some part of their inty they were tght to believe is ls than. When Simon imag how much more fortable he’ll feel beg gay llege, a fantasy sequence set to Whney Hoton’s “I Wanna Dance Wh Somebody” fds his dorm room walls plastered wh gay ins om Whney to Audrey Hepburn, and a swarm of classmat cked pri flag lors dancg their way onto the quad wh Simon reluctantly tow. “Well, maybe not <em>that</em> gay,” he says.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-1 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p>The joke seems to be that not every gay guy stans Judy Garland or wears eyeler to class. And that’s te, of urse, but Simon’s hance to align himself wh queer culture or regnize his place is a sign of how far he has to go toward tly acceptg himself — and lettg go of his fixatn on beg “normal.” After Simon is outed onle to his classmat, Ethan wonrs why Simon didn’t tell him that he’s gay, nsirg he’s the only other out kid school. “I didn’t thk we had much mon,” Simon says. He’s right — Simon has a lot of tchg up to do.</p></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layout__asi"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="mstzb"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div><div data-attr-viewport-monor="" class="RecircMostPopularWrapper-bRuGTi jkTTgR recirc-most-popular-wrapper viewport-monor-anchor"><div class="RecircMostPopularConter-jiViNn ktrplG recirc-most-popular-sparrow-trackg hi-asi-ad" data-most-popular-id="mod-most-popular-511"><div class="RecircMostPopularHeadg-iVzhzt jKtkdT">Most Popular</div><ul class="RecircMostPopularItems-dCAajf 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data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU byle__name">Abby Monteil</span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></li><li><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ RecircMostPopularSummaryItem-jQxxiw gmWMTZ ad ad--asi"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--asi" data-no-id="0fj1i"></div></div></li></ul><div class="RecircMostPopularFooter-enPjgs laPXdt"></div></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan full-bleed-ad row-mid-ntent-ad"><div class="StickyMidContentAdWrapper-fSBzwl drzyIa ad-stickymidntent"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--mid-ntent should-hold-space"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--mid-ntent" data-no-id="kbgnw"></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa bectqB body body__ntaer article__body" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="body__ner-ntaer"><p>A flashback shows Ethan g out to his bt girliends, each one feigng her surprise while seated around him on the school lawn. It’s the only time the film that the joke is actually on Ethan, for thkg he was foolg anyone to believg he’s not gay. When bulli try to e for him, Ethan sually toss off the movie’s bt lgh l — as the stands at a football game when he asks, “Can I get some humm for that baby rrot?”, referrg to a tough guy's micro-penis (!). Usg humor as a fense mechanism that way is exactly the sort of pg strategy you hone when there’s no disguisg your difference — and speaks far ter to the experience of many queer kids.</p><p>However else Ethan is choosg to pe wh his difference, seems to be workg. Other than facg tnts om the same uple of mouth-breathers — whom the drama ach (<em>Insecure’s</em> Natasha Rothwell) reads for filth after one particularly heo stunt — Ethan looks to be actually <em>enjoyg</em> his high school experience, which is more than n be said for many kids, queer or not. When Simon do dnk karaoke at a Halloween hoe party, Ethan’s there wh his terie of girliends, havg fun jt like everyone else.</p><p>Simon later tells Ethan that beg out “always seemed so easy for you.” “‘Easy?’ Are you kiddg?” Ethan asks, scribg the look on his mother’s face when she li to their relativ about all the girls he’s datg. Glimps like the make hard not to wish we uld follow Ethan around stead, and hear how he built up the nfince to own his femme prentatn, pecially as a nerdy Black kid wh a fay that’s ls than supportive. A storyle like that might speak more directly to kids who feel like misfs and outsirs so many more ways than Simon, who has every other advantage.</p><p>“You serve everythg you want,” Simon’s mom tells him a teary heart-to-heart after he out to his own fay on Christmas morng. “I serve a great love story,” Simon says voice-over a few scen later, ternalizg his mother’s affirmatn rerd time. And that’s great! He do! Havg everythg — amazg iends, an unrstandg fay, and every privilege the world has to afford a young, affluent whe boy — don’t make him any ls servg of someone to share all of that wh.</p><p>But you know who else serv to be loved and embraced for exactly who they are? Ethan — and every other queer kid who’s faced the kd of adversy Simon n’t even beg to dream of, whether bee they’re people of lor, too femme or butch to f , unrprivileged, rejected by their fai, or still jt tryg to figure out who the hell they want to be.</p><p><em>Love, Simon</em> may not nsir Ethan romantic lead material, but wh his fuck-all mment to beg his thentic self, Ethan has love g to him spas. Simon do, too — but he’ll need to start by lovg himself.</p><p><em><a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Naveen Kumar</a> is a New York-based wrer and edor verg entertament, liftyle, and sex and relatnships. His work appears on VICE, Refery29, GQ, The Daily Beast, NewNowNext, Entertament Tonight, and Towleroad, where he serv as theatre cric.</em></p></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layout__asi"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="1atr"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 PaywallInleBarrierWhWrapperGrid-fyrGfS kLQIUk grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em 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class="RubricWrapper-dKmCNX gPBNpL bric SummaryItemRubric-dguGKN lapGFj summary-em__bric"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">TV and Movi</span></div><a class="SummaryItemHedLk-civM dVrbhU summary-em-trackg__hed-lk summary-em__hed-lk summary-em__hed-lk--unrle-disable" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-hed-2" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" href=" target="_self"><div data-ttid="ClampWrapper" class="ClampWrapper-kZxfkB hTTNGO clamp SummaryItemHedBase-hiFYpQ kBFaWv summary-em__hed"><div class="ClampContent-hilPkr jVhSBH"><div class="SummaryItemHedTag-TWblf gxaOcP" data-ttid="SummaryItemHed">The <em>Barbie</em> Movie Is a Campy Existential Fever Dream</div></div></div></a><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-em__byle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY dHMSJg summary-em__byle"><div class="summary-em__byle__ntent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH ecFEgL byle byl__byle" 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class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">TV and Movi</span></div><a class="SummaryItemHedLk-civM dVrbhU summary-em-trackg__hed-lk summary-em__hed-lk summary-em__hed-lk--unrle-disable" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-hed-3" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" href=" target="_self"><div data-ttid="ClampWrapper" class="ClampWrapper-kZxfkB hTTNGO clamp SummaryItemHedBase-hiFYpQ kBFaWv summary-em__hed"><div class="ClampContent-hilPkr jVhSBH"><div class="SummaryItemHedTag-TWblf gxaOcP" data-ttid="SummaryItemHed"><em>What We Do the Shadows</em> Is Still the Funnit Queer Show on TV</div></div></div></a><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-em__byle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY dHMSJg summary-em__byle"><div class="summary-em__byle__ntent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH ecFEgL byle byl__byle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj 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SummaryItemRubric-dguGKN lapGFj summary-em__bric"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">TV and Movi</span></div><a class="SummaryItemHedLk-civM dVrbhU summary-em-trackg__hed-lk summary-em__hed-lk summary-em__hed-lk--unrle-disable" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-hed-4" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" href=" target="_self"><div data-ttid="ClampWrapper" class="ClampWrapper-kZxfkB hTTNGO clamp SummaryItemHedBase-hiFYpQ kBFaWv summary-em__hed"><div class="ClampContent-hilPkr jVhSBH"><div class="SummaryItemHedTag-TWblf gxaOcP" data-ttid="SummaryItemHed">All the Queer <em>Barbie</em> Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed</div></div></div></a><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-em__byle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY dHMSJg summary-em__byle"><div class="summary-em__byle__ntent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH ecFEgL byle byl__byle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" 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is simon gay in go

As social attus evolve, mastream cema has begun to treat gay love stori like any other romance. Love, Simon prov the pot

Contents:

LOVE, SIMON IS A GROUNDBREAKG GAY MOVIE. BUT DO TODAY'S TEENS ACTUALLY NEED IT?

Love, Simon is a tone mastream movie as foregrounds a gay character, but might have been outpaced by real life. * is simon gay in go *

The new movie Love, Simon reprents somethg new: a look at what ’s like to be a gay teen that’s as slick and mastream as n be, like any other YA romantic edy. As his profile at school evolv, he’s mocked for beg gay by the jocks, but elsewhere his search for a boyiend is met wh a zealo enuragement that saps the movie’s tensn. Plenty of gay kids are supported by those around them, but how many are appld and rooted on by the school en masse, as Simon is, as they seek love?

Can a love story centered around a gay teen who is very refully built to seem as straight as possible appeal to a generatn that’s boldly reventg genr and sexualy on s own terms? There’s no reason that the first gay romantic edy for young viewers necsarily need to look so much like the pat, flat rom-s wh which today’s teens are barely faiar.

The culture, even a ago, was awash anti-gay rhetoric and msagg, om shows like The Office to movi like The 40-Year-Old Virg. (The former relentlsly teased s lone queer office drone; the latter, a liberal-md edy, psed the actn for a lengthy sequence of mean gay jok. Love, Simon feels like a film rpondg to an entirely different culture, like one which gay marriage was never legalized.

'LOVE, SIMON' IS A GOTDAMN LIGHTFUL ROM, AND 'S GAY AS HELL

Love, Simon: Directed by Greg Berlanti. Wh Nick Robson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Kathere Langford. Simon Spier keeps a huge secret om his fay, his iends and all of his classmat: he's gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon mt face everyone and e to terms wh his inty." data-id="ma * is simon gay in go *

That cisn both acknowledged that equaly for gays had won the day and opened the door for far more tertg and challengg fights, on the next generatn will lead.

It has been a phenomenal sprg for out gay actors popular entertament, and one of the bt thgs about is how much ls remarkable that is now than would’ve been a ago. But there’s an pable every-boy qualy to Robson that mak him the perfect poster boy for a mastream Amerin edy yet a really ill-ftg one for gay dienc. Listen to a theater’s reactn to the big Simon/Bram kiss at the end of the movie and tell me you don’t get swept up the possibili for Lonsdale to play gay romantic leads for the next two s of his reer.

There, Pollari played another gay kid, albe a really troubled one; his performance was a revelatn, and though he didn’t officially e out the prs until he ma the Love, Simon rounds this sprg, was no surprise given the emotnal telligence he’d brought to his performanc. Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why hasn’t been quiet about a lot of s them, but they have managed to lowkey create one of the most straightforwardly queer shows on TV simply by wrg a multiplicy of gay characters — wh varied personali, experienc, and loyalti, no ls — and stg several gay actors to play both gay and straight rol.

SIMON IS GAY

simon is the gayt person on earth." name="Dcriptn" property="og:scriptn * is simon gay in go *

Tommy Dorfman, who plays rint lerary-magaze maven Ryan Shaver on 13 Reasons, is the only out gay actor playg a gay character on the show, but the 26-year-old actor brgs plexy to a character who might have read like a one-dimensnal bch on the page. Still, for anyone who grew up readg about on-set satg mors for every show om Beverly Hills, 90210 to Dawson’s Creek to Roswell, feels like a breakthrough and of self to have h TV shows where we n sually gossip about gay relatnships the same way we n about straight on.

A reprentative for Mil Heizer shot down the mors of a Brandon/Mil romance last year — and now Flynn is datg Osr-wng gay person Sam Smh, so now we n all wre our own longg fanfictns every time Jt and Alex are a scene together.

LOVE, SIMON: AT LAST HOLLYWOOD IS SAYG ‘I’M GAY’

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We sometim make the mistake of mandg perfectn gay media, and Love, Simon and 13 Reasons Why fall short of perfectn to varyg gre and for var reasons.

The Homo Sapiens Agenda, ” “Love, Simon” is about seventeen-year-old Simon Spier (Nick Robson), who is your ordary high school boy wh a close-kn circle of iends and a lovg fay, except for one secret that he has kept om them. One day Blue, another stunt at his high school, posts that he is gay, and Simon immediately msag him sayg he knows how Blue feels.

But Simon was jt Simon, and beg gay is only one of his numero quali addn to his sense of humor, love for his fay and support for his iends. The edy the movie was very effective munitg the stggl many gay teens have to al wh relatn to their iends, fai and muni. An actor om the film Love, Simon has e out as gay.Joey Pollari, who plays Lyle, a Waffle Hoe employee, me out durg an , sayg there were clear parallels between his experience and that of the film's protagonist, Simon (played by Nick Robson).“His experience was siar to me,” Pollari said.

LOVE, SIMON? DON’T LOVE, SIMON?: A DEBATE ON THE LTLE GAY MOVIE THAT COULD

Ken Howard, LCSW, a specialist therapy for gay men for over 26 years, discs the importance of the new movie, "Love, Simon". * is simon gay in go *

I thk maybe two people were shocked."Pollari, who has played a gay character once before TV seri Amerin Crime, said he stggled wh a sense of shame before g out.“A lot of the trouble was self-shame. )Ben Rothste/20th Century FoxAnd there is somethg to be said for isolatg Simon’s sexualy as his sole pot of difference, to highlight the trials of g out when beg gay is somethg one n believably hi. Even Simon’s ternalized homophobia, as evinced by his attu toward Ethan, will be relatable to anyone who’s supprsed some part of their inty they were tght to believe is ls than.

When Simon imag how much more fortable he’ll feel beg gay llege, a fantasy sequence set to Whney Hoton’s “I Wanna Dance Wh Somebody” fds his dorm room walls plastered wh gay ins om Whney to Audrey Hepburn, and a swarm of classmat cked pri flag lors dancg their way onto the quad wh Simon reluctantly tow. ” After Simon is outed onle to his classmat, Ethan wonrs why Simon didn’t tell him that he’s gay, nsirg he’s the only other out kid school. Cast & crewUser reviewsTrivia2018PG-131h 50mSimon Spier keeps a huge secret om his fay, his iends and all of his classmat: he's gay.

GAY THERAPIST DISCS “LOVE, SIMON” OM A GAY MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVE

When that secret is threatened, Simon mt face everyone and e to terms wh his Spier keeps a huge secret om his fay, his iends and all of his classmat: he's gay. Tolerance has s mercial benefs; a gay film need no longer appeal exclively to small or specialised when Betiful Thg opened 1996, the UK age of nsent for gay men had only recently been lowered om 21 to 18 (still two years higher than the heterosexual one). Lbians and gay men were banned om servg the armed forc, the sid Sectn 28 was seven years away om beg repealed while phras like “civil partnership” and “marriage equaly” were as unfaiar then as “social media” and “trigger warng” Get Real, a Brish g-out movie that followed two years after Betiful Thg, feel-good material still had to acknowledge the possibily of vlence and homophobia.

Photograph: RONALD GRANTThe -stigmatisatn of homosexualy has removed om drama one of s olst standbys: the threat of ostracisatn and social . Audienc the 1960s uld well prehend the distrs of the barrister, played by Dirk Bogar, who is blackmailed over his sexualy Victim, jt as their 1980s unterparts appreciated the sndal of a married man wh a gay lover Makg Love.

She wants to play footsie, he wants to watch most strikg achievement of Love, Simon is s promotn of a gay character om sassy sikick to thentic hero.

A ROMANTIC COMEDY ABOUT A GAY TEENAGER? WHAT TOOK SO LONG?

"Oftentim, when you have someone at the lead of a film who is also a gay character, for some reason they have to be gog through some emotnal crisis, whether ’s disease or a dg addictn or bad fay life, " says Robson. And 's te; plenty of LGBTQ+ movi om the last few s have centered on trma some form or another, like Boys Don't Cry (about a hate crime agast a trans man), Milk (about the murr of California's first openly gay polician), Philalphia (about AIDS and discrimatn), Monster (about a gay serial killer), Bent (about gay men durg the Holot), etc. The list go on, so much so that there's even a trope lled "Bury Your Gays" referencg the equency wh which LGBTQ+ characters are killed on-screen.

"What mak [Love, Simon] unique is the fact that, at least on the surface, [Simon is] a fairly well adjted kid, " Robson explas of the movie, which follows a gay 17-year-old who only shar his secret onle wh an anonymo guy om his school. The Homo Sapiens' Agenda — may not be the first LGBTQ+-foced film to not be based around tragedy (Call Me By Your Name, anyone? Love, Simon, the first major stud film to receive a wi release while centerg on a gay teen g out and navigatg romance, is already polarizg queer dienc.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* IS SIMON GAY IN GO

Love, Simon: at last Hollywood is sayg ‘I’m gay’ | Love, Simon | The Guardian .

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