The Gayt Christmas Ever: Insi 2020's Big, Queer Holiday Explosn

Contents:

• THE BT QUEER HOLIDAY MOVI TO MAKE THE YULETI GAY
• HALLMARK RELEAS ITS FIRST GAY CHRISTMAS MOVIE WH TWO LEADG MEN
• MAKE THE YULETI GAY WH THE NEW LGBTQ CHRISTMAS MOVI
• SEE FIRST-LOOK PHOTOS OF NETFLIX'S FIRST GAY CHRISTMAS MOVIE SGLE ALL THE WAY
• JONATHAN BENT WANTED TO CREATE A GAY UNCLE BUCK FOR THE HOLIDAY STER
• NETFLIX’S FIRST GAY CHRISTMAS ROM-COM IS THE #3 MOVIE RIGHT NOW
• THE GAYT CHRISTMAS EVER: INSI 2020’S BIG, QUEER HOLIDAY EXPLOSN
• 10 QUEER CHRISTMAS MOVI TO MAKE THE YULETI GAY
• HAPPY HOLIGAYS: EVERY 2021 LGBTQ+ HOLIDAY MOVIE
• HALLMARK PREMIER S FIRST LGBTQ HOLIDAY MOVIE WH A GAY LEAD UPLE
• TV’S GAY CHRISTMAS MOVI ARE AS BENIGN, CHARMG AND CLICHE AS WE ALWAYS HOPED THEY’D BE
• NETFLIX'S 1ST GAY HOLIDAY ROM- BRGS LGHS — AND JENNIFER COOLIDGE

THE BT QUEER HOLIDAY MOVI TO MAKE THE YULETI GAY

Early the ntemporary queer holiday non, 2005’s The Fay Stone, which stars gay in Sarah Jsi Parker as a (shocker) snobby New Yorker spendg the holidays at her boyiend’s fay home, beme a queer h for s B-plot gay uple wh ambns to adopt a baby. That is, gay and lbian Christmas movi actually center queer people now — same-sex holiday revelers csh and fall love, break up, rega romance, and jt live the same celebratory December existence every heterosexual (or closeted) character has gotten for, well, ever.

Hallmark’s first-ever gay Christmas romance is a sparkly, trope-y film about the virtu of settlg down and startg a fay a glzy world where homophobia don’t exist. Nearby, handsome sgle-gay-father-aspiree Jason (Gee Krissa) studi an adoptn pamphlet his ftively rated mansn while his dotg mom nsol him via phone om her home across the street. Netflix’s first te gay Christmas movie (2019’s Let It Snow has a cute queer-teen subplot) follows plant daddy Peter (Michael Urie) as he heads home to New Hampshire wh his bt iend and pretend boyiend, Nick (Philemon Chambers), to avoid his mom’s (Kathy Najimy) naggg about his perpetual sgle stat.

Now they’re tryg to rectify that wh The Christmas Hoe, a movie that follows a married gay uple travelg home for the holidays as they awa news about the adoptn of their first child. Happit Season may be one of the first mastream LGBTQ+ Christmas movi, but ’s not the only Happit Season, there were a few LGBTQ+ films set around the holidays that featured gay or bisexual characters as the ma protagonist or one of the necsary supportg characters. 2020 pecially began to build upward momentum when many works and streamg servic opened up the world of Christmas movi to clu more diverse stori, pecially those volvg same-sex upl or gay characters.

HALLMARK RELEAS ITS FIRST GAY CHRISTMAS MOVIE WH TWO LEADG MEN

(Image cred: TLA Releasg)Make The Yuleti Gay (2009) Degrassi: The Next Generatn star Adamo Ruggiero stars alongsi Keh Jordan Make the Yuleti Gay.

Olaf then giv Nathan a surprise by rmg him that his fay don’t know that he’s the Yuleti Gay is one of those edi wh a lot of wks and nods to s own jok.

MAKE THE YULETI GAY WH THE NEW LGBTQ CHRISTMAS MOVI

Dpe Olaf’s parents beg very quirky (wh nam Anya and Sven – y I thk they may have a se agast Frozen too), he still worri that they may reject him if he reveals that he’s gay.

(Image cred: Cir 87 Films)The Unattaably Perfect Gay Christmas/Red Lodge (2013) Origally this film was entled Red Lodge, but on Amazon Prime, ’s lled The Unattaably Perfect Gay Christmas. The movie also has an appearance by Stephnie Weir as a “psychic” that’s the highlight of the film bee ’s jt so The Unattaably Perfect Gay Christmas on Amazon. This year you might want to give Love Actually and The Holiday a miss though, and make the yuleti gay wh an LGBT+ Christmas film.

Released 2009, the film follows Gunn, a llege stunt who’s openly gay at school and is headg home – and back to the closet – for Christmas wh his fay. The two gay characters, Brandon and Jake, are fully accepted by their relativ and iends and their sexualy isn’t the ma foc of the storyle, stead foc on their efforts to adopt a child.

SEE FIRST-LOOK PHOTOS OF NETFLIX'S FIRST GAY CHRISTMAS MOVIE SGLE ALL THE WAY

The tradn ntu 2021, wh films starrg RuPl, Michael Urie, Jonathan Ben and more — pl appearanc by gay favor like Jennifer your holiday season bge-watchg ssns acrdgly wh the upg movi and specials.

2, NetflixTony-wng director Michael Mayer (“Sprg Awakeng”) helms Netflix’s first gay holiday film, which se perpetually sgle Peter (Michael Urie) beggg his bt iend, Nick (Philemon Chambers), to e home wh him and pretend to be his boyiend to put an end to his fay’s nstant meddlg. But the se is put to the tt when his mother (another gay fave, Kathy Najimy) sets him up wh her hunky traer (“Brothers and Sisters” actor Le Macfarlane) to “Sgle All the Way” for stg three out actors as gay characters — and for stg Jennifer Coolidge, perd. 3, NetflixFormer nttants return to the tents for a pair of holiday-themed episos: In “The Great Christmas Bakg Show, ” out ic Tom Allen subs for Noel Fieldg to -host wh gay prenter Matt Lus as season ne’s Jon Jenks and Kim-Joy Hewlett and season 11’s Herme and Rowan Williams whip up wondro Yuleti treats.

“The showstopper challenge, they’ve got to make a ftive feast illn ke, ” judge Pl Hollywood teased, acrdg to “The Great New Year’s Bakg Show, ” 's season five wner Nancy Birtwhistle up agast season ne champn Rahul Mandal and two nttants om season 19: Gay nerd Henry Bird and wchy Helena Garcia.

JONATHAN BENT WANTED TO CREATE A GAY UNCLE BUCK FOR THE HOLIDAY STER

Baneatta’s gay son, Kenny (Anthony Chatmon II), brgs his boyiend, Logan (Derek Chadwick), home for the holidays but is given an icy receptn.

18, Hallmark ChannelLast year, after sparkg outrage by pullg a jewelry ad featurg lbian bris, Hallmark ma amends by featurg the first gay uple one of s many, many holiday movi: "The Christmas Hoe" sred more than 13 ln viewgs over the 2020 holiday season, so a sequel was a no-braer. In the origal, Bill and Phylis Mchell (Treat Williams and Sharon Lawrence) ved their adult sons home for the holidays, then drop a bomb that they’re sellg the fay time around, gay son Brandon (Jonathan Ben) and his hband, Jake (Brad Harr), pete wh Brandon’s straight brother, Mike (Robert Buckley), to see who n create the most ftively rated Christmas hoe. 19, LifetimeLast year, Lifetime buted s first gaycentric holiday flick, "The Christmas Setup, " and this season, 's brgg a lbian romance to the small this holiday tale om "The Christmas Setup" screenwrer Michael J.

See first-look photos of Netflix's first gay Christmas movie Sgle All the Way "You n expect pageantry, we, hunky Santas, a ltle b of ceptn, a whole lotta do-goodg, and Jennifer Coolidge, " says star Michael Urie.

NETFLIX’S FIRST GAY CHRISTMAS ROM-COM IS THE #3 MOVIE RIGHT NOW

The streamer that ntu to expand to the Christmas movie space will gift you wh the rom- Sgle All the Way, which featur (for the first time) a gay romance at s center, wh two romantic prospects for the lead character. "My parents are played by Barry Bostwick and Kathy Najimy — a batn that scientists agree n only produce sons who are gay and love Christmas. "Peter is a self scribed plant-gay — he has a fern named Judh — trapped a social media job he don't love and is always sgle when he go home for the holidays.

THE GAYT CHRISTMAS EVER: INSI 2020’S BIG, QUEER HOLIDAY EXPLOSN

In the movie, which buts Sunday, Bent plays Sam, a gay guy whose personal life suffers at the st of his profsnal life — work over marriage.

'" Add to the formula the actor's love of the '80s classic Uncle Buck starrg John Candy, pl his sire to see a movie that was "really thentic to what 's like beg a gay man 2022. " And that turned to me and my love for Uncle Buck, the movie wh John Candy that I grew up on, and I kd of put those ias together and I said, "What if Uncle Buck was gay? As gay men, we're navigatg what our liv look like wh kids, or gettg married, or whout kids, and 's not black or whe — there's so many different avenu to startg a fay and havg a chosen fay.

And although Happit Season was predated by pennt films like Make the Yuleti Gay and holiday flicks wh queer storyl like Let It Snow, never before had an LGBTQ+ narrative been prented on such a grand sle a big-budget Christmas, a year later, Netflix has quickly followed su wh their first gay holiday rom-, Sgle All the Way.

10 QUEER CHRISTMAS MOVI TO MAKE THE YULETI GAY

It n't be a cince that openly gay actor Le Macfarlane—who has starred a number of h (heterosexual) Hallmark movi like Mistletoe Promise and Christmas Land— was st one of the leadg romantic rol for this film.

HAPPY HOLIGAYS: EVERY 2021 LGBTQ+ HOLIDAY MOVIE

” But also, the entire premise of Peter and Nick fallg love purposefully verts the historil trope of gay men verg up their relatnships by llg their partners their “roommat.

” Instead, the two roommat are a space where they're accepted and the whole fay is actually tryg to set them up (while also acknowledgg that some stanc gay men really are jt iends) Sgle All the Way isn't solely tertg bee of s nstctn. It also featur genuely funny moments, like when Nick tells Peter's father that he learned many of his rpentry skills om watchg HGTV and the dad asks if that stands for “Homosexual Gay” televisn, or like when Peter's nt, Sandy (Coolidge), hears he's gog on a date and asks, “Like om Grdr? Meanwhile, would be nice if some of the stars of the film (like Coolidge) were given a ltle more room to all though, Sgle All the Way succeeds what sets out to do, wh a wholome and progrsive tale of gay romance that rv out s own space among a long le of Christmas flicks.

This holiday season has gifted dienc wh four—y, four—gay Christmas roms: Hallmark’s The Christmas Hoe, Hulu’s Happit Season, Lifetime’s The Christmas Set-Up (December 12), and Paramount’s Dashg December (December 13).

HALLMARK PREMIER S FIRST LGBTQ HOLIDAY MOVIE WH A GAY LEAD UPLE

“I thk when they said make the Yuleti gay, they meant , ” said Jonathan Bent, one half of the gay uple at the heart of Hallmark’s The Christmas Hoe. By featurg a married gay uple ont and center (Brad Harr plays Bent’s onscreen spoe), the film is a major step forward for the work. '” The works—Hallmark, Lifetime, Paramount—fally donned their gay apparel, jtifyg s of passn for this historilly heteronormative holiday.

“It’s so classic, so typil that the queer muni have often loved a lot of the stutns that have not necsarily loved back, ” said Ben Lewis, the other half of The Christmas Setup’s gay power uple, sharg a sentiment echoed by pretty much everyone else terviewed.

And so I thk for gay men, I thk even for Christmas enthiasts, I thk we’re chasg after that childhood fort and safety that maybe we missed at that time.

TV’S GAY CHRISTMAS MOVI ARE AS BENIGN, CHARMG AND CLICHE AS WE ALWAYS HOPED THEY’D BE

Victor Garber—a hero to a generatn of gay people thanks to his work on Broadway, Tanic, Alias, Legends of Tomorrow, and jt beg Victor Garber—played straight Happit Season as closeted Harper Caldwell’s uptight polician father. I remember meetg a lot of gay kids when I was growg up who weren’t so happy about Christmas and, not unlike Happit Season, would have to go home and pretend [to be straight].

Benjam Bradley lov Christmas Connecticut for gay in Barbara Stanwyck, and Na Wt returns to Whe Christmas every year thanks to the looks and stunts of Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney.

NETFLIX'S 1ST GAY HOLIDAY ROM- BRGS LGHS — AND JENNIFER COOLIDGE

BenDeLaCreme realized as an adult that Christmas at Pee-wee’s Playhoe is “the gayt thg, ” part bee “Miss Yvonne is the bt Christmas drag queen anyone uld ever hope for. Particularly wh stop motn — to put that amount of pastakg tail, the amount of hand glterg that mt have gone to the makg of any one of those movi, is textbook gay. “I thk [Happit Season is] groundbreakg bee ’s an hont-to-god holiday-themed rom that is for queer people, by queer people, ” said Jkx Monsoon of Happit Season, Hulu’s star-studd, major stud gay holiday rom starrg Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis.

That may be why he didn’t ially nsir makg Dashg December a gay romance—and then leapt at the chance to make this particular dream e te (a dream starrg out actors starrg Peter Porte and Juan Pablo Di Pace). ” This simple tweak opened up the entire story for Helgren, turng what was jt a uple sentenc of plot to a full-fledged screenplay that speaks to not only the holiday season, but to the specific experience of beg gay a small, ral muny. The scene that mattered the most to Bent, and every sgle queer person watchg The Christmas Hoe at home, was Brandon and Jake’s kiss—y, a gay kiss on Hallmark.

"This uld be seen as subtle sha to their holiday movie rivals Hallmark, who they are beatg to the punch by featurg a gay uple The Christmas Set-Up. In fact, Hallmark received cricism om LGBT activists December 2019 after they pulled ads for weddg planng pany Zola which featured two women they eventually restated those ads and issued an apology for the "hurt and disappotment [they had] untentnally ed, " the cint served to make the pany look out of touch pared to Lifetime, who that same year laid the ground for their LGBTQ Christmas movie wh a gay kiss one of their movi. In the film Twkle All the Way, released two weeks before Hallmark first pulled the Zola ads, the fal on-screen kiss is between two men a gay married uple, one of whom is the brother of the romantic lead.