Disney's 8 'First Openly Gay' Characters: A Short History

Contents:

• SHOP THE BT OF 'THE RIGHT STUFF'!OPEN MENUVIOSHOPCULTUREFAYWELLNSFOODLIVGSTYLETRAVELNEWSBOOK CLUBGMA3: WYNTKNEWSLETTERPRIVACY POLICYYOUR US STATE PRIVACY RIGHTSCHILDREN'S ONLE PRIVACY POLICYINTERT-BASED ADSTERMS OF USEDO NOT SELL MY INFOCONTACT USCOPYRIGHT © 2023 ABC NEWS INTER VENTUR. ALL RIGHTS RERVED.SEARCHCULTURE'ANDI MACK' MAK HISTORY WH FIRST DISNEY CHANNEL CHARACTER TO SAY 'I'M GAY'4:56'ANDI MACK' ST DISH ON NEW SEASON: 'IT MAK DIVERSY NORMAL'BYTONY MORRISONFEBARY 11, 2019, 5:06 PM•5 M READ"I'M GAY."JOSHUA RH, WHO PLAYS THE ROLE OF CYS THE H DISNEY CHANNEL SERI, "ANDI MACK," JT BEME THE FIRST DISNEY CHANNEL CHARACTER TO EVER SAY THOSE TWO WORDS. HIS PERFORMANCE AS CYS ALSO MARKS THE FIRST PORTRAYAL OF AN OPENLY GAY CHARACTER ON DISNEY CHANNEL.“TAKG ON THE ROLE OF CYS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST FUN THGS I'VE EVER DONE MY LIFE," RH TOLD "GMA." "BEG JEWISH, BEG 14, GOG TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, HAVG THIS SMALL, CLOSE-KN GROUP OF IENDS, AND BEG GAY ARE ALL JT PARTS OF HIS PERSONALY," HE AFFIRMED.THE REACTN TO HIS CHARACTER G OUT?"OVERWHELMGLY POSIVE," HE SAID, ADDG THAT "OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS I'VE REALLY GOTTEN TO SEE THE MYRIAD OF WAYS THAT BOTH THIS NEW G-OUT SCENE FOR CYS, AND THIS JEWISH REPRENTATN OF HIS FAY, HAS AFFECTED THE FANS."ASHER ANGEL, PEYTON ELIZABETH LEE, JOSHUA RH AND SOFIA WYLIE STAR THE DISNEY CHANNEL'S, "ANDI MACK."MCH HAASETH/DISNEY CHANNELIN THE MOVG SCENE THAT AIRED LAST WEEK, CYS IS JOED BY HIS IENDS AT HIS GRANDMOTHER'S SHIVA, THE FIRST WEEK OF MOURNG OBSERVED BY THOSE OF THE JEWISH FAH FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS PASSED AWAY. CYS FDS 'S THE RIGHT TIME FOR HIM TO E OUT TO HIS BT GUY IEND, JONAH, PLAYED BY ACTOR ASHER ANGEL.CHECK OUT THE PIECE OF DISNEY CHANNEL HISTORY FOR YOURSELF:CYS PREVLY ME OUT TO HIS IENDS ANDI AND BUFFY TWO SEPARATE PAST EPISOS OF THE SHOW, BUT HAS NEVER ACTUALLY SAID THE WORDS, "I'M GAY" UNTIL NOW.HERE'S ONE OF THOSE SCEN:"CYS HAS TGHT ME A LOT ABOUT BEG FORTABLE WH MYSELF NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS THK," RH TOLD "GMA." "I WAS BULLIED A LOT AT CYS’ AGE," HE SAID, "SO 'S SPIRG TO SEE HOW CYS KNOWS HE DON’T HAVE ALL FIGURED OUT YET, BUT HE ISN’T AAID TO ASK THE HARD QUTNS ABOUT WHO HE MIGHT BE AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR HIM."IN A TWEET, RH SAID "EVERY DAY IS A BLSG" TO BE PART OF THE SHOW "ANDI MACK." CALLG THE LATT VELOPMENT WH HIS CHARACTER CYS, "A TONE."JONATHAN HURWZ, WHO WROTE THIS EPISO OF "ANDI MACK," ENTLED "ONE A MYAN," SHARED A BLOG POST PUBLISHED BY GLAAD THAT HE WAS DRIVEN OM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TO WRE THIS EPISO AND DO RIGHT "AS SOMEONE WHO’S JEWISH, HAS ALT WH LONG-TERM ANXIETY, AND HAS E OUT TO HIS IENDS AND FAY.""IN THE WRER’S ROOM, I SHARED A PERSONAL STORY ABOUT HOW NERVO I WAS TO E OUT TO A LLEGE IEND BACK 2010. WHILE GRABBG BURGERS ONE AFTERNOON, HE ASKED ME TO PASS THE KETCHUP, SO I HAND HIM THE BOTTLE WHILE MUMBLG THE WORDS, 'I’M GAY.,'" HURWZ WROTE. "HE LOOKED UP AT ME, SAID 'COOL,' THEN PROCEED TO PUT KETCHUP ON HIS BURGER AS IF I HADN’T JT REVEALED MY MOST PERSONAL, EPT TTH. I REMEMBER THKG: THAT’S ?! AFTER A TEN-YEAR JOURNEY TO E OUT TO MYSELF, I FALLY E OUT TO MY IEND AND ALL I GET IS A 'COOL?!' BUT WHAT I ULTIMATELY REALIZED WAS THAT MY IENDS AND FAY LOVED ME UNNDNALLY BEFORE I’D EVEN LEARNED TO TLY LOVE MYSELF."HURWZ WROTE THAT HE ED HIS EXPERIENCE TO CRAFT CYS' G OUT STORYLE TO JONAH."IN SPE OF CYS' NERV ABOUT TELLG BUFFY, ANDI, AND NOW JONAH, HE NTUALLY UNRTIMAT HOW MUCH PEOPLE ACCEPT HIM FOR WHO HE IS," HE WROTE. "NO MATTER HOW 'WEIRD' OR 'DIFFERENT' HE FEELS (HIS WORDS OM SEASON ONE), HIS IENDS WILL ALWAYS BE RIGHT BY HIS SI, LOVG AND SUPPORTG HIM."SOFIA WYLIE, PEYTON ELIZABETH LEE, JOSHUA RH AND ASHER ANGEL STAR THE DISNEY CHANNEL'S, "ANDI MACK."FRED HAY/DISNEY CHANNELFOR MANY, THE PROCS OF G OUT IS AS TERRIFYG AS IS EXHILARATG. THAT PROCS IS UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE, AND IS SOMETIM MET BY REJECTN AND EVEN VLENCE. ACRDG TO BROCK DUMVILLE, M.P.H. AND SENR CRISIS SERVIC MANAGER FOR THE TREVOR PROJECT, "THE BT WAY TO SUPPORT YOUR IEND WOULD BE TO CELEBRATE THEM FOR MAKG CHOIC THAT FEEL HEALTHY FOR THEM, CLUDG IF THAT IS CHOOSG NOT TO E OUT."THE TREVOR PROJECT IS A NATNAL ANIZATN PROVIDG CRISIS TERVENTN FOR LGBTQ+ YOUTH UNR 25. VIS THE TREVOR PROJECT'S "COMG OUT AS YOU" ROURCE PAGE FOR MORE."ANDI MACK" AIRS FRIDAY NIGHTS AT 8/7C ON THE DISNEY CHANNEL.DISNEY IS THE PARENT PANY OF ABC NEWS AND "GOOD MORNG AMERI."UP NEXT CULTURE—REVIEW: 'AHSOKA' IS A PROVOTIVE PORTRA OF SISTERHOOD TAKG ON A FADG PATRIARCHYAUGT 25, 2023ADAM SANDLER AND HIS FAY LIVER 'YOU ARE SO NOT INVED TO MY BAT MZVAH': REVIEWAUGT 25, 2023TIM MCGRAW ATTENDS ACM HONORS WH WIFE FAH HILL, DGHTERS AUDREY, MAGGIE: SEE THE PHOTOSAUGT 24, 2023LADY GAGA SHAR PHOTOS OM REHEARSAL AHEAD OF LAS VEGAS RINCYAUGT 24, 2023UP NEXT CULTURE—REVIEW: 'AHSOKA' IS A PROVOTIVE PORTRA OF SISTERHOOD TAKG ON A FADG PATRIARCHYAUGT 25, 2023ADAM SANDLER AND HIS FAY LIVER 'YOU ARE SO NOT INVED TO MY BAT MZVAH': REVIEWAUGT 25, 2023TIM MCGRAW ATTENDS ACM HONORS WH WIFE FAH HILL, DGHTERS AUDREY, MAGGIE: SEE THE PHOTOSAUGT 24, 2023LADY GAGA SHAR PHOTOS OM REHEARSAL AHEAD OF LAS VEGAS RINCYAUGT 24, 2023
• DISNEY'S 8 'FIRST OPENLY GAY' CHARACTERS, RANKED (BY HOW EMBARRASSED DISNEY SHOULD FEEL)
• 'ANDI MACK': CYS BE FIRST EVER GAY DISNEY CHANNEL CHARACTER
• A DISNEY CHANNEL SHOW MAK HISTORY WH S FIRST GAY MA CHARACTER
• DISNEY CHANNEL TO FEATURE ITS FIRST GAY MA CHARACTER ANDI MACK SEASON 2

SHOP THE BT OF 'THE RIGHT STUFF'!OPEN MENUVIOSHOPCULTUREFAYWELLNSFOODLIVGSTYLETRAVELNEWSBOOK CLUBGMA3: WYNTKNEWSLETTERPRIVACY POLICYYOUR US STATE PRIVACY RIGHTSCHILDREN'S ONLE PRIVACY POLICYINTERT-BASED ADSTERMS OF USEDO NOT SELL MY INFOCONTACT USCOPYRIGHT © 2023 ABC NEWS INTER VENTUR. ALL RIGHTS RERVED.SEARCHCULTURE'ANDI MACK' MAK HISTORY WH FIRST DISNEY CHANNEL CHARACTER TO SAY 'I'M GAY'4:56'ANDI MACK' ST DISH ON NEW SEASON: 'IT MAK DIVERSY NORMAL'BYTONY MORRISONFEBARY 11, 2019, 5:06 PM•5 M READ"I'M GAY."JOSHUA RH, WHO PLAYS THE ROLE OF CYS THE H DISNEY CHANNEL SERI, "ANDI MACK," JT BEME THE FIRST DISNEY CHANNEL CHARACTER TO EVER SAY THOSE TWO WORDS. HIS PERFORMANCE AS CYS ALSO MARKS THE FIRST PORTRAYAL OF AN OPENLY GAY CHARACTER ON DISNEY CHANNEL.“TAKG ON THE ROLE OF CYS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST FUN THGS I'VE EVER DONE MY LIFE," RH TOLD "GMA." "BEG JEWISH, BEG 14, GOG TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, HAVG THIS SMALL, CLOSE-KN GROUP OF IENDS, AND BEG GAY ARE ALL JT PARTS OF HIS PERSONALY," HE AFFIRMED.THE REACTN TO HIS CHARACTER G OUT?"OVERWHELMGLY POSIVE," HE SAID, ADDG THAT "OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS I'VE REALLY GOTTEN TO SEE THE MYRIAD OF WAYS THAT BOTH THIS NEW G-OUT SCENE FOR CYS, AND THIS JEWISH REPRENTATN OF HIS FAY, HAS AFFECTED THE FANS."ASHER ANGEL, PEYTON ELIZABETH LEE, JOSHUA RH AND SOFIA WYLIE STAR THE DISNEY CHANNEL'S, "ANDI MACK."MCH HAASETH/DISNEY CHANNELIN THE MOVG SCENE THAT AIRED LAST WEEK, CYS IS JOED BY HIS IENDS AT HIS GRANDMOTHER'S SHIVA, THE FIRST WEEK OF MOURNG OBSERVED BY THOSE OF THE JEWISH FAH FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS PASSED AWAY. CYS FDS 'S THE RIGHT TIME FOR HIM TO E OUT TO HIS BT GUY IEND, JONAH, PLAYED BY ACTOR ASHER ANGEL.CHECK OUT THE PIECE OF DISNEY CHANNEL HISTORY FOR YOURSELF:CYS PREVLY ME OUT TO HIS IENDS ANDI AND BUFFY TWO SEPARATE PAST EPISOS OF THE SHOW, BUT HAS NEVER ACTUALLY SAID THE WORDS, "I'M GAY" UNTIL NOW.HERE'S ONE OF THOSE SCEN:"CYS HAS TGHT ME A LOT ABOUT BEG FORTABLE WH MYSELF NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS THK," RH TOLD "GMA." "I WAS BULLIED A LOT AT CYS’ AGE," HE SAID, "SO 'S SPIRG TO SEE HOW CYS KNOWS HE DON’T HAVE ALL FIGURED OUT YET, BUT HE ISN’T AAID TO ASK THE HARD QUTNS ABOUT WHO HE MIGHT BE AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR HIM."IN A TWEET, RH SAID "EVERY DAY IS A BLSG" TO BE PART OF THE SHOW "ANDI MACK." CALLG THE LATT VELOPMENT WH HIS CHARACTER CYS, "A TONE."JONATHAN HURWZ, WHO WROTE THIS EPISO OF "ANDI MACK," ENTLED "ONE A MYAN," SHARED A BLOG POST PUBLISHED BY GLAAD THAT HE WAS DRIVEN OM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TO WRE THIS EPISO AND DO RIGHT "AS SOMEONE WHO’S JEWISH, HAS ALT WH LONG-TERM ANXIETY, AND HAS E OUT TO HIS IENDS AND FAY.""IN THE WRER’S ROOM, I SHARED A PERSONAL STORY ABOUT HOW NERVO I WAS TO E OUT TO A LLEGE IEND BACK 2010. WHILE GRABBG BURGERS ONE AFTERNOON, HE ASKED ME TO PASS THE KETCHUP, SO I HAND HIM THE BOTTLE WHILE MUMBLG THE WORDS, 'I’M GAY.,'" HURWZ WROTE. "HE LOOKED UP AT ME, SAID 'COOL,' THEN PROCEED TO PUT KETCHUP ON HIS BURGER AS IF I HADN’T JT REVEALED MY MOST PERSONAL, EPT TTH. I REMEMBER THKG: THAT’S ?! AFTER A TEN-YEAR JOURNEY TO E OUT TO MYSELF, I FALLY E OUT TO MY IEND AND ALL I GET IS A 'COOL?!' BUT WHAT I ULTIMATELY REALIZED WAS THAT MY IENDS AND FAY LOVED ME UNNDNALLY BEFORE I’D EVEN LEARNED TO TLY LOVE MYSELF."HURWZ WROTE THAT HE ED HIS EXPERIENCE TO CRAFT CYS' G OUT STORYLE TO JONAH."IN SPE OF CYS' NERV ABOUT TELLG BUFFY, ANDI, AND NOW JONAH, HE NTUALLY UNRTIMAT HOW MUCH PEOPLE ACCEPT HIM FOR WHO HE IS," HE WROTE. "NO MATTER HOW 'WEIRD' OR 'DIFFERENT' HE FEELS (HIS WORDS OM SEASON ONE), HIS IENDS WILL ALWAYS BE RIGHT BY HIS SI, LOVG AND SUPPORTG HIM."SOFIA WYLIE, PEYTON ELIZABETH LEE, JOSHUA RH AND ASHER ANGEL STAR THE DISNEY CHANNEL'S, "ANDI MACK."FRED HAY/DISNEY CHANNELFOR MANY, THE PROCS OF G OUT IS AS TERRIFYG AS IS EXHILARATG. THAT PROCS IS UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE, AND IS SOMETIM MET BY REJECTN AND EVEN VLENCE. ACRDG TO BROCK DUMVILLE, M.P.H. AND SENR CRISIS SERVIC MANAGER FOR THE TREVOR PROJECT, "THE BT WAY TO SUPPORT YOUR IEND WOULD BE TO CELEBRATE THEM FOR MAKG CHOIC THAT FEEL HEALTHY FOR THEM, CLUDG IF THAT IS CHOOSG NOT TO E OUT."THE TREVOR PROJECT IS A NATNAL ANIZATN PROVIDG CRISIS TERVENTN FOR LGBTQ+ YOUTH UNR 25. VIS THE TREVOR PROJECT'S "COMG OUT AS YOU" ROURCE PAGE FOR MORE."ANDI MACK" AIRS FRIDAY NIGHTS AT 8/7C ON THE DISNEY CHANNEL.DISNEY IS THE PARENT PANY OF ABC NEWS AND "GOOD MORNG AMERI."UP NEXT CULTURE—REVIEW: 'AHSOKA' IS A PROVOTIVE PORTRA OF SISTERHOOD TAKG ON A FADG PATRIARCHYAUGT 25, 2023ADAM SANDLER AND HIS FAY LIVER 'YOU ARE SO NOT INVED TO MY BAT MZVAH': REVIEWAUGT 25, 2023TIM MCGRAW ATTENDS ACM HONORS WH WIFE FAH HILL, DGHTERS AUDREY, MAGGIE: SEE THE PHOTOSAUGT 24, 2023LADY GAGA SHAR PHOTOS OM REHEARSAL AHEAD OF LAS VEGAS RINCYAUGT 24, 2023UP NEXT CULTURE—REVIEW: 'AHSOKA' IS A PROVOTIVE PORTRA OF SISTERHOOD TAKG ON A FADG PATRIARCHYAUGT 25, 2023ADAM SANDLER AND HIS FAY LIVER 'YOU ARE SO NOT INVED TO MY BAT MZVAH': REVIEWAUGT 25, 2023TIM MCGRAW ATTENDS ACM HONORS WH WIFE FAH HILL, DGHTERS AUDREY, MAGGIE: SEE THE PHOTOSAUGT 24, 2023LADY GAGA SHAR PHOTOS OM REHEARSAL AHEAD OF LAS VEGAS RINCYAUGT 24, 2023

No one lov a 'first gay character' more than Disney.

Disney has been que a b of hot, gay water recent years. The pany has never been known for s great LGBTQ+ reprentatn or polics, but 's e unr even more scty than ual after fans learned that the pany was donatg money to legislators Florida backg that state's ntroversial "Don't Say Gay" bill. Especially when the news broke that Pixar has been censorg gay ntent out of s films for Disney really been producg enough spirg ntent to unteract s donatns and lack of a statement?

DISNEY'S 8 'FIRST OPENLY GAY' CHARACTERS, RANKED (BY HOW EMBARRASSED DISNEY SHOULD FEEL)

RELATED | 11 Gay, Bi, & Lbian Creators Who Ma Disney What It Is Today.

'ANDI MACK': CYS BE FIRST EVER GAY DISNEY CHANNEL CHARACTER

First Gay Married Couple: Bucky and Pronk Oryx-Antlerson 'Zootopia' (2016).

Fans didn't even notice this gay married uple Zootopia until years after the movie me out.

First 'Exclively Gay Moment:' LeFou 'Bety and the Beast' (2017). When this live-actn remake me out, Disney touted LeFou (played by Josh Gad) as beg their first gay character and even said that he had an "exclively gay moment" the film.

A DISNEY CHANNEL SHOW MAK HISTORY WH S FIRST GAY MA CHARACTER

When turned out that gay moment was a flash of him dancg wh another man a group scene, fans weren't so exced. First Gay Character the MCU: Grievg Man 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019). Disney and Marvel Studs proudly announced that 2019 they had troduced their first gay character the Marvel Cematic Universe, only to have fans fd out that was an unnamed character one scene played by the movie's straight -director.

Aga, they're only shown kissg for a send, but hey, at least we know that gays exist space.

DISNEY CHANNEL TO FEATURE ITS FIRST GAY MA CHARACTER ANDI MACK SEASON 2

First Major Gay Character: MacGregor 'Jungle Cise' (2021). MacGregor, played by Jack Whehall, was supposed to be Disney's "first major gay character" when Jungle Cise was set to be released way back 2019, but bee of the global panmic, the film was layed until 2021. First Gay Superhero the MCU: Phastos 'Eternals' (2021).

Marvel's first gay superhero and the first married gay uple the MCU both happened 2021, which was que the year for "First Gays" for the pany. It took only 13 years and two dozen movi for Marvel to troduce a gay superhero. First Major Gay Character (Aga): Artie 'Cella' (2021).

Artie is one of several characters advertised as the pany's "first major gay character" after both LeFou Bety and the Beast and MacGregor the layed-for-several-years Jungle Cise.